Microsoft.VisualStudio.Tools.Applications.Contract Namespace

All contracts are interfaces that derive from the IContract interface. Visual Studio Tools for Applications uses contracts to enable communication between the add-in and its host application (this communication channel is called the pipeline). The add-in developer does not interact directly with contracts; however, advanced add-in developers can extend the contracts to define custom pipeline implementation.

For more information about the pipeline, see Understanding the Add-in Pipeline in Visual Studio Tools for Applications.

Classes

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	Class	Description
	VstaConstants	Infrastructure. Provides constants that Visual Studio Tools for Applications uses to represent the host item provider and host type provider service names that the host exposes to the add-in.

Structures

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	Structure	Description
	EntryPointInfo	Infrastructure. Defines a structure that contains information about entry points.

Interfaces

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	Interface	Description
	IAppInfoContract	Infrastructure.
	IAppInfoDocumentContract	Infrastructure.
	ICustomAttributeProviderContract	Infrastructure. Defines methods that get custom attributes of types from the host object model.
	IEntryPointContract2	Infrastructure. Loads, initializes, and handles the shut down of entry point classes in the add-in assembly.
	IHostItemProviderContract2	Infrastructure. Defines a method that returns host objects from the host object model.
	IHostTypeProviderContract	Infrastructure. Defines a method that enables the add-in to obtain types from the host application's object model. Visual Studio Tools for Applications can use these types to invoke static members.
	IInteropObjectContract2	Infrastructure. Represents an instance of a COM class in the host object model of a COM host application.
	IInteropStreamContract	Infrastructure. Defines methods for marshaling COM references across the host application and add-in processes.
	IParameterCustomAttributeProviderContract	Infrastructure. Defines a method that gets custom parameter attributes of types from the host object model.
	IRemoteTypeContract2	Infrastructure. Extends System.AddIn.Contract.Automation.IRemoteTypeContract by adding a method for determining whether the class that is represented in the current instance of IRemoteTypeContract2 derives from the class that is represented by the specified canonical name.