How to: Upgrade a Visual Studio 2010 Start Page

You should have Visual Studio 2012 and the Visual Studio 2012 VSSDK installed. You can download the VSSDK from Microsoft Visual Studio 2012.

Open your custom template project in Visual Studio 2012. You will see a message notifying you that the project is to be upgraded. Click OK and wait for the upgrade to complete.

In the project properties, change the Target Framework to .NET Framework 4.5.

In the Debug category of project properties, set the path to the Visual Studio 2012 version of devenv.exe.

In the project references, remove the references to Microsoft.VisualStudio.StartPage and Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.10.0, and add references to Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.11.0 and Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Immutable.11.0.

Open StartPage.xaml with the XML editor and make the following changes:

1. Update the namespaces. Replace the following lines:

   Xml

   Copy

   xmlns:sp="clr-namespace:Microsoft.VisualStudio.PlatformUI;assembly=Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.StartPage" 
   xmlns:vs="clr-namespace:Microsoft.VisualStudio.PlatformUI;assembly=Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.11.0" 
   xmlns:vs="clr-namespace:Microsoft.VisualStudio.PlatformUI;assembly=Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.10.0" 
   xmlns:vsfxim="clr-namespace:Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell;assembly=Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Immutable.11.0" 
   xmlns:vsfx="clr-namespace:Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell;assembly=Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.10.0"  
   

   with the following lines:

   Copy

   xmlns:vs="clr-namespace:Microsoft.VisualStudio.PlatformUI;assembly=Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.11.0" 
   xmlns:vs="clr-namespace:Microsoft.VisualStudio.PlatformUI;assembly=Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.10.0" xmlns:vsfxim="clr-namespace:Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell;assembly=Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Immutable.11.0"
   

2. Replace every instance of Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.StartPage with Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.11.0.

3. Make the corresponding namespace readjustments from Microsoft.VisualStudio.StartPage to Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.11.0 (sp to vs). For example:

   1. Change the namespace of the MruListBox from sp:MruListBox to vs:MruListBox.

4. Change the namespace of the VSCommands from sp to vsfxim. For example:

   1. Change sp:VSCommands.ExecuteCommand to vsfxim:VSCommands.ExecuteCommand.

   2. Change sp:RssCommands.SetUrl to vsfxim:RssCommands.SetUrl.

   3. Change sp:VSCommands.Browseto vsfxim:VSCommands.Browse.

5. Replace every instance of vsfx:VsBrushes keys with the appropriate vs:EnvironmentColors key. Here are some examples:

   1. Change vsfx:VsBrushes.StartPageBackgroundKeyto vs:EnvironmentColors.StartPageTabBackgroundBrushKey.

   2. Change vsfx:VsBrushes.StartPageSeparatorKey to vs:EnvironmentColors.StartPageSeparatorBrushKey.

Change the following paths:

1. Change component/Styles/startpageresources.xaml to component/UI/Styles/startpageresources.xaml"

2. Change all instances of component/Images/StartPage/ to component/UI/Images/.

Update all colors to the appropriate values of T:Microsoft.VisualStudio.PlatformUI.EnvironmentColors.