Visual Studio Tools for Applications 2.0

Integrating Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for Applications with your applications provides a powerful customization toolset for your customers, partners, and development teams. Built on Visual Studio and the .NET Framework, Visual Studio Tools for Applications helps you serve a broader customer base without modifying your core product. Visual Studio Tools for Applications makes it easier to write reliable, robust, and secure customizations by providing managed extensibility for both COM and .NET applications.

Key Benefits

Flexibility with control
You decide which components of the application are open to customization, what view of these components to present, and how to grant access to those components.

Reliable, version-independent customizations
Add-ins can be isolated from the host application for greater reliability. Multiple add-in versions work with multiple versions of your host application, extending the lifespan of customizations.

Standard tools for a broad range of developers
Visual Studio Tools for Applications projects open in Visual Studio, so professional developers can enhance customizations built by end users. Standard tools facilitate collaboration between internal teams, resellers, systems integrators, and end users.

Headlines and Featured Content

MSDN Webcast: How to Integrate Visual Studio Tools for Applications 2.0 (Level 200)
Join Summit Software as they perform a sample integration of Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for Applications version 2.0. In this technical presentation, we focus on providing an end-to-end walk-through of the integration process, leveraging Summit's integration expertise and utilizing the tools available to assist with a successful integration of Visual Studio Tools for Applications 2.0. As part of the discussion, viewers learn how integration has been significantly improved in the 2.0 version of Visual Studio Tools for Applications. (now available for on-demand viewing)

.NET Rocks! Interview: Naveen Yajaman on Visual Studio Tools for Applications
Show #295 of the popular .NET Rocks! show features an interview with Naveen Yajaman on Visual Studio Tools for Applications.

Get Started

To get this next-generation toolset for application extensibility, review the Visual Studio 2008 Tools for Applications pricing & licensing and download the Visual Studio 2008 Tools For Applications Software Development Kit (SDK), by contacting Summit Software.

Visual Studio 2008

For Developers

For Development Teams

Extensibility & Partners

VSTA Fact Sheet

This fact sheet (available in XPS and PDF) describes Visual Studio Tools for Applications 2.0.

Quick Comparison

Visual Studio Shell

Enables developers to rapidly create and distribute their own custom tools by building on a streamlined Visual Studio IDE; does not include languages and compilers

Visual Studio Tools for Applications

Enables ISVs and enterprises to embed a streamlined IDE into their applications, accelerating customization development by end users, resellers, system integrators, and internal teams. Includes support for Visual Basic and Visual C# along with other tools for application customization.