Getting Started with the Visual Studio SDK
Welcome to the Visual Studio 2005 SDK. Visual Studio includes an integrated development environment (IDE), which enables rapid development of a wide variety of software applications. The Visual Studio 2005 SDK provides a framework that you can use to extend the functionality of Visual Studio. This topic will discuss some of the ways in which you can extend Visual Studio, and also provide links to more documentation to help you start using the Visual Studio SDK.
Extending Visual Studio
Visual Studio is a complete set of development tools for building ASP.NET Web applications, XML Web Services, desktop applications, and mobile applications. Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual C#, and Visual J# all use the same IDE, which enables them to share tools and makes creating mixed-language solutions easier.
Visual Studio provides several ways to extend the IDE:
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The ability to create, edit, and distribute macros to automate repetitive tasks.
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A flexible add-in framework.
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The means to develop the same kinds of extensions to the IDE that were used to build major Visual Studio features, such as the C# language integration. The extensions are named VSPackages.
Macros
You can record your actions in Visual Studio by using macros. Macros are recorded as Visual Basic code, which then can be saved, modified, replayed, and distributed. Support for macros in Visual Studio 2005 includes Macro Explorer, which lets you browse and manage macros. A specialized macro editor lets you modify existing macros with the aid of Intelllisense. After you have recorded and configured a macro, you can bind it to a menu command, toolbar, or keyboard shortcut to make it easier to reuse. You even can package your macro as a Macro Project so that you can encapsulate and distribute custom solutions designed to handle repetitive and specialized tasks.
 Note |
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| Macro functionality is documented in the Visual Studio core documentation. |
Add-Ins
Add-ins let you interact with most of the features and tools found in Visual Studio, including code editors, the code model, output and debugging windows, editors, menus, and other frequently used interfaces. You can implement an add-in in any language. The Visual Studio Add-in Wizard provides a framework in which you can add your customized code. Once you have deployed an add-in, you can toggle it on and off by using the Add-in Manager.
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| Add-in functionality is documented in the Visual Studio core documentation. |
VSPackages
VSPackages are the principal architectural unit of Visual Studio, and provide deep integration directly in the IDE by enabling access to the same tools and components used by Microsoft to create Visual Studio 2005, including the underlying Visual Studio APIs. VSPackages are more complex to design and implement than macros or add-ins, but they are much more powerful.
Where to Go Next
The following table links to samples, and Help topics and tutorials, that can help you start using the Visual Studio SDK:
| If you want to: | Go to: |
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| Take the Visual Studio Extensibility Guided Tour | |
| Learn more about Visual Studio's automation and extensibility architecture | |
| Automate Visual Studio tasks by using macros | |
| Create a Visual Studio add-in | |
| Deeply integrate with Visual Studio by creating a VSPackage | Introduction to the Visual Studio Development Environment SDK |
| Add custom menu and toolbar commands to Visual Studio | |
| Display custom code editors in Visual Studio | |
| Add custom tool windows to Visual Studio | |
| Provide help content for Visual Studio extensibility | |
| Find a Visual Studio extensibility sample | |
| Learn how to integrate with Team Foundation Server |