How to: Install New Custom Prototypes in the Toolbox 

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In Application Designer and Logical Datacenter Designer, you can add custom prototypes created by other Distributed System Designers users or by the System Definition Model (SDM) Software Development Kit (SDK). You can use these prototypes to define new applications or logical servers. For more information, see Application Types and Prototypes for Defining Applications and Logical Server Prototypes in Logical Datacenter Designer. However, before you can use these prototypes, you must first install them by adding the appropriate registry keys.

Note

You must have administrator permissions to change the registry. Some prototypes might include an installation package that performs the installation for you. Custom prototypes that you create directly from the application or logical datacenter diagram appear in the Toolbox automatically. For more information, see How to: Create Custom Prototypes from Configured Applications and Endpoints and How to: Create Custom Prototypes from Configured Zones and Logical Servers.

Custom prototypes are saved as application prototype (.adprototype) files or logical datacenter prototype (.lddprototype) files. In addition, application prototypes created from the SDM SDK are accompanied by .sdmdocument files, which are compiled versions of SDM definition (.sdm) files.

When you install prototypes created by other users, you can add or copy the .adprototype or .lddprototype files to the default prototype location or to a location where Visual Studio can find them. You must then add the appropriate registry key to display the prototype in the Toolbox.

When you install application prototypes created by the SDM SDK, you must also add or copy the .sdmdocument files to a location where Visual Studio can find them and add the appropriate registry key so that the corresponding shape displays correctly on the application diagram.

The first two procedures describe how to install prototypes created by another Distributed System Designers user. The last procedure describes how to install prototypes created from the SDM SDK.

To install application or logical server prototypes created by other users to the default location

  • Add or copy the .adprototype or .lddprototype files to the default prototype folder.

    This folder is located along the path "<root>\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\Tools\DesignerPrototypes\Prototypes".

    Note

    Prototypes will appear in the Toolbox the next time you open a distributed systems solution in Visual Studio.

To install application or logical server prototypes created by other users to another location

  1. Add or copy the prototype files to a location where Visual Studio can find them.

  2. In the Run window, type regedit to open the Registry Editor.

  3. In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following location:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Visual Studio\8.0\EnterpriseTools\DesignerPrototypeFolders

  4. Right-click the DesignerPrototypeFolders folder, point to New, and choose String Value to create a new registry key.

  5. Type a unique name for the registry key.

    Tip

    You can use the prototype name as the registry key name.

  6. Right-click the new key and choose Modify.

  7. In the Value data box of the Edit String dialog box, type the full path of the folder containing the prototype files.

    Visual Studio will search for the prototype files at the specified location.

To install application prototypes created by the SDM SDK

  1. Follow the steps for installing prototype files in the default prototype folder or in another location.

  2. In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following location:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Visual Studio\8.0\EnterpriseTools\Sdm\InitializationFiles

  3. Right-click the InitializationFiles folder, point to New, and choose String Value to create a new registry key.

  4. Type a unique name for the registry key.

    Tip

    Typically, the registry key name is the name of the .sdmdocument file with an .sdm extension. These files are loaded in alphabetical order, so all .sdmdocument files imported by other .sdmdocument files must be loaded first. These files might display numerical prefixes to ensure loading in the required order.

  5. Right-click the new key and choose Modify.

  6. In the Value data box of the Edit String dialog box, type the full path and file name of the .sdmdocument file.

    Note

    You must add a registry key for each .sdmdocument file that you want to install.

  7. When you finish adding all the registry keys, restart Visual Studio to load the .sdmdocument files from the specified location.

    Visual Studio loads the .sdmdocument files when you open Visual Studio. When you first open a Distributed System Designer, Visual Studio saves these files to the cache.

    Note

    If you add or remove an .sdmdocument file from the registry, close and reopen Visual Studio to refresh these files. Visual Studio does not refresh these files when you close and reopen a designer because it uses the files from the cache instead.

See Also

Tasks

Troubleshooting Extensibility Issues

Other Resources

Extending Distributed System Designers