I've made a custom project template and when I create a new project in Visual Studio using this template I want to open a file(which belongs to the template) into the Visual Studio's document window(code editor window/whatever...) right after the project is loaded.
If, for example, I create a C# - .NET Framework - Console Application the file Program.cs is opened after the project is fully created and loaded into Visual Studio.
When I use my custom template, no file is opened and the document window is empty.
I would like to achieve the same behavior as it happens for the built-in templates and have a file be opened when the project is loaded
I suspect I would have to edit the .vstemplate file and add some specific tag that would instruct Visual Studio to do that, but I can't find anything useful in the microsoft documentation relating vstemplate element.
Related
I am trying to generate code scaffolding for an in-house API. I created a T4 template which includes several other templates for each code file to be generated. I then wrote a Visual Studio Extension (VSIX) with a WPF form to capture user input and initiate the transforming of the T4 template. I am doing all of this in Visual Studio Professional 2013.
This is what I followed to Invoke the Text Transformation in a VS Extension
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg586947%28v=vs.120%29.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396
When testing the templates locally using Run custom tool, everything works perfectly. However, when testing the VS extension in an Experimental Instance of Visual Studio, the problem I am having is that after the transformation has been invoked [calling ITextTemplating.ProcessTemplate], the generated files are not placed into my open project. I verified that they exist in their appropriate folders in File Explorer.
I have searched high & low and can't find anything that talks about this. Any ideas?
The custom tool is using the Visual Studio API (DTE object) to add the generated files to the projects. I built something very similar and that is what I had to do. This project is a bit old but it is a great starting point for seeing how this can be done.
Basically you need to get a reference to the folder you want to add the new item to and then call AddFromFile. Also don't forget to save the project after you add all the items.
After creating a solution for a project, I exported it as a template. Now after exporting it automatically adds the template to my IDE and creates a ZIP file with all the project files and a .vstemplate extension file.
Now i am on another computer with visual studio and i wish to load this template and save it in the IDE, but i cannot find this option anywhere. The temporary solution i have is to open an empty web application and copy all the contents of the ZIP file not including the .vstemplate file. So my question is how can i load this template into my IDE?
When opening the vstemplate file in Visual Studio all i get is a text editor and XML data.
I am using Visual studio 2013 with Update 4.
Once you've exported your template, copy the entire ZIP file that was created to the folder C:\Users\[User Name]\Documents\Visual Studio 2013\Templates\ProjectTemplates. (You might want to use one of the provided subdirectories to keep your template organized.)
Restart Visual Studio, and then use the search bar in the New Project dialog to help you find the project template you just added.
For the record, it looks like using templates changes with VS2017. Your project template provider will have to publish via a new build mechanic, and it'll be a bit different than just dumping a .zip into a user folder:
Using Project/Item Templates:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/extensibility/upgrading-custom-project-and-item-templates-for-visual-studio-2017
Create Project/Item Template:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/extensibility/creating-custom-project-and-item-templates
Visual Studio seems to consist of a single solution file (*.sln) along with one or more project files (a C# project would have the *.csproj extension).
I have been playing around with a console application that parses existing directory entries to create solution files with the associated project files.
It works, but every time I run into a new project here at work I find myself spending a week or more debugging my console project so that it can churn out a solution for that particular work project.
Is there something out there already that can create a VS solution out of an existing file structure?
As you can tell from my screen capture below, these projects are nested very deep, so it would take a very long time to do this with the apps folder below with the "by mouse" technique in the Visual Studio IDE.
I created the custom console application that is posted in this post:
https://stackoverflow.com/a/22153536/153923
I invite others to contribute how they approached this solution, though.
So, I found out today that this feature already exists in Visual Studio.
Link 1: How to: Create a Project from Existing Code Files
Link 2: How to: Create a Project from Existing Code Files
Basically, though, it says this (just in case the MSDN links get changed or deleted):
You can create a Visual Studio project from an existing app—for example, an app that you obtained from an online source. Project and solution files are created on your computer and the other relevant files are added. A project can be created from Visual C++, Visual Basic, or Visual C# code files.
Security note Security Note
We recommend that you determine the trustworthiness of existing code files before you import them into Visual Studio, because Visual Studio will execute some of the code in a fully trusted process when you open the newly created project.
To create a project from existing code files
On the menu bar, choose File, New, Project From Existing Code.
The Create New Project from Existing Code Files wizard opens.
Use the wizard to specify the details of the existing code files that will be added to the project and the application that will be created when you build the project.
Another good answer was given by cbp in Visual Studio: Create a web application from existing code:
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OK I figured it out. It's weird, but the following steps will work:
Open fresh copy of Visual Studio
File->New Project, select Web Application
Use the following settings:
Name: Website (this is the name of the existing folder with the website files in it)
Location: C:\Temp\ (anywhere will do for now)
Solution Name: TheProject (name of the existing project's root folder)
Check "Create directory for solution"
Delete the auto-created Default, Global and Web.config files
Save All and close Visual Studio
In Windows Explorer, copy the new folder on top of the existing folder so that the files are merged.
Double click on the sln file to open Visual Studio again.
Select "Show all files" (at the top of Solution Explorer)
Right click on any files or folders you want to add and select Include in Project.
Great idea!
Visual Studio 2012 (and 2010, too) has a Start Page that has links and streamed videos. Is it possible for my package to provide content on this page, e.g., create a separate section next to Welcome/Windows 8/etc.?
I finally got a custom start page working in VS2012 - my issue was I could not install the Start Page Project Template in 2012 as the extension only installs on 2010 (which I don't have access to) and my My Documents folder is mapped to a network drive, so putting the raw XAML file in My Documents/Visual Studio 2012/Startpages didn't work as Visual Studio refused to use this "untrustworthy file".
Download the Start Page Template from here.
Rename the file to .zip and extract it.
Copy the "\Solution\CSharp\Extensibility\StartPage.zip" file to your project template folder (by default "My Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Templates\ProjectTemplates\Visual C#").
Create a new project using this template.
Follow the instructions here to upgrade from 2010 to 2012 start page.
Update the project properties target framework to 4.5.
Update the project references in the Control project by removing the Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.10.0 reference and adding the Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.11.0 and Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Immutable.11.0 references.
Update the namespaces references in the xaml file by replacing the existing ones with the two below.
xmlns:vs="clr-namespace:Microsoft.VisualStudio.PlatformUI;assembly=Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.11.0"
xmlns:vsfxim="clr-namespace:Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell;assembly=Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Immutable.11.0"
Replace the references to vsfx:VsBrushes keys to vs:EnvironmentColors keys, e.g. vsfx:VsBrushes.StartPageBackgroundKey to vs:EnvironmentColors.StartPageTabBackgroundBrushKey
In the VSIX project, make the following changes to the source.extension.vsixmanifest file (values depending on if 2010 support is desired, it is not for me):
Add an author, the default empty tag is not allowed: <Author>Ken</Author>
Change/add the visual studio support version to 11.0: <VisualStudio Version="11.0">
Change the supported runtime edition to include 4.5: <SupportedFrameworkRuntimeEdition MinVersion="4.5" MaxVersion="4.5" />
The VSIX solution should now build and spit out a VSIX file in the project bin folder. Install this and you can now choose your Start Page from the drop down list in the visual studio options.
I haven't actually developed my custom start page beyond this, but hopefully it is a helpful to people wanting to get started developing them with VS2012
EDIT: A project which includes a basic 2012 start page, custom control and can be deployed via VSIX: template
Custom Start Pages, via google:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa991992.aspx
I would like to create custom templates for c# files, unit test classes, .aspx.cs etc so that common items to all files are included once they are created eg file headers. I am working with visual studio 2010 and resharper 6. What is the easiest way to create these files and is it possible to be able to share them a team of developers easily? Appreciate any assistance or information as to how I might achieve this.
Visual Studio templates are simple enough to create - you can distribute them to your colleagues to setup in the same location on their computers (or even create an installer, if you want to makes things even easier).
See Creating Project and Item Templates and the Introduction to Visual Studio Templates on MSDN.
Contents of a Template
All project and item templates, whether installed together with Visual Studio or created by you, function by using the same principles and have similar contents. All templates contain the following items:
The files to be created when the template is used. This includes source code files, embedded resources, project files, and so on.
One .vstemplate file. This file contains the metadata that provides Visual Studio the information it needs to display the template in the New Project and Add New Item dialog boxes and create a project or item from the template. For more information about .vstemplate files, see Visual Studio Template Metadata Files.
When these files are compressed into a .zip file and put in the correct folder, Visual Studio automatically displays them in the My Templates section of the New Project and Add New Item dialog boxes. For more information about template folders, see How to: Locate and Organize Project and Item Templates.
You should open Templates Explorer from ReSharper | Templates Explorer. Then select the File Templates tab. There are default templates that comes with ReSharper. You can examine them and see how you can write your own. Here's the documentation and there's a question for useful examples.