VSXtra now supports using objects like OutputWindow, VsMessageBox, ActivityLog, RunningDocumentTable, etc. from Add-Ins and from other kinds of Visual Studio Extension artifacts. Feng implemented a great solution through the SiteManager static class that opens VSXtra for Add-Ins and other extensions not only for packages. You can find a sample Add-In named VSXtraMessageBox in the Samples\AddIns folder.
Thanks to Shawn, VSXtra now supports WPF tool windows through the WpfToolWindowPane class. For details see the samples below.
- LearnVSXNow! Part #40 - Working with Hierarchies Part 5 - Managed Classes for Custom Hierarchies
- LearnVSXNow! Part #39 - Working with Hierarchies Part 4 - Hierarchy Windows
View more related articles below the demonstration code extracts.
The following code extracts give you a feeling about how VSPackages written with VSXtra look like:
- Example 1: Basic Hierarchy Tool Window
- Example 2: Dynamic Hierarchy Sample
- Example 1: VSXtra-like implementation of the VS SDK's OptionsPage Sample
- Example 2: VSXtra-like implementation of the VS SDK's Services Reference Sample
- Example 3: PowerCommands implementation (1) - Command Registration
- Example 4: PowerCommands implementation (2) - Clear Recent Lists
- Example 5: Writing to the Activity Log
- Example 6: Listing Sited VSXtra Packages
- Example 1: Simple Tool Window Sample
- Example 2: Dynamic Tool Window Sample
- Example 3: Persisted Tool Window Sample
- Example 4: Creating Multiple Tool Windows
- Example 5: VSXtra-like implementation of the VS SDK's RDT Event Explorer Sample
- Example 6: Simple WPF Tool Window Sample
- Example 1: Package with simple menu command
- Example 2: VSXtra-like implementation of the VS SDK's MenusAndCommands Sample
- Example 3: VSXtra-like implementation of the VS SDK's Combobox Sample
- Example 1: Blog Item Editor
- Example 1: Package that loads automatically and puts messages to the output window
- Example 2: Visual Studio registry output
- Example 3: Using custom output panes
As the project goes on, more samples are to come.
- Announcement: VSXtra Shifts to a New Implementation Phase
- LearnVSXNow! Part #36: Working with Hierarchies Part 3 - Properties and Hierarchy Traversal
- LearnVSXNow #35: Working with Hierarchies Part 2 - Internal Structure of Hierarchies
- LearnVSXNow #34: Working with Hierarchies Part 1 - Hierarchy Basics
- LearnVSXNow #33: VSXtra at DevCon - Part 2
- LearnVSXNow #32: VSXtra at DevCon - Part 1
- LearnVSXNow #31: Merging Package Menus with VSCT
- MPFProj Tales #1: Refactoring MPFProj into a library
- Managed Project System with VSXtra
- LearnVSXNow! #30: Custom Editors in VSXtra
- LearnVSXNow! #29: VSXtraCommands Part 2 — Commands removing recent items
- LearnVSXNow! #28: VSXtraCommands Part 1 — Command handling patterns
- LearnVSXNow! #27: Multiple Tool Windows
- LearnVSXNow! #26: Services — with no-code service initialization
- LearnVSXNow! #25: Advanced VSCT Concepts: Behind Combos
- LearnVSXNow! #24: Introducing VSXtra
This project is a community project to create an improved Managed Package Framework for VS SDK 2008. The main objectives of the project are:
- Making it easier for .NET developers to start VSX development
- Creating a layer above the VS SDK COM interop types to provide real objects to be used as easily as the .NET types of the BCL
- Leveraging on the state-of-the-art features and tools of the .NET framework
- Reducing the number of code lines required for basic VSX tasks with about 70%
- Making the source code of VSPackages much more readable, straightforward and consistent