This section contains a bunch of recipes for common scenarios in extension development. Browse the menu to see them all.
Menus & Commands
Add buttons and commands to Visual Studio menus and toolbars.
Custom Tool Windows
Create dockable tool windows with custom WPF UI.
Settings & Options
Store and expose settings in the Tools → Options dialog.
Editor Extensions
Add syntax highlighting, brace matching, outlining, error squiggles, and more using the toolkit’s MEF base classes.
Error List Integration
Push custom errors, warnings, and messages into the Error List.
Notifications
Show status bar text, Info Bars, message boxes, and Output Window messages.
Showing Progress
Display progress via the status bar, Threaded Wait Dialog, or Task Status Center.
Theming
Theme your tool windows and dialogs to match Visual Studio’s color themes.
Error Handling
Handle and log exceptions in your extension.
Dynamic Commands
Create dynamic menu items that change at runtime based on data.
Fonts & Colors
Register custom font and color categories that users can customize in Tools → Options.
Solution Explorer
Select, expand, filter, and edit items in the Solution Explorer window.
For shorter and more specific guides, see the Tips & tricks section.