Writing Add-ins for Visual Studio.NET

Visual Studio .NET is a paradigm switch for the developer using the Microsoft Platform. Add-Ins are powerful extensions to the Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment. The Add-In interface in Visual Studio .NET has increased in power, flexibility, and complexity in geometric proportions. Add-Ins can be written in Visual Basic, C#, or Visual C++. Add-ins written in either of theses languages can provide extensions to the environment, regardless of the language in which the add-in user is developing.
Writing Add-Ins for Visual Studio .NET is designed to get the experienced add-in developer up to speed in developing add-ins in Visual Studio .NET very quickly. At the same time the book does not assume that the reader is an experienced add-in developer. It is designed to teach add-in development to the developer that wants to learn to write an add-in, while at the same time demonstrating enough real code examples to challenge the experienced add-in developer.
Les Smith's book begins by teaching the reader to use the Add-In Wizard to create the basic framework. From there, he covers the manipulation of code in windows, control manipulation, and the manipulation of projects. Event Handling within the Visual Studio IDE is also covered and he demonstrates how the add-in developer can handle the various events to enhance the power of the IDE. The book explores, in detail, how to create an add-in User Interface, including ToolBars, ToolBar Buttons, Multiple-Level Menus, as well as creating a UI in the System Tray. Smith also addresses the migration of add-ins from VB6 to .NET for those developers who have previous experience in writing add-ins.
Visual Studio .NET introduces a Class Library of over 3,400 classes. The greatest challenge that the add-in developer will encounter is finding the objects, methods, and events that are needed to perform the desired functionality in an add-in. Smith's book goes into the use of the required objects in every major area that the reader might need to develop functionality.

• Chapter 1 What is an Add-in?
• Chapter 2 Getting Started with the Add-In Wizard
• Chapter 3 The Smart Desktop Add-In
• Chapter 4 Debugging an Add-In
• Chapter 5 Manipulating Code in Windows
• Chapter 6 Manipulating Controls on Forms
• Chapter 7 The User Interface - ToolBars, Buttons, & Menus
• Chapter 8 The Macro Editor
• Chapter 9 Manipulating Projects
• Chapter 10 Handling Multiple Languages in the Add-In
• Chapter 11 Event Handling in an Add-in
• Chapter 12 Putting It Together - Let's Build a Real Add-In
• Chapter 13 Moving An Add-In From VB6 to .NET
• Appendix
• An Add-in Dictionary