Solution extensions

Extension for Visual Studio to allow programmers to very simply create own extensions (or macros if you want another name) in solution scope. It is highly inspired by Visual Commander (by Vlasov Studio), but uses another approach. Your extension has real source file with intellisense and allows somehow debugging. Config of extensions (path, title, shortcut) is stored in file in solution scope, so shared in team.

You can find new menu in Extensions -> Solution Extensions ->

Writing extension

Your extension is just compiled assembly and should be in your solution.

• create new class library
• add nuget package Microsoft.VisualStudio.Interop to reference DTE interfaces
• create class with Run method (can be static)

    public class MyExtension
    {
        public void Run(DTE dte, object package)
        {
            //add your code here 
        }
    }

• compile it
• Use Show... menu item, it will show new tool menu with list of extensions
• config of extensions is saved next to solution file (.extensions.cfg) and can be added to solution/source control, so it is loaded on other machines and allows to run extensions for others
• add your new extension, pick dll, choose class name, change title, add shortcut if you want
• execute your extension using Run button, or assigned key shortcut, or using Debug

More

• add [Description("caption")] attribute to Run method or class to allow inspection of caption

Add argument

• add public non-static property called Argument, and config argument value of extension to parametrize your run
• if argument starts with "?", user will be asked for it (with default value)
• use [Description] attribute to use your caption in dialog
• use [DefaultValue] attribute to set default value of argument

public class MyExtension
{
    [Description("What is great?")]
    public string Argument { get; set; }
    [Description("My great extension")]
    public void Run(DTE dte)
    {
        MessageBox.Show($"This is argument:{Argument}");
    }
}

• commit and share with others in team, it is possible to share compiled assembly also
• WARNING: package argument is IServiceProvider when debugging,
• else inherits from AsyncPackage, Package, and IServiceProvider
• You can use DTE Inspector to inspect DTE objects

DTE Inspector

• visualizes DTE objects as tree, you can expand nodes using buttons on demand
• uses reflection and special COM objects reflection
• [{i}] - implementing interfaces, including COM interfaces (see note below)
• [m()] - method of interface or reflected type
• [.p] - properties of interface or properties with value of reflected object
• [e] - enumerates items, if 0, nothing happens
• you can generate XML with expanded nodes, csharp source, or copy text to clipboard
• some functions are in context menu note: COM interface is late-bound and uses another approach, so interface GUID must be known to get it. Inspector is using ALL types loaded in current AppDomain (it is OK, Visual Studio has loaded all used interfaces) and asks COM object if it is implementing each of them.

Internal extensions

• there are some internal extensions, which you can use directly or only for inspiration
• set dll path to $(SELF) and then pickup class name.
• DumpExtension - dumps common props and collections of DTE to xml file
• Nest file - nests file with same name but different extensions
• Create GUID - just creates new GUID and copies into clipboard
• Fix Encoding - changes encoding of all text files with non-ascii characters to UTF8

Version history

• 1.0 - initial version
• 1.1 - if possible, extension is compiled
• 1.2 - Argument support
• 1.2.1 - package is IServiceProvider also in debug
• 1.2.2 - Community.Toolkit removed
• 1.2.3 - dialog for argument value
• 1.2.4 - tooltips, out of process, drag & drop to reorder
• 1.2.5 - option to compile before run, bug fixes
• 1.3 - UX and internals refactoring, bug fixes
• 1.3.1 - argument default value
• 1.4 - fixed bug when solution folders and compile used, argument description is used on tool editor

Ideas

• Add new extension project using wizard
• extension Run method with another type of parameters like Document, ProjectItem, etc.
• allow to use /bin/debug or /bin/release using /**/extensionName.dll
• custom variables in cfg like $(MyTemplates)=$(SolutionDir)/MyTemplates*
• some support of events / long running extensions, autorun
• generate mermaid diagrams for DTE https://mermaid.js.org/intro/syntax-reference.html
• some rich ui like Task Dialog
• more args?
• some generator support

Notes

• Debugging
  • DTE is in global Runtime Objects Table, under some moniker name, it is used to get instance of DTE in launcher process
  • this process is attached to debugger from IDE
  • user should add breakpoint to his code, or call Debugger.Break()
• Launcher
  • executes extension in separate process - for debugging (or to allow reload assembly in future)
  • Merged using ILMerge to one exe because referenced dlls are incompatible with vsix
  • merged exe is copied to lib folder and copyied with project
  • some classes from package are linked, not referenced
• extension assembly (in-process mode)
  • cannot be reloaded, so it is using copy of dll to new path, change of assembly name (using Mono.Cecil)
  • it will not work if it is using some other re-compiled assembly, so you must use "Out of process" option
  • but can work only for methods reflection
• Mono.Cecil
  • referenced only one dll, not whole package