Visual Studio Essential Training: 08 Extend and Customize the Visual Studio Environment

Learn how to find, install, and use the most helpful Visual Studio extensions, and leverage external tools and templates to speed up your development workflow.

Introduction

• Welcome
• What you should know before watching
• How to use the exercise files

1. Install Extensions

• Explore the extension points in Visual Studio
• Install and manage extensions
• Use the Extensions and Updates dialog
• Install a sample extension
• Install an extension from a VSIX installer

2. Explore Extensions

• Spell Checker extension
• Comment Remover
• Add New File extension
• Indent Guide extension
• Open Command Line
• Code Maid extension
• Productivity Powertools extension
• Productivity Power Tools Extension in Visual Studio 2017
• CodeRush and Resharper

3. Integrate External Tools

• What are external tools?
• Add an external tool
• Pass parameters to external tool

4. Create Custom Project and Item Templates

• What are custom templates?
• Where are default templates located?
• Default templates in Visual Studio 2017
• Locate custom templates
• Create item template
• Use the Item template
• Create project template

5. Create Custom Extensions

• Create a custom extension
• Verify the extensibility tools are installed
• Verify the extensibility tools are installed in Visual Studio 2017
• Create the VSIX project
• Add components to VSIX project
• Upgrade VSIX project to Visual Studio 2017
• Set project prerequisites in Visual Studio 2017
• Run the VS Experimental instance
• Debug an extension
• Enhance a command extension
• Deploy and install from local VSIX file
• Deploy an extension to the Extension gallery
• Create an extension with custom UI
• Deploy extension to the marketplace in Visual Studio 2017

Conclusion

• Next steps