C# Visual Studio Add-in Example

Create new VS Project (Other Project Types/Extensibility/Visual Studio Add-in)

If you get this error when building

Add this to Pre-build event command line:

IF EXIST $(TargetPath).LOCKED  
 (del $(TargetPath).LOCKED) 
ELSE 
 (IF EXIST $(TargetPath) 
   (move $(TargetPath) $(TargetPath).LOCKED))

Update Add-in location in SampleAddin.AddIn

<Assembly>SampleAddin/SampleAddin.dll</Assembly>

Add this to Post-build event command line to copy your Addin to subfolder

MKDIR "$(ProjectDir)bin\SampleAddin"
XCOPY "$(ProjectDir)bin\SampleAddin.dll" "$(ProjectDir)bin\SampleAddin" /Y /R
DEL "$(ProjectDir)bin\SampleAddin.dll"
DEL "$(ProjectDir)bin\SampleAddin.pdb"

Create New UserControl add add DTE2 property

public partial class SampleUserControl : UserControl
{
    public DTE2 DTE { get; set; } 

Update Connect.OnConnection method to open UserControl

if (connectMode == ext_ConnectMode.ext_cm_AfterStartup
                || connectMode == ext_ConnectMode.ext_cm_Startup)
{
    string controlProgID = "SampleAddin.SampleUserControl";
    string guid = "{2C73C576-6153-4a2d-82FE-9D54F4B6AD30}"; //unique per Addin

    SampleUserControl obj = (SampleUserControl)Activator.CreateInstance("SampleAddin","SampleAddin.SampleUserControl").Unwrap();  
                   
    AddIn addIn = _applicationObject.AddIns.Item(1);
    EnvDTE80.Windows2 toolWins = (Windows2)_applicationObject.Windows;

    Assembly asm = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly();

    object controlWindowRef = null;

    Window controlWindow = toolWins.CreateToolWindow2(
             addIn,
             asm.Location,
             controlProgID,
             "Sample Addin",
             guid, 
             ref controlWindowRef);

    SampleUserControl control = (SampleUserControl)controlWindowRef;

    control.DTE = _applicationObject;

    controlWindow.Visible = true;

    EnvDTE.SolutionEvents solutionEvents = _applicationObject.Events.SolutionEvents;
    solutionEvents.Opened += new _dispSolutionEvents_OpenedEventHandler(solutionEvents_Opened);
}

Update Connect.Exec method to reopen your User Control if closed

if (commandName == "ReferencesAddin.Connect.ReferencesAddin")
{
    if(!controlWindow.Visible)
    {
        controlWindow.Visible = true;
    }
    handled = true;
    return;
}

Writing to Output Window from your app

private void LogToOutput(string text)
{
    OutputWindow ow = DTE.ToolWindows.OutputWindow;
    //this code should be in Connect class
    //ow.OutputWindowPanes.Add("SampleAddin");
    OutputWindowPane owp = ow.OutputWindowPanes.Item("SampleAddin");
    ow.Parent.AutoHides = false;
    ow.Parent.Activate();
    owp.Activate();
    owp.OutputString(text);
}

Accessing other tool windows

private void LogToOutput(string text)
{
    Window win = DTE.Windows.Item(EnvDTE.Constants.vsWindowKindOutput);
    OutputWindow ow = (OutputWindow)win.Object;
    OutputWindowPane owPane;            
    for (int i = 1; i < ow.OutputWindowPanes.Count; i++)
    {
        owPane = ow.OutputWindowPanes.Item(i);
        owPane.Activate();                
        owPane.OutputString(text);
    }}