Using VSGlue
What will I find in this tutorial?
RegisterAssemblyWithVisualStudio
Why do I need VSGlue?
Microsoft’s Visual Studio .NET is the preeminent IDE, today. It offers a buffet of featu= res that keep us developers coming back for more. One of those features allows third party software vendors to registe= r their assemblies in a way that makes them easy to find and use in other projects.= With little more than a registry entry,= you can tell Visual Studio where to look for assemblies and any corresponding f= iles such as XML documentation.
The mechanism offered by Visual Studio does leave room= for improvement, though. For instance:= there is no built-in way to make sure that an assembly with a unique identity is = only exposed in the Add References dialog box exactly once. There is also no way to register just o= ne assembly.
While it is easy to register an assembly, it is not trivial. You have to ensure that t= he correct registry key is created. Y= ou have to point it to the right directory. You have to make sure the directory contains exactly the right files: the assemblies to register, the XML documentation, and any other applicable files.
VSGlue is designed to ease integration with Visual Stu= dio by addressing these and other problems. It takes installation of an assembly into Visual Studio that one step from “ea= sy” to “trivial.” It ensures that no assembly is registered more than one time, and it puts each assembly in its= own “sandbox” folder with the related files and no others. In addition, it also helps with other, = less pervasive, integration problems.
What are the fundamental types in VSGlue?
There are two key players in VSGlue at this time. The lesser of the two is a class called TypeFinderEditor. TypeFinderEditor= is a derivative of UITypeEditor which is able to pick a type based on the list of types available to the hosting component. The other player is an installer class called “RegisterAssemblyWithVisualStudio.” Since this type is a component, it supports graphical designing. It also references assemblies in a way = that is enforced and kept up to date by the compiler.
How do I give Type properties an intuitive design-ti= me interface?
TypeFinderEditor is a kind of editor. It can be applied to any property of ty= pe “System.Type.” Once a property has= this kind of type editor applied, the property can be graphically edited using a type picker. The type picker uses component services to create a list of types available to the host componen= t.
A programmer can use the type picker find the desired = type and create a strong, compiler-enforced-and-maintained reference to it. To help in this process, TypeFinderEdit= or offers a sort of active search which dynamically filters the list of types = by their name or full name (namespace + name). The programmer can enter the part of the beginning of one of these t= wo properties and the list in the search box automatically narrows.
Below is an example of how to declaratively specify th= at a Type property should be edited using the TypeFinderEditor.
…
[Editor(=
typeof(HexagonSoftware.VSGlue.ComponentModel.TypeFinderEditor),
typeof(UITypeEditor))]
[TypeConverter(typeof(TypeNameConverter))]
public Type TypeOfObjectToCreate
{
…
}
…
Note that the TypeNameConverter, which is built into .= NET, is also used. This is a best practice= . If you apply this type converter, the assembly qualified name of the selected type will show up in the properties pane whenever your component is edited.
How do I install an assembly into the Add References dialog box?
The RegisterAssemblyWithVisualStudio type is a custom install action that manages all of the details of installing an assembly in= to the Add References dialog box in Visual Studio. It behaves like the GAC, in that an assembly will only appear once in the Add References dialog box regardless of how many times it is installed = and that an assembly will only be removed from that box when the last reference= to it is eliminated. RegisterAssemblyWithVisualStudio also makes sure that related files, such as XML documentation files, are managed with similar care.
In order to register an assembly using this component,= that assembly must have at least one public type. It is a best practice to provide a public type that serves no other purpose. You also must add the RegisterAssemblyWithVisualStudio component to your toolbox. Microsoft offers walkthroughs for this process on their website. You only= need to do this once; Visual Studio should remember that you want this component= in your toolbox every time thereafter. Finally: to use RegisterAssemblyWithVisualStudio, you must either be using a Visual Studio Deployment project, or some other MSI solution that k= nows how to invoke managed custom actions.
Once you have an assembly that meets the requirements = and have added this component to your toolbox, you will need to add an installer class to your custom action assembly. Visual Studio comes with a template for custom installer components,= so it is recommended that you just add a new item to your project using that template.
Now that you have an installer class, open it up. You should have a designable surface.
Next you will want to set the RegisteredAssemblyAnchor= Type property. This is the property that RegisterAssemblyWithVisualStudio uses to identify the assembly to register. It should be set to poin= t to a public type within the target assembly. Once this value is set, unless you delete the type to which it refer= s, your instance of RegisterAssemblyWithVisualStudio will be bound to whatever asse= mbly hosts the target type. While it is possibly to directly enter a type-name as the property-value, it is extreme= ly inconvenience. Use the drop-down t= o open up the type-picker.
In the type-picker, begin typing the first few charact= ers of the desired type’s name or namespace. As you type, the list should shorten. If you don’t see anything it means that your computer is too slow or you type = too fast; either way, the solution is to slow the rate at which you type or stop typing altogether and let the searcher catch up with you. Below is a screen-capture of what the t= ype picker looks like.
Once the list is short enough for your taste, scroll t= hrough it and find the type you want. Sel= ect the desired type and press <enter>. The assembly-qualified name should appear in the RegisteredAssemblyA= nchorType property.
That’s it. Yo= u now have an install action that will manage the relationship between your custom component and Microsoft’s Visual Studio .NET.
What did I just learn?
VSGlue is a relatively small product. At present, it assists in two basic capacities:
· Creating components with properties that ref= er to types.
· Managing the installation and un-installatio= n of objects to and from Visual Studio .NET.
Both solutions rely heavily on the .NET Component Model. One solution extends the Component Model by adding a new kind of Type Editor and the other leverages= the component model to create a designable Custom Installer Action.
Who owns what?
VSGlue is the sole property of Harbinger Software Corporation and is marketed under license through Hexagon Software LLC.