Hack 92. Manage Add-ins![]() have it do so much more if you take advantage of add-ins.Visual Studio add-ins are an excellent way to expand on the functionality of Visual Studio. Throughout this book, we have talked about a number of different add-ins and how they can be used to make the most out of Visual Studio. We have even talked about how to write add-ins [Hack #89] . This hack explains how to best work with add-ins. They can sometimes be troublesome and hard to manage. 13.2.1. Installing Add-insAll add-ins should come with an installer; if they don't, then they probably come with some sort of detailed instructions on where you should put files and how you should modify the registry to get everything working.
Visual Studio that it will run in. Because of this, you will sometimes run across an add-in whose installer is configured to install for one version of Visual Studio, but not the version you are using. You can often duplicate the registry settings from one version and then move them to the other version, but this won't work all the timein fact, it might not work most of the timebut sometimes it is well worth a shot.Here is the process for moving the registry settings from one version to another:Open regedit (Start type regedit).Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\<7.0>\AddIns\<YourAddin>.Right-click on the key and choose Export from the context menu that appears.Save the .reg file to your computer.Open the .reg file in Notepad and replace all instances of \7.0\ with \7.1\. (This would move settings from Visual Studio .NET 2002 to Visual Studio .NET 2003. Use the version numbers that apply to your version of Visual Studio.)Save and close the .reg file.Double-click the .reg file and click OK when the dialog asks if you want to add this information to your registry.After following this procedure, the add-in may or may not work in the new version of Visual Studio, but it is worth trying until the author comes out with a new version tailored to your version of Visual Studio. 13.2.2. Add-in ManagerThe Add-in Manager can be found in Tools Figure 13-1. Add-in Manager![]() version of Visual Studio. The leftmost column displays the name of the add-in and a checkbox. If that checkbox is checked, it means that the add-in is currently loaded. You can check this checkbox and then click OK, and the add-in will be enabled for just this instance of Visual Studio; when you restart Visual Studio, the add-in will not automatically be loaded again. The checkbox in the Startup column controls whether the add-in will be automatically loaded each and every time Visual Studio is loaded. I find that, unless you use an add-in constantly, it is best to leave it unavailable until you need it. For add-ins you use constantly though, it is nice to have them automatically available when you load the IDE. The last checkbox, under the column Command Line, specifies whether this add-in should be loaded when Visual Studio is accessed for command-line operations. For instance, you can build a solution by calling the devenv.exe command with the /build switch, and this checkbox determines if the add-in should be loaded when Visual Studio is started this way. 13.2.3. Repairing Add-insSometimes add-ins just don't work properly. You can try a couple things to get an add-in to work properly. Sometimes simply disabling the add-in and restarting Visual Studio will fix your problems. The next tactic should be to run the repair function of the add-in installer (if one exists; rerun the installer to see if it offers you this option), which usually does a fair job of fixing any problems. If this does not work, you can take a couple of other steps to try and get the add-in working again.Visual Studio includes a command-line switch called /setup that will do a reset on Visual Studio, restoring it to its initial state. Using this switch will erase some of your customizations, but sometimes it is the only way to get an add-in, or even Visual Studio itself, working properly again.There is also a /safemode command-line switch that will start Visual Studio in safe mode. Visual Studio safe mode loads only the default environment and services, which disables any VSIP add-ins (not all add-ins) that might be causing a problem. |