As you learned in Chapter 5, the easiest way to create an add-in is by running the Add-in Wizard included with Microsoft Visual Studio .NET. The easiest way isn't always the best way, however, especially when you're trying to learn an unfamiliar technology. In this chapter, we'll hold to the ideal that good wizards are tools, not crutches, and that you should use them as a convenience only after you're capable of writing the equivalent code. Of course, we don't expect you to reach that goal without a little helpin the pages that follow, we'll teach you everything you need to know to write the equivalent of a wizard add-in. By the end, if you pay attention, you just might be able to write your own Add-in Wizard.
If that sounds like fun, then put your IDE away, open up a Command Window, and let's get started. In the next section, you'll learn the fundamentals of add-in construction by writing add-ins the old-fashioned wayby hand, from scratch.