We’re excited to announce the release of VisualStudio.Extensibility 17.11, packed with new features that enhance extension performance, customization, and remote UI capabilities. VisualStudio.Extensibility allows developers to build extensions that run outside the main Visual Studio IDE process, boosting performance and reliability. This update introduces user-configurable settings, improved remote UI, and expanded project query documentation to help you build extensions more efficiently.
Key Features in VisualStudio.Extensibility 17.11
Customizable Settings for Extensions
With this release, you can now define settings for your extensions, allowing users to customize their experience. This new API provides options to define, access, and update extension settings seamlessly. Additionally, settings support Hot Loading, enabling changes without restarting Visual Studio. For more details and code samples, refer to the VisualStudio.Extensibility settings article.
Expanded Remote UI with Images and Context Menus
Building extensions that run outside Visual Studio can present challenges when integrating UI elements. The Remote UI feature addresses this by allowing out-of-process extensions to define WPF controls that integrate into Visual Studio. In this release, you can now add context menus to Remote UI controls via XAML, as well as display custom or Visual Studio catalog images. This enhances user interactions and the visual appeal of your extensions. Visit the Remote UI concepts documentation for examples and more information.
Enhanced Tool Windows with Toolbars
Tool windows in VisualStudio.Extensibility now support toolbars, allowing for quick and easy access to key features of your extension. You can learn more about adding and customizing toolbars in the tool window overview documentation, which also covers tool window creation and visibility controls.
Updated Project Query API Documentation
We’ve revamped the project query API documentation based on your feedback. The documentation now aligns with the VisualStudio.Extensibility project query wrappers, making it easier to query and modify projects and solutions. Explore the updated Query the Project API for detailed guidance.
API Changes and Feedback-Driven Decisions
Our ongoing development of VisualStudio.Extensibility is heavily influenced by your feedback. We recently made the decision not to support programmatic invocation of VSCT (Visual Studio Command Table)-based commands due to asynchronous operation and potential inconsistencies in user experience. This aligns with our commitment to providing stable, intuitive APIs.
We aim to minimize breaking changes while expanding the SDK’s capabilities. Any breaking changes to stable APIs will be communicated in advance, with detailed notices available by Preview 1 of the corresponding Visual Studio release. Check the breaking changes page for the latest updates on deprecated APIs and upcoming changes.
Join the Conversation
As always, we encourage feedback from our developer community. Continue sharing your thoughts via our issue tracker or forums to help shape future releases of VisualStudio.Extensibility.
Explore the latest features and enhance your extensions today with VisualStudio.Extensibility 17.11!
