How to: Add and Handle Commands

Visual Studio add-ins are deprecated in Visual Studio 2013. You should upgrade your add-ins to VSPackage extensions. For more information about upgrading, see FAQ: Converting Add-ins to VSPackage Extensions.

The following objects allow you to create, handle, and manipulate commands on Visual Studio menus and toolbars.

Using these objects, you can:

• Add or remove a command bar in the Visual Studio IDE (AddCommandBar and RemoveCommandBar methods).

• Add a new named command to a toolbar or menu (AddNamedCommand2 method).

• Invoke a command or named command (Raise and Exec methods).

• Obtain the status of a command (CommandInfo and QueryStatus methods).

  Note

  You cannot connect a CommandBarEvents event for CommandBar controls that were created for a new command added through AddNamedCommand2.

Example

The following example uses:

• The Command object.

• The AddNamedCommand method.

• The AddControl method.

• The IDTCommandTarget interface.

• The IDTCommandTarget.Exec method.

• The IDTCommandTarget.QueryStatus method.

The procedure demonstrates how to make an add-in appear as a command on the Tools menu in Visual Studio. Add the first section of code to the OnConnection method of the add-in you create. In the Exec and QueryStatus methods, make sure that the line, If cmdName = "MyAddin1.Connect.MyAddin1" Then, reflects the name of your add-in.

Public Sub OnConnection(ByVal application As Object, _
  ByVal connectMode As ext_ConnectMode, ByVal addInInst _
  As Object, ByRef custom As Array) Implements _
  IDTExtensibility2.OnConnection
    _applicationObject = CType(application, DTE2)
    _addInInstance = CType(addInInst, AddIn)
    If connectMode = ext_ConnectMode.ext_cm_UISetup Then
        Dim commands As Commands2 = CType(_applicationObject. _
          Commands, Commands2)
        Dim toolsMenuName As String
        Try
            Dim resourceManager As System.Resources. _
              ResourceManager = New System.Resources. _
              ResourceManager("MyAddin1.CommandBar", _
              System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly())

              Dim cultureInfo As System.Globalization. _
                CultureInfo = New System.Globalization. _
                CultureInfo(_applicationObject.LocaleID)
              toolsMenuName = resourceManager.GetString _
                (String.Concat(cultureInfo. _
                TwoLetterISOLanguageName, "Tools"))
        Catch e As Exception
            toolsMenuName = "Tools"
        End Try

        Dim commandBars As CommandBars = CType(_applicationObject _
          .CommandBars, CommandBars)
        Dim menuBarCommandBar As CommandBar = commandBars. _
          Item("MenuBar")
        Dim toolsControl As CommandBarControl = _
          menuBarCommandBar.Controls.Item(toolsMenuName)
        Dim toolsPopup As CommandBarPopup = CType(toolsControl, _
          CommandBarPopup)

        Try
            Dim command As Command = commands.AddNamedCommand2 _
              (_addInInstance, "MyAddin1", "MyAddin1", _
              "Executes the command for MyAddin1", True, 59, _
              Nothing, CType(vsCommandStatus. _
              vsCommandStatusSupported, Integer) + CType _
              (vsCommandStatus.vsCommandStatusEnabled, Integer), _
              vsCommandStyle.vsCommandStylePictAndText, _
              vsCommandControlType.vsCommandControlTypeButton)
            command.AddControl(toolsPopup.CommandBar, 1)
        Catch argumentException As System.ArgumentException
            MsgBox(argumentException.ToString)
        End Try
    End If
End Sub

'Code for the QueryStatus method.
Public Sub QueryStatus(ByVal commandName As String, _
  ByVal neededText As vsCommandStatusTextWanted, _
  ByRef status As vsCommandStatus, ByRef commandText _
  As Object) Implements IDTCommandTarget.QueryStatus
    If neededText = vsCommandStatusTextWanted. _
      vsCommandStatusTextWantedNone Then
        If commandName = "MyAddin1.Connect.MyAddin1" Then
            status = CType(vsCommandStatus. _
              vsCommandStatusEnabled + vsCommandStatus. _
              vsCommandStatusSupported, vsCommandStatus)
        Else
            status = vsCommandStatus.vsCommandStatusUnsupported
        End If
    End If
End Sub

' Code for the Exec method.
Public Sub Exec(ByVal commandName As String, ByVal executeOption _
  As vsCommandExecOption, ByRef varIn As Object, ByRef varOut _
  As Object, ByRef handled As Boolean) Implements IDTCommandTarget.Exec
    handled = False
    If executeOption = vsCommandExecOption. _
      vsCommandExecOptionDoDefault Then
        If commandName = "MyAddin1.Connect.MyAddin1" Then
            handled = True
            Exit Sub
        End If
    End If
End Sub

public class Connect : Object, IDTExtensibility2, IDTCommandTarget
{
    public Connect()
    {
    }

public void OnConnection(object application, ext_ConnectMode 
  connectMode, object addInInst, ref Array custom)
{
    _applicationObject = (DTE2)application;
    _addInInstance = (AddIn)addInInst;
    if(connectMode == ext_ConnectMode.ext_cm_UISetup)
    {
        object []contextGUIDS = new object[] { };
        Commands2 commands = (Commands2)_applicationObject.Commands;
        string toolsMenuName;
        try
        {
            ResourceManager resourceManager = new
            ResourceManager("MyAddin4.CommandBar", 
            Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly());
            CultureInfo cultureInfo = new 
              System.Globalization.CultureInfo
             (_applicationObject.LocaleID);
            string resourceName =  
            String.Concat(cultureInfo.TwoLetterISOLanguageName, 
              "Tools");
            toolsMenuName = resourceManager.GetString(resourceName);
        }
        catch
        {
            toolsMenuName = "Tools";
        }

        CommandBar menuBarCommandBar = 
            ((CommandBars)_applicationObject.CommandBars)["MenuBar"];
        CommandBarControl toolsControl = 
          menuBarCommandBar.Controls[toolsMenuName];
        CommandBarPopup toolsPopup = (CommandBarPopup)toolsControl;
        try
        {
            Command command = commands.AddNamedCommand2(_addInInstance, 
              "MyAddin4", "MyAddin4", "Executes the command for 
              MyAddin4", true, 59, ref contextGUIDS, 
              (int)vsCommandStatus.vsCommandStatusSupported+
              (int)vsCommandStatus.vsCommandStatusEnabled, 
              (int)vsCommandStyle.vsCommandStylePictAndText,  
              vsCommandControlType.vsCommandControlTypeButton);

            if((command != null) && (toolsPopup != null))
            {
                command.AddControl(toolsPopup.CommandBar, 1);
            }
        }
        catch(System.ArgumentException)
        {
        }
    }
}

public void QueryStatus(string commandName, vsCommandStatusTextWanted 
  neededText, ref vsCommandStatus status, ref object commandText)
{
    if(neededText == 
      vsCommandStatusTextWanted.vsCommandStatusTextWantedNone)
    {
        if(commandName == "MyAddin4.Connect.MyAddin4")
        {
            status = (vsCommandStatus)vsCommandStatus.
              vsCommandStatusSupported|vsCommandStatus.
              vsCommandStatusEnabled;
            return;
        }
    }
}

public void Exec(string commandName, vsCommandExecOption executeOption, 
  ref object varIn, ref object varOut, ref bool handled)
{
    handled = false;
    if(executeOption == 
      vsCommandExecOption.vsCommandExecOptionDoDefault)
    {
        if(commandName == "MyAddin4.Connect.MyAddin4")
        {
            handled = true;
            return;
        }
    }
}

See Also

Tasks

How to: Create an Add-In

Walkthrough: Creating a Wizard

Concepts

Controlling Projects and Solutions

Automation Object Model Chart

Other Resources

Creating and Controlling Environment Windows

Creating Add-ins and Wizards

Automation and Extensibility Reference