The Visual Studio Toolbox provides a collection of .NET Framework objects, derived from Component, or ActiveX controls, derived from IDataObject, providing functionality to editors and designers through the IDE's drag-and-drop mechanism.
There are two basic ways in which a VSPackage works with the Visual Studio Toolbox:
A VSPackage can add new data items and ActiveX controls to the Toolbox.
A VSPackage can be a target or consumer of existing Toolbox functionality, supporting the drag-and-drop operations and configuring the Toolbox's appearance.
By default, controls provided by a VSPackage must support one or more of the following Clipboard formats:
Clipboard format |
Description |
|---|---|
CF_Text |
Specifies the standard American National Standards Institute (ANSI) text format. |
CF_HTML |
Specifies text that consists of HTML data. |
CF_NDP_TYPENAME |
Specifies .NET Framework-based controls. Under the Managed Package Framework, Toolbox controls provided as ToolboxItem automatically support this format. |
For information about providing items to the Visual Studio Toolbox, including items of non-standard format, see Advanced Toolbox Control Development and How to: Provide Custom Toolbox Items By Using Interop Assemblies.
In This Section
How to: Create a Toolbox Control That Uses Windows Forms
Describes out to create a Toolbox control by using the Windows Forms Toolbox Control template.How to: Create a Toolbox Control That Uses WPF
Describes out to create a Toolbox control by using the WPF Toolbox Control template.Managing the Toolbox
Describes how a VSPackage can manage the content and appearance of the Toolbox.Advanced Toolbox Control Development
Describes adding .NET Framework controls to the Visual Studio Toolbox by using the Managed Package Framework, and links to other toolbox control development topics.Toolbox Walkthroughs
Contains examples that illustrate basic methods for adding and configuring Toolbox items.
Related Sections
How to: Manage the Toolbox Window
Describes how to work with the Toolbox in the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE).How to: Control the Toolbox
Describes how to manage the Toolbox using the automation programming model.User Interfaces
Explains how to use Visual Studio services to create UI elements that match the rest of Visual Studio.