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We need to enhance the installer for our WindowsForms.NET grid component: we should have the ability to add it to the Toolbox in a VS 2010/2012 Express edition (VB, C#, ...) while installing the product. We can do that for all non-Express editions using the well-known EnvDTE.DTE object, but this does not work for Express.

Is there an approach to achieve the goal? Say, change some system files (system for VS)? I.e., maybe, VS stores the toolbox item list somewhere in a file so we can access it and change accordingly? And maybe, this way can be used for all non-Express editions too?

TecMan
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1 Answers1

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Yes, there is a multitude of approaches:

  • manual installation
  • Toolbox Controls Installer (TCI)
  • Visual Studio Automation Object Model (DTE)
  • VSI, VSIX packages
  • VSPackage

I wrote a tutorial article discussing them in more detail:

Visual Studio Toolbox Control Integration

I think the TCI approach would work with the Express edition of Visual Studio. Also the VSI and VSIX packages are quite convenient way to make sure the components get installed.

Libor
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