How to get an application instance defined by the method OnConnection of an Addin towards an VS Application ?

How to get an application instance defined by the method OnConnection of an Addin towards an VS Application ?

• Dave Waterworth

  Just to make sure i understand you request correctly, are you trying to use the DTE object from your second, external application If so, you must get the DTE instance through the Running Object Table using the process id for the Visual Studio that you want to control. Here is some code that you can use:
  
  using System;
  using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
  using System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComTypes;
  using EnvDTE;
  using ServiceTestInterfaces;
  
  namespace RunningObject
  {
  /// <summary>
  /// Summary description for Class1.
  /// </summary>
  class Class1
  {
  public const int WM_SYSCOMMAND = 0x0112;
  public const int SC_CLOSE = 0xF060;
  
  [DllImport("user32.dll")]
  public static extern int FindWindow(
  string lpClassName, // class name
  string lpWindowName // window name
  );
  
  [DllImport("user32.dll")]
  public static extern int SendMessage(
  int hWnd, // handle to destination window
  uint Msg, // message
  int wParam, // first message parameter
  int lParam // second message parameter
  );
  
  [DllImport("ole32.dll")]
  public static extern int GetRunningObjectTable(int reserved, out
  IRunningObjectTable prot);
  
  [DllImport("ole32.dll")]
  public static extern int CreateBindCtx(int reserved, out IBindCtx
  ppbc);
  
  object GetMSDEVFromROT(string strProgID)
  {
  IRunningObjectTable prot;
  IEnumMoniker pMonkEnum;
  try
  {
  GetRunningObjectTable(0, out prot);
  prot.EnumRunning(out pMonkEnum);
  pMonkEnum.Reset(); // Churn through enumeration.
  IntPtr fetched = IntPtr.Zero;
  IMoniker[] pmon = new IMoniker[1];
  while (pMonkEnum.Next(1, pmon, fetched) == 0)
  {
  IBindCtx pCtx;
  CreateBindCtx(0, out pCtx);
  string str;
  pmon[0].GetDisplayName(pCtx, null, out str);
  if (str == strProgID)
  {
  object objReturnObject;
  prot.GetObject(pmon[0], out objReturnObject);
  object ide = (object)objReturnObject;
  return ide;
  }
  }
  }
  catch
  {
  return null;
  }
  return null;
  }// End CodeSample
  
  public object pShell;
  public ErrorInformation hr;
  /// <summary>
  /// The main entry point for the application.
  /// </summary>
  [STAThread]
  static void Main(string[] args)
  {
  
  Class1 o = new Class1();
  foreach (string s in args)
  Console.WriteLine(s);
  if (args.Length > 0 && args[0] == "noload")
  {
  Console.WriteLine("no load specified");
  return;
  }
  
  //use the moniker of form "!VisualStudio.DTE.7:<PID> for 7.0
  //use the moniker of form "!VisualStudio.DTE.7.1:<PID> for 7.1
  string strMoniker = "!VisualStudio.DTE.8.0:4244";
  
  o.GetAutomationObject(strMoniker);
  }
  
  public int GetAutomationObject(string strMoniker)
  {
  _DTE ide = (_DTE)GetMSDEVFromROT(strMoniker);
  return 0;
  }
  }
  }
  
  
  
  
  

• RyanB88

  Well, VB6 supported add-ins only at design-time, not at debug-time or run-time, so I can imagine what pain was for you to make it work the other way...

  Now, VS.NET / VS 2005 fully supports design-time, debug-time and run-time for add-ins:

  - The DTE.Mode property tells you the mode (vsIDEModeDesign, vsIDEModeDebug).

  - You can receive transitions with DTE.DTEEvents.ModeChanged event

  - For some reason (beyond me) there is no vsIDEModeRun value. However, you can assume an initial design mode when your add-in is loaded and then use the DTE.Events.DebuggerEvents to trace the OnEnterBreakMode, OnEnterDesignMode, OnEnterRunMode events and use your own tri-state enum to keep the mode.

  - You can use the IDTCommandTarget.QueryStatus method to disable or make invisible commands (and buttons) of your addin depending on the mode.

  - You can keep a list of created toolwindows and call the property Visible when the IDE changes of mode.

  - Etc.

  The bottom line: much easier than what you are trying to do...

  
  
  

• Danielz

  Hi,

  That's normal since reusing a physical DLL in different apps does not mean that you can share the data created from that DLL. In your case, when you load the add-in DLL in the VS IDE, it is loaded in an AppDomain created by VS, and when you load the Windows Application, it is loaded in a different AppDomain. Needless to say, they have nothing to do.

  I am not sure what you are trying to do and for what purpose, but the closest is:

  - Your Windows app must get an instance of the DTE object of Visual Studio. It can create a VS.NET instance (via CreateObject("VisualStudio.DTE") or it can get a running instence. See:

  HOWTO: Automating Visual Studio .NET from outside the IDE
  http://www.mztools.com/articles/2005/MZ005.htm

  - Then, it can use the DTE.AddIns collection to get the instance of the AddIn.

  
  
  

• mcdonaldn

  Hello,

  Thank you for your help.

  I've tried the following:

  I made a simple Add-In with the Add-In Wizarrd. Then added some simple code

  Declaration:

  Private WithEvents m_IDEEvents As EnvDTE.DTEEvents

  and (Declaration section)

  Private Sub m_IDEEvents_ModeChanged(ByVal LastMode As EnvDTE.vsIDEMode) Handles m_IDEEvents.ModeChanged

  MsgBox("Mode changed " & LastMode)

  End Sub

  When using this Add-In the ModeChanged event is never fired when running and stopping!

  Have you got an exeplanation about this bevahiour

  I have to say I'm beginng to fed up with this stuff!

  Thinking moving on Eclipse...I'm currently developping an application that will be used by 500 people.

  I've chosen the .NET platform because I like the idea that you have support when you pay for a licence. I don't like the idea of the open source software because looking for piece of code on the Web and copying and pasting existing stuff isn't exactly my conception of the Job of a software engineer.

  But it seems I've got nothing to loosing....

  Regards

  Leon94

  
  

• bozydar

  Hello,
  
  Thank you for your answer.
  We can have multiple VS 2005 instances and no a proper way to identy them.
  So let say I change my mind and I would like to retreive the Add-In instance I just loaded within the current VS 2005 environment.
  I've tried without success so far by adding to properties in the connect class:
  
  Public Shared ReadOnly Property ApplicationObject() As DTE2
  Get
  Return _applicationObject
  End Get
  End Property
  
  Public Shared ReadOnly Property AddInInstance() As AddIn
  Get
  Return _addInInstance
  End Get
  End Property
  
  When I'm trying to get them, both variables are set to nothing.
  
  Regards
  
  Leon
  
  
  

• Leonardo Butelli

  Once you get the DTE object as I said, you could call DTE.WIndows.CreateToolwindow, etc, but could you describe your scenario, the purpose of this It is somewhat strange to automate and add-in of VS from a Windows application to tell it to create toolwindows, etc...
  
  

• Igor Grozman

  Hello,

  May be it is time for more explanation about what we are looking for.

  We designed a long time ago, a bunch of add-Ins for VB6.

  These Add-Ins were showing up only at runtime and where disappearing when returning at design time.

  In order to achieve this, the project (let’s call it the Client project) where the add-ins had to be displayed was exporting the VBInstance object to a referenced ActiveX server when Sub main was executing.

  The server application was creating then all the docking windows and toolbar we needed using the CreateToolWindows method. Beside this application was holding APIs for writing into just created docking windows, executing a method living in the Client project by double-clicking on it.

  May be there were a simpler way to do this. Any other idea is welcomed…

  How do we implement the same mechanism with VS 2005 IDE

  Regards

  Leon94

  
  

• fu wing

  Hi,

  The sample

  BUG: Command events fired only to last addin loaded in Visual Studio .NET
  http://www.mztools.com/articles/2004/MZ010.htm 

  that I provided showed how to get events from the IDE.

  So, where is your m_IDEEvents variable initialized Otherwise it is Nothing (null) and of course, you get no events... you should do something like this in the OnConnection method to initialize it:

  m_IDEEvents = _applicationObject.Events.DTEEvents

  Once initialized, you should get events.

   

   

  
  
  

• Nitin Sharma22

  Thanks,

  But Can you give me an example please

  
  

• GTH

  About the usage of IDTCommandTarget.QueryStatus:

  HOWTO: Adding buttons, commandbars and toolbars to Visual Studio .NET from an add-in
  http://www.mztools.com/articles/2005/MZ003.htm

  About creating toolwindows:

  HOWTO: Create a dockable toolwindow from a Visual Studio .NET add-in
  http://www.mztools.com/articles/2006/MZ007.htm

  About getting events from DTE:

  BUG: Command events fired only to last addin loaded in Visual Studio .NET
  http://www.mztools.com/articles/2004/MZ010.htm

  The samples may not be very specific to your actual problem, but show some code and should get you started. You can post specific questions about problems that you encounter.

  
  
  

• Alvin Kuiper

  Thanks for your help but i need of this intance application to launch the command "CreateToolWindows2" in an Windows application

  
  
• How to get an application instance defined by the method OnConnection of an Addin towards an VS Application ?