Category / Visual Studio

Posts related to Microsoft Visual Studio and related technologies.

by Simon Doy

SPVSX (SharePoint Visual Studio Extensions) Alpha Released


>One of my teammates, Matt Smith, has been working hard alongside Wes Hackett, Glyn Clough and Martin Hatch on what looks to be a very interesting tool to help us developers.

The tool extends the new Visual Studio 2010 SharePoint development features further providing the following key points:-

  • Deployment
  • Quick Deploy (similar to Copy to 12/GAC in old-school WSPBuilder and VSeWSS 1.3)
  • Quick Deploy Custom Deployment Steps and Configurations
  • Project and Solution-level Quick Deploy (without changing deployment configuration)
  • Copy to SharePoint Root at File and SharePoint Item (SPI)-level (right-click in Solution Explorer)
  • Auto Copy to SharePoint Root when saving a file (e.g. auto deploy a change to an ASCX)
  • Auto Copy to GAC/BIN when building a project
  • Restart IIS
  • Recycle app pools
  • Attach to IIS worker processes (for quicker debugging!)

 

Matt has more details on his blog.
To download the extensions take go to the SPVSX Visual Studio Plugin Gallery and provide feedback/comments/requests on the SPVSX Codeplex site.
by Simon Doy

>Command Prompt from Visual Studio


>I use the stsadm commands to add/deploy/upgrade/retract solutions. I got fed up with having to start a command prompt and then change directory to within the solution and then drill down to the project directory, where the wsp solution is found.

So instead (and I don’t know why I didn’t do this ages ago) I setup an External Tool within Visual Studio which will open up the command prompt within the currently selected project.
To do the same do the following:-
  • Open up Visual Studio
  • Click Tools->External Tools
  • Click Add
  • In the Title call it something like Command Prompt (Project)
  • Command: c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe
  • Initial Dir: $(ProjectDir)
  • Untick Close on Exit

If you wish to have the command prompt open within a different directory then put the path to that directory, there are all the variables which are available when using post build events such as SolutionDir.

To use select the project that you wish to open the command prompt in and then do Tools->Command Prompt (Project)

Enjoy!