Question

I need to add a C# solution with examples that would be distributed as part of a software library installer. This solution would have various examples on how to use the product’s API.

I want to be able to display a simple ‘quick start’ file explaining how to run the examples when the solution is opened in Visual Studio.

Is there a way to tell Visual Studio to open a specific text file when the solution/project opens?

Answer 1

It sounds like a solution or project template would be the best option. This would let you create an entry in the user’s File – New dialog (Similar to ‘New Class Library’ etc). In VS 2008, these are easier to create – File -> Export Template. The template is just a zip of the project(s) with an xml manifest file you can modify. Part of the manifest schema allows you to specify files to open as HTML or text. The templates can be installed relatively easily as part of a installer package.

Here’s more on the general concept: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/6db0hwky.aspx

And schema reference about how to open files in various modes on startup: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ys81cc94.aspx

If you need to provide more guidance/wizards, consider Guidance Automation Toolkit.