Question

I would like to create a new kind of project type for Visual Studio 2010. I’m not sure if I should be working with the Shell SDK or something else. For example, I want to be able to create a project that I can add files to and have new behavior for build and different behavior when files are clicked and different properties when the project properties dialog is shown. I want to be able to add this project type in a solution that has other C# projects.

Edit: Again, I’m wanting to create a new project type, not a new project template.

Answer 1

You can do some of this from Visual Studio without any SDK at all by creating project templates.

• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms185291.aspx
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/xkh1wxd8.aspx

However, this only works for existing project types. New project types can be created using packages and the Managed Package Framework (MPF).

• http://mikehadlow.blogspot.com/2007/03/building-visual-studio-custom-project.html
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/ff718165.aspx
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/vstudio/aa700819.aspx

Add-Ins can be used to create further IDE extensions to integrate your package types into the IDE using context menus in Solution Explorer, etc.

If there is a need for any SDK, it would likely be the Visual Studio 2010 SDK that you mentioned:

• http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=47305cf4-2bea-43c0-91cd-1b853602dcc5&displaylang=en