User Interfaces

  • Article

The topics in this section discuss how VSPackages influence the appearance of user interface (UI) elements in the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE), how to create UI that closely resembles the Visual Studio IDE, and how to program UI elements in the IDE.

In This Section

  • User Interface Essentials
    Presents best practices for changing the content and appearance of UI elements.

  • User Interface Design Guidelines
    Provides guidelines to help you match the UI of the Visual Studio IDE.

  • Menus and Toolbars
    Explains how to create a UI that includes menus, toolbars, and command combo boxes.

  • Tool Windows
    Describes how to create tool windows such as the Task List, Solution Explorer, and Properties window.

  • Document Windows
    Provides information about how to create document windows, such as those that display editors and designers.

  • Editors
    Introduces the different types of editors Visual Studio provides and explains how you can create custom editors.

  • Toolbox (Visual Studio SDK)
    Explains how to add new controls and other items to the Toolbox and how to use Toolbox functionality.

  • Status Bar
    Describes how you can access status bar functionality from your VSPackage.

  • Properties Window and Property Pages
    Explains how the Properties window works and how to control the display of information in it.

  • Output Window (Visual Studio SDK)
    Explains how you can write to and read from the Output window, and how you can create and manage custom panes.

  • Task List
    Describes how to create and register a task provider, and how to create custom task views.

  • User Settings and Options
    Describes how to program your VSPackage to obtain and preserve user preferences.

  • Colors and Gradients
    Shows how VSPackages can query the IDE for the correct colors, cursors, theme brushes, gradient schemes, and palettes that you can use in a UI element.

  • Fonts
    Explains how to use fonts and colors to display text.

  • Help Authoring and Integration
    Explains how to author Help content and how to integrate Help with your product or component.

  • Visual Studio Integration SDK
    Introduces the Visual Studio SDK and discusses how to build products that run in and extend the Visual Studio IDE.