How to: Manipulate Code by Using the Visual C++ Code Model (Visual C#)

Article
12/05/2014

In Visual Studio 2013, add-ins are deprecated. We recommend that you upgrade your add-ins to VSPackage extensions. For more information about how to upgrade, see FAQ: Converting Add-ins to VSPackage Extensions.

The Visual Studio code model offers automation clients the ability to find code definitions in a project and modify those code elements. Visual C++ provides an extension to the core code model to target code that is specific to Visual C++.

For example, if the Language property indicates that a given code element is a Visual C++ code model object, and Kind = vsCMElementClass, then you can choose to use either the CodeClass2 from the Visual Studio code model or the VCCodeClass from the Visual C++ code model.

The following procedures demonstrate how to examine and generate code by using the code model that is specific to Visual C++.

To add a comment to the first file in the project

Create a Visual Studio add-in project in Visual C#.
On the Project menu, click Add Reference, click the .NET tab, select Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel, and then click OK.
Add using Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel; to the top of the Connect.cs file.

Replace the code in the OnConnection method with the following code:

// Add-in code.
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel;
public void OnConnection(object application,
 Extensibility.ext_ConnectMode connectMode, object addInInst,
 ref System.Array custom)
{
    _applicationObject = (DTE2)application;
    )addInInstance = (AddIn)addInInst;
    // Pass the applicationObject member variable to the code example.
    test((DTE2)_applicationObject); 
}

public void test( DTE2 dte ) 
{ 
    VCCodeModel vcCM = null; 
    VCCodeElement vcCodeElement = null; 
    vcCM = ( ( VCCodeModel )( dte.Solution.Item( 1 ).CodeModel ) ); 
    vcCodeElement = ( ( VCCodeElement )
( vcCM.CodeElements.Item(1))); 
    AddCommentAtStart( vcCodeElement ); 
    AddCommentAtEnd( vcCodeElement ); 
} 

public void AddCommentAtStart(
  Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel.VCCodeElement vcCodeElement )
{
    TextPoint textPoint = null;
    textPoint = vcCodeElement.get_StartPointOf(
      vsCMPart.vsCMPartWhole, 0 );
    textPoint.CreateEditPoint().Insert("/*This is a Start Comment*/");
}

public void AddCommentAtEnd( 
  Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel.VCCodeElement vcCodeElement )
{
    TextPoint textPoint = null;
    textPoint = vcCodeElement.get_EndPointOf( vsCMPart.vsCMPartWhole, 0  
      );
    textPoint.CreateEditPoint().Insert( "/*End Comment*/" );
}

To build the add-in, click Build Solution on the Build menu.
Open a Visual C++ project in the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE).
On the Tools menu, click Add-in Manager, and then select your add-in from the Add-In Manager dialog box. Click OK to run your add-in.
Examine the first file in the project for the programmatically added comments.

To add a new file to a Visual C++ project

Create a Visual Studio add-in project in Visual C#.
On the Project menu, click Add Reference, click the .NET tab, select Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel, and then click OK.
Add using Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel; to the top of the Connect.cs file.

Replace the code in the OnConnection method with the following code:

//Add-in code.
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel;
public void OnConnection(object application,
 Extensibility.ext_ConnectMode connectMode, object addInInst,
 ref System.Array custom)
{
    _applicationObject = (DTE2)application;
    _addInInstance = (AddIn)addInInst;
    // Pass the applicationObject member variable to the code example.
    GetVCCodeElement((DTE2)_applicationObject); 
}

//  Shows how to get a VCCodeElement.
public void GetVCCodeElement( DTE2 dte ) 
{
    VCCodeModel vcCM = null; 
    VCCodeElement vcCodeElement = null; 
    vcCM = ( ( Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel.VCCodeModel )(
      dte.Solution.Item( 1 ).CodeModel ) ); 
    vcCodeElement = ( (
      Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel.VCCodeElement )( 
      vcCM.AddClass( "MyClass2", "MyClass2.h",0,null, null,
      EnvDTE.vsCMAccess.vsCMAccessDefault ) ) ); 
}

To build the add-in, click Build Solution on the Build menu.
Open a Visual C++ project in the Visual Studio IDE.
On the Tools menu, click Add-in Manager, and select your add-in from the Add-In Manager dialog box. Click OK to run your add-in.

Note

If MyClass2.h already exists, the code fails.

To add a function to file.h

Create a Visual Studio add-in project in Visual C#.
On the Project menu, click Add Reference, click the .NET tab, select Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel and System.Windows.Forms, and then click OK.

Add the following using statements to the top of the Connect.cs file:

using System.Windows.Forms;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel;

Replace the code in the OnConnection method with the following code:

// Add-in code.
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel;
using System.Windows.Forms;
public void OnConnection(object application,
 Extensibility.ext_ConnectMode connectMode, object addInInst,
 ref System.Array custom)
{
    _applicationObject = (DTE2)application;
    _addInInstance = (AddIn)addInInst;
    // Pass the applicationObject member variable to the code example.
    DisplayName((DTE2)_applicationObject); 
}

// DisplayName
// Shows the DisplayName of a function which includes the parameter 
// names.
public void DisplayName( DTE2 dte ) 
{ 
    VCCodeModel vcCM = null; 
    VCCodeElement vcCodeElement = null; 
    vcCM = ( ( Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel.VCCodeModel )(
      dte.Solution.Item( 1 ).CodeModel ) ); 
      vcCodeElement = ( (     
        Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel.VCCodeElement )
        ( vcCM.AddFunction( "MyFunction", "File.h",  
        vsCMFunction.vsCMFunctionFunction, "void",
        null, EnvDTE.vsCMAccess.vsCMAccessDefault ) ) ); 
    MessageBox.Show( vcCodeElement.DisplayName); 
}

To build the add-in, click Build Solution on the Build menu.
Open a Visual C++ project in the Visual Studio IDE and add a file.h to it.
On the Tools menu, click Add-in Manager, and then select your add-in from the Add-In Manager dialog box. Click OK to run your add-in.
Examine the inserted code in file.h.

To display files that include top-level code elements

Create a Visual Studio add-in project in Visual C#.
On the Project menu, click Add Reference, click the .NET tab, select Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel and System.Windows.Forms, and then click OK.

Add the following using statements to the top of the Connect.cs file:

using System.Windows.Forms;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel;

Replace the code in the OnConnection method with the following code:

// Add-in code.
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel;
using System.Windows.Forms;
public void OnConnection(object application,
 Extensibility.ext_ConnectMode connectMode, object addInInst,
 ref System.Array custom)
{
    _applicationObject = (DTE2)application;
    _addInInstance = (AddIn)addInInst;
    // Pass the applicationObject member variable to the code example.
    DisplayLocation((DTE2)_applicationObject); 
}

public void DisplayLocation( DTE2 dte ) 
{
    VCCodeModel vcCM = null; 
    VCCodeElement vcCodeElement = null; 
    vcCM = ( ( Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel.VCCodeModel )(
      dte.Solution.Item( 1 ).CodeModel ) ); 
    foreach ( Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel.VCCodeElement temp
      in vcCM.CodeElements ) 
    {
        vcCodeElement = temp;
        MessageBox.Show( vcCodeElement.Name + " is declared in " 
          + vcCodeElement.get_Location(vsCMWhere.vsCMWhereDefault)); 
    }
}

To build the add-in, click Build Solution on the Build menu.
Open a Visual C++ project in the Visual Studio IDE.
On the Tools menu, click Add-in Manager, and then select your add-in from the Add-In Manager dialog box. Click OK to run your add-in.
Message boxes display the file names that contain the top-level code elements.

To display all the top level code element items

Create a Visual Studio add-in project in Visual C#.
On the Project menu, click Add Reference, click the .NET tab, select Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel and System.Windows.Forms, and then click OK.

Add the following using statements to the top of the Connect.cs file:

using System.Windows.Forms;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel;

Replace the code in the OnConnection method with the following code:

// Add-in code.
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel;
using System.Windows.Forms;
public void OnConnection(object application,
 Extensibility.ext_ConnectMode connectMode, object addInInst,
 ref System.Array custom)
{
    _applicationObject = (DTE2)application;
    _addInInstance = (AddIn)addInInst;
    // Pass the applicationObject member variable to the code example.
    FindItem((DTE2)_applicationObject); 
}

public void FindItem( DTE2 dte ) 
{
    VCCodeModel vcCM = null; 
    VCCodeElements vcCodeElements = null; 
    vcCM = ( ( Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel.VCCodeModel )(
      dte.Solution.Item( 1 ).CodeModel ) ); 
    vcCodeElements =
      ( ( Microsoft.VisualStudio.VCCodeModel.VCCodeElements )
      ( vcCM.CodeElements ) ); 
    int i = 0; 
    for ( i=1; i<=vcCodeElements.Count; i++ ) 
    {
        MessageBox.Show( vcCodeElements.Item( i ).Name); 
    }
}

To build the add-in, click Build Solution on the Build menu.
Open a Visual C++ project in the Visual Studio IDE.
On the Tools menu, click Add-in Manager, and then select your add-in from the Add-In Manager dialog box. Click OK to run your add-in.

Message boxes display the top level code element names.

How to: Manipulate Code by Using the Visual C++ Code Model (Visual C#)

To add a comment to the first file in the project

To add a new file to a Visual C++ project

To add a function to file.h

To display files that include top-level code elements

To display all the top level code element items

See Also

Tasks

Concepts

Additional resources