Hello,

there's an option in the "Tool" menu named "External Tools"

Any info regarding this feature?

Hello,

I've been playing this afternoon with the option "External Tools" from the Tool menu and it might be really helpfull.

For instance, do you want access to your compiler tool vbc.exe or csc.exe without problems neither leaving the VWD IDE or opening any command prompt window?

Add it using "External Tools". It's easy!.

1. Go to Tools - External Tools. Dialog Box appears allowing you to manage the external tools to used inside VWD.
2. Click "Add" and give a Title to your external Tool.
3. In the "Command" input field, go to your \windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.x.x.x\ and search the tool you want to use inside VWD.
4. As "Arguments" leave it blank (see note 1)
5. As "Initial Directory" leave it blank (see note 1)
6. Tick "Use output window" and "Prompt for arguments".
7. Finally click "Ok".

Now, you will see that a new option is available in your "Tools" menu, named as the Title gave by you in the Dialog Box. If you click on it, and set the appropiate flags you will run the selected tool, an "Output window" showing results will rise at the bottom.

It's important to select in the "Selection Explorer" the folder where the file(s) are located and the external tool will use.

For example. I have added the vbc.exe - the VB 2005 compiler tool in my External Tools.

I select in the Solution explorer my App_Code and go to my External Tool in the Tools menu.

A prompt window requiring arguments appears. The following are provided:

/target:library /out:myassembly.dll myvbfile.vb

After pressing enter, the "Output Window" opens and shows the success (or not) of the tool.

If you press "Refresh" in the Solution Explorer you'll see your assembly named: myassembly.dll.

A great feature of VWD 2005 Express. Let's see If I can find more info about it.

I think that the "Resources Generator Tool" can also be added as a "External Tool", avoiding us of leaving the VWD IDE.

Maybe with the new dynamic compilation model, the example I showed it is not very impressive, but for others tools, not incorporated in VWD, can be a great solution.

Note 1 - there are some options - not yet documented. I can't find anything about it.

PS: I don't know if this have been designed for this. Maybe the ASP.NET Team has another idea for this option.

This option comes from Vs7.x, and was originally included in the VC++ tools before that. Its a way of making external tools more easily accessible from the IDE. A classic example of its use was for GuidGen, so you had a tools menu for creating GUIDs.

Sam

Hello samsp,

for those like me who never used VC++ is a completely brand new element.

What I really miss is the lack of information of this new feature. It seems to be a very powerful way of using external tools. To get the most of this option, there are some things that should be documented. Nowadays, I can't find any information related with External Tools in VWD 2005 Express.

Do you have any resource/link where to go?

Also, what about the Code Snippet Manager? It's gonna be a "Code Snippet Library On-Line"? 

Well, I gues that things will come up as the time pass, in a near future.