2008-12-17
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Ever wanted a special feature in Visual Studio, but thought you wouldn’t get it? Microsoft PowerCommands adds some very special functionality and, more importantly, demonstrates the power of Visual Studio Extensibility.
Microsoft PowerCommandsVersion 1.1: http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/PowerCommandsFree
Microsoft PowerCommands helps you get more from Visual Studio by extending the functionality that Visual Studio provides. Many developers wish they had better control over the Visual Studio IDE. For example, many developers would like to clear all of the Output pane data with a single command, rather than using one command per Output pane. The Microsoft PowerCommands add-in helps you perform a number of tasks, such as clearing the Output panes, faster.
However, Microsoft PowerCommands serves a secondary purpose—it demonstrates the full power of Visual Studio Extensibility (VSX). If you like what you see you can download the source code for Microsoft PowerCommands and modify it to meet your own needs. Simply download PowerCommandsSource.zip from the download site. You can learn more about VSX at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vsx/default.aspx.
Seeing the Microsoft PowerCommands
You download Microsoft PowerCommands from the main Web site at http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/PowerCommands/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=559. Simply click the PowerCommands.msi link. In order to download Microsoft PowerCommands, you have to click I Agree when presented with the licensing terms on the Web site. After you download the file, double click it to begin the installation.
After installation, the Microsoft PowerCommands appear as part of the Options dialog box. Choose Tools | Options to display this dialog box and then select the Microsoft PowerCommands folder. You’ll see the options shown in Figure 1 when working with the General Subfolder.
Figure 1: The Microsoft PowerCommands appear in the Options dialog box.
The options are either automatic (General subfolder) or manual (Commands subfolder). The automatic options affect the entire project and Microsoft PowerCommands performs them automatically for you. When working with the manual commands, you must do something special to invoke the desired option.
Microsoft PowerCommands comes with an amazing array of commands that you can issue. Each of these commands will make your coding experience easier in some way and will definitely enhance your productivity. Given the short deadlines that most developers face today, anything that increases productivity is a plus. I also found that the commands usually added some level of consistency to my actions, which tends to reduce coding errors. The next two parts of this review tells you more about how these features work.
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