BUG: ProjectItem.Open(EnvDTE.Constants.vsext_vk_Designer) restores the IDE from minimized state.

Author:	Carlos J. Quintero (Microsoft MVP)	Applies to:	Microsoft Visual Studio 2005
Date:	March 2009		Microsoft Visual Studio 2008

Introduction

When you call ProjectItem.Open(EnvDTE.Constants.vsext_vk_Designer) from a macro or add-in, you get an EnvDTE.Window which is not visible (you would need to call Window.Visible = True). However, that statement restores the IDE from a minimized state. This is undesirable in the following scenario: an add-in executes an operation that reviews the controls of each form of a project. To do this, it opens the designer windows without making them visible (to get the EnvDTE.Window and then to cast the Window.Object property to IDesignerHost). If the operation is long because there are many forms in the project, the user may want to minimize the IDE to use other applications while the operation is performed. Due to this bug, the IDE is restored each time that a new form is processed.

Cause

This is a bug introduced in Visual Studio 2005. It didn't happen in VS.NET 2003.

More Information

Steps to reproduce the problem:

• Create a Visual Studio 2005/2008 macro with this code:

Language: VB.NET

Copy Code (IE only)

Public Sub Macro1()

   DTE.MainWindow.WindowState = vsWindowState.vsWindowStateMinimize

   For Each project As Project In DTE.Solution.Projects()
      OpenAndCloseDesignerWindows(project.ProjectItems)
   Next

End Sub

Private Sub OpenAndCloseDesignerWindows(ByVal projectItems As ProjectItems)

   Dim projectItem As ProjectItem
   Dim window As Window

   If Not (projectItems Is Nothing) Then

      For Each projectItem In projectItems

         Try

            If projectItem.Kind = Constants.vsProjectItemKindPhysicalFolder Then

               OpenAndCloseDesignerWindows(projectItem.ProjectItems)

            Else

               Select Case projectItem.Properties.Item("SubType").Value.ToString

                  Case "Form", "UserControl"

                     window = projectItem.Open(Constants.vsViewKindDesigner)

                     If Not (window Is Nothing) Then

                        window.Close(vsSaveChanges.vsSaveChangesNo)

                        If DTE.MainWindow.WindowState <> vsWindowState.vsWindowStateMinimize Then
                           MsgBox("The IDE has been restored! It will be minimized again")
                           DTE.MainWindow.WindowState = vsWindowState.vsWindowStateMinimize
                        End If

                     End If

               End Select

            End If

         Catch ex As Exception

            ' Ignore

         End Try

      Next

   End If

End Sub

• Load a Windows Forms project with several forms and run the macro from the Macro Explorer.
• The IDE is minimized when the macro is executed, but it is restored each time that a form is processed.

Go back to the 'Resources for Visual Studio .NET extensibility' section for more articles like this

Top