MZ-Tools allows you to create operations not already included. What these operations do are up to your imagination but can include such things as formatting the code, documenting the code, reviewing code for compliance with standards, etc. The following sections describe the facilities within MZ-Tools that enable the addition of these operations. These facilities provide for the use of the additional operations by adding a user-defined name to the MZ-Tools menus and toolbars. MZ-Tools exposes the API that it uses internally for its own built-in operations, so you can leverage the internal engine that processes files, the result window or the scope selection window for your own custom external operations.
Note: to develop external operations you must be familiar with the extensibility model of Visual Studio (EnvDTE namespace), since the MZ-Tools API uses classes from that model such as EnvDTE.DTE, EnvDTE.Project, EnvDTE.ProjectItem, EnvDTE.CodeElement, etc.
The source code (C# and VB.NET) of the following external operations is provided in the Community Place section of the MZ-Tools web site:
- Hello World
- Format Code
- Review Code Standards
- Review Control Text Spelling
- Enable Windows XP Theme
- Document Code
- Pre / Post Procedure Code
Of course, you can customize the source code of those operations to meet your needs.
External operations are integrated seamlessly with other operations of MZ-Tools, and from the user's perspective they are indistinguishable from built-in operations as you can see in this image:
