Guidance Automation Toolkit

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Guidance Automation Toolkit

• VISUG 09/08/2006
• Jelle Druyts
• http//jelle.druyts.net

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Agenda

• Introduction
• Wizards (Recipes)
• More than just wizards
• Continuous Guidance

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Guidance Automation Toolkit

• Introduction

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Have you ever needed...

• Home gt Introduction

• A 40-page document full of guidelines
• Architectural layers
• Solution/project structure
• Namespaces, class names, method names, ...
• Best practices
• Step-by-step instructions
• Visual Studio customizations
• Custom actions
• Custom Add New items (classes, projects)
• Code generation
• Empty quick-start solutions for development teams

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Visual Studio SDK

• Home gt Introduction

• Visual Studio has an object model
• Call the Visual Studio APIs directly
• EnvDTE.dll and EnvDTE80.dll
• Powerful
• Entire Visual Studio object model is exposed
• Difficult
• Registering custom packages in Visual Studio
• COM interop with EnvDTE object model

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Guidance Automation Toolkit

• Home gt Introduction

• Guidance Automation
• Making reusable code and pattern assets directly
  available in Visual Studio 2005
• Integrating reusable code into applications
• Guiding developers through complex procedures
• Uses Visual Studio SDK behind the scenes
• Built and used by Microsoft Patterns Practices
• Web Service Software Factory
• Smart Client Software Factory
• Mobile Client Software Factory
• Latest release June 2006 CTP

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GAX GAT

• Home gt Introduction

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Guidance Automation Toolkit

• Wizards (Recipes)

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Guidance Automation Packages

• Home gt Wizards (Recipes)

• A Guidance Package consists of
• Visual Studio Templates
• Provide integration with Visual Studio
• Create New Project/Item dialog box
• Create Solutions, Projects, Project Items, ...
• Defined in .vstemplate files
• Guidance Automation Recipes
• Automated activities that define a series of
  instructions
• Abstract an action that the developer would need
  to do manually
• E.g. create projects, add references, ...
• Defined in an xml file
• Link between both Templates refer to Recipes

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Visual Studio Templates

• Home gt Wizards (Recipes)

ltVSTemplate Version"2.0" Type"ProjectGroup"
xmlns"http//schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vste
mplate/2005"gt ltTemplateDatagt
ltNamegtApplication Blocklt/Namegt
ltDescriptiongtGuidance Package that creates a new
Application Block.lt/Descriptiongt
ltProjectTypegtCSharplt/ProjectTypegt
ltIcongtApplicationBlock.icolt/Icongt
lt/TemplateDatagt ltTemplateContentgt
ltProjectCollectiongt ltProjectTemplateLink
ProjectName"ApplicationBlockNamespace.Applicat
ionBlockName"gt Projects\Runtime\Runtime.v
stemplatelt/ProjectTemplateLinkgt
lt/ProjectCollectiongt lt/TemplateContentgt
ltWizardExtensiongt ltAssemblygtMicrosoft.Practice
s.RecipeFramework.VisualStudio,
Version1.0.51206.0, Cultureneutral,
PublicKeyTokenb03f5f7f11d50a3alt/Assemblygt
ltFullClassNamegtMicrosoft.Practices.RecipeFramework
.VisualStudio.Templates.UnfoldTemplate
lt/FullClassNamegt lt/WizardExtensiongt
ltWizardDatagt ltTemplate xmlns"http//schemas.m
icrosoft.com/pag/gax-template" SchemaVersion"1.0"
Recipe"CreateApplicationBlock"gt
lt/Templategt lt/WizardDatagt lt/VSTemplategt
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Guidance Automation Recipes

• Home gt Wizards (Recipes)

ltGuidancePackage xmlns"http//schemas.microsoft.c
om/pag/gax-core" Name"JelleDruyts.EnterpriseL
ibraryGuidance" Caption"Enterprise Library
Guidance" Description"Provides guidance
around the creation of Application Blocks"
Guid"2cac5b9c-a04f-4a49-8a56-3ee5d63bd83f"
SchemaVersion"1.0"gt ltRecipesgt ltRecipe
Name"CreateApplicationBlock"gt
ltCaptiongtCreate a new Enterprise Library
Application Blocklt/Captiongt ltArgumentsgt
ltArgument Name"ApplicationBlockName"
Required"true"gt ltConverter
Type"Microsoft.Practices.RecipeFramework.Library.
Converters. CodeIdentifierStringConver
ter, Microsoft.Practices.RecipeFramework.Library"
/gt lt/Argumentgt ltArgument
Name"ApplicationBlockNamespace"
Required"true"gt ltConverter
Type"Microsoft.Practices.RecipeFramework.Library.
Converters. NamespaceStringConverter,
Microsoft.Practices.RecipeFramework.Library" /gt
lt/Argumentgt lt/Argumentsgt
ltGatheringServiceDatagt ltWizard
xmlns"http//schemas.microsoft.com/pag/gax-wizard
s" SchemaVersion"1.0"gt ltPagesgt
ltPagegt ltTitlegtApplication Block
Informationlt/Titlegt ltFieldsgt
ltField ValueName"ApplicationBlockName"
Label"Application Block Name"
InvalidValueMessage"Must be a valid .NET
identifier." /gt ltField
ValueName"ApplicationBlockNamespace"
Label"Namespace"
InvalidValueMessage"Must be a valid .NET
namespace identifier." /gt
lt/Fieldsgt lt/Pagegt lt/Pagesgt
lt/Wizardgt lt/GatheringServiceDatagt
lt/Recipegt lt/Recipesgt lt/GuidancePackagegt
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Guidance Package Wizard

• Home gt Wizards (Recipes)

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Guidance Automation Toolkit

• More than just wizards...

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Actions

• Home gt More than just wizards

• Executed after a recipe is unfolded
• E.g. add project references, generate classes,
  ...
• Regular .NET classes (pre-built custom)
• Strongly-typed input and output arguments
• Come from the recipe or another action
• Typically use EnvDTE

ltActionsgt ltAction Name"GetRuntimeProject"
Type"...RecipeFramework.Library.Actions.GetProjec
tAction"gt ltInput Name"ProjectName"
RecipeArgument"RuntimeProjectName" /gt
ltOutput Name"Project" /gt lt/Actiongt ltAction
Name"GetDesignTimeProject" Type"...RecipeFramewo
rk.Library.Actions.GetProjectActiongt ltInput
Name"ProjectName" RecipeArgument"DesignTimeProje
ctName" /gt ltOutput Name"Project" /gt
lt/Actiongt ltAction Name"AddProjectReference"
Type"...Library.Solution.Actions.AddProjectRefere
nceAction"gt ltInput Name"ReferringProject"
ActionOutput"GetDesignTimeProject.Project" /gt
ltInput Name"ReferencedProject"
ActionOutput"GetRuntimeProject.Project" /gt
lt/Actiongt lt/Actionsgt
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Value Providers

• Home gt More than just wizards

• Provide values for recipe arguments, optionally
  dependant of other recipe arguments
• Define project names, post-build commands, ...
• Retrieve currently selected project, file, ...
• Regular .NET classes (pre-built custom)

ltArgument Name"RuntimeProjectName"gt
ltValueProvider Type"Evaluator"
Expression"(ApplicationBlockNamespace).(Applica
tionBlockName)"gt ltMonitorArgument
Name"ApplicationBlockNamespace" /gt
ltMonitorArgument Name"ApplicationBlockName" /gt
lt/ValueProvidergt lt/Argumentgt
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Code Generation

• Home gt More than just wizards

• T4 templates (text templates transformation
  toolkit)
• E.g. generate data access component from
  database, ...
• ASP.NET-like syntax with full capabilities of .NET

lt_at_ template language"C" gt lt_at_ assembly
name"System.dll" gt lt_at_ property
processor"PropertyProcessor" name"TargetNamespac
e" gt lt_at_ property processor"PropertyProcessor"
name"NodeName" gt using System using
Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Common.Confi
guration using Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibr
ary.Configuration.Design   namespace lt
this.TargetNamespace gt internal sealed
class lt this.NodeName gt ConfigurationNode

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Guidance Automation Toolkit

• Continuous Guidance

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Recipes stay alive

• Home gt Continuous Guidance

• The show isnt over when the initial solution has
  been created
• Recipes associated with project items
• Unbound / bound (to a specific item) / dynamic
• E.g. right-click data access project, choose Add
  Data Access Component
• Adding more templates
• New projects, e.g. data access project
• New project items, e.g. data access component
• Uses same mechanisms (wizards, actions, ...)

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Guidance Navigator

• Home gt Continuous Guidance

• Separate window listing
• Overview information
• All the available recipes
• History of executed recipes
• Links to online help, documentation, ...

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Questions?
?