VS.NET can be adapted and extended to automate the development process (like repetitive tasks) or to provide functionality that is missing (development tools, etc). The development environment can be extended using macros or add-ins. What is nice is that most of the add-ins are free to download and use.
Example: We can use GhostDoc, a free add-in for Visual Studio, to automatically generate XML documentation comments. GhostDoc is looking at the information in base classes or implemented interfaces. Also, it can generate the comments based on then ame and type of methods, properties or parameters.
1. Before using GhostDoc
void checkLogin( string strUsername, string strPassword){
}
2. After installing GhostDoc, right-click on the method declaration and choose “Document this”. The following comments are generated:
/// <summary>
/// Checks the login.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="strUsername">The username.</param>
/// <param name="strPassword">The password.</param>
void checkLogin( string strUsername, string strPassword){
}
In this example, GhostDoc has automatically generated the documentation for our method based on the name of the method and the name of the parameters. Basically, it gives a starting point, we can easy add more information.
Note: a nice article can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/05/12/VisualStudioAddins/, it is called "Visual Studio Add-Ins Every Developer Should Download Now"
