| Creating a user interface extension |
In order to simplify the task of programming a user interface extension, the BC Meridian UI Extension template includes a UIExtensionComposer component. You will find the UIExtensionComposer in the Visual Studio Solution Explorer. This component provides properties and events that are shown in the property grid of the Visual Studio Properties window. The component guides you through the basic steps of creating a user interface extension.
The template assigns the text UIExtension to the internal name and display name (VS 2005 and VS 2008 only) of the extension. Because the internal name must be unique within a vault, you should open the UIExtension.vb file and change the name of the class to the desired one.
One of the significant changes in the user interface extension API from Visual Basic 6 is replacement of the Visual Basic 6 Extension Designer objects (such as AMUIExtension and IAMUIExtensionDesigner) with the single IBCExtensionHost interface. You can access the interface via the ExtensionHost property of an extension page and the UIExtensionComposer component.
For example, the ExtensionHost.DataSource property provides the same functionality as the SetPropertyValue, GetPropertyValue, CanEditProperty, and ApplyChanges methods of the IAMUIExtensionDesigner interface.
To create a user interface extension project:
- In Visual Studio, select New Project from the File menu. The New Project dialog appears.
- Select the BC Meridian UI Extension template, specify a name for the project, and click OK. Visual Studio creates the project.
Other topics in this chapter include Visual Basic .NET code samples that show how to use the new ExtensionHost property.
See Also