How to get TypeScript working with Visual Studio 2013

Question

I have downloaded Typescript plugin for Visual Studio, installed it and restarted my PC. I have also installed both VS 2013 Express for Web and VS 2013 Ultimate Preview but TypeScript is just not there. There are no File Templates, No Project Templates, nothing.

What are the various ways you have got TypeScript to install properly/show up in Visual Studio? I have tried many different things like looking for the vsix file and opening it (but that file does not exist in this version of TypeScript - unless they've moved it somewhere else), I've tried downloading and installing Web Essentials - but their website says that they no longer support TypeScript because apparently VS supports it natively now. I've also uninstalling/reinstalling TypeScript - many times.

I've even tried downloading the old version of TypeScript 0.8.3 but every single link I've found just redirects me to the new download page for 0.9.1.

Nothing works.

How do I get TypeScript working with either VS 2013 Express for Web or VS 2013 Ultimate Preview?

I've seen forum posts and comments all over the web where people say that it's working for them. I have no idea what'd going on.

Answer 1

I found a question on here with an answer that almost worked. But after changing some things around I was able to get this working. These steps slightly deviate from the original, which can be found here.

1. Close Visual Studio.
2. Install Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012 Update 3 x86 version (even if running on an x64 platform; tsc.exe is an x86 application).
3. Download TypeScript for Visual Studio 2012 version 0.9.0.1
4. Uncompress/Extract the MSI file to a temporary location using https://code.google.com/p/lessmsi/
5. Copy the directory SourceDir\Microsoft SDKs\TypeScript to %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft SDKs
6. Copy the directory SourceDir\VS11_EXTENSIONS_DIR\TypeScript to %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio 12.0\Common7\IDE\Extensions\Microsoft
7. Copy the the two files in the SourceDir\VS11 folder (file.ts, newtypescriptfileitems.vsdir) to %ProgramFiles(x86)%\\Microsoft Visual Studio 12.0\Common7\IDE\NewFileItems
8. Copy the folder SourceDir\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v12.0\TypeScript to %ProgramFiles(x86)%\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v12.0
9. Modify your path environment variable to include %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft SDKs\TypeScript
10. Start visual studio.

These exact steps led to me being able to work with full TypeScript support in Visual Studio 2013 Preview and Visual Studio 2013 Express for Web. A big thanks goes to the dude who posted this answer.

Answer 2

I searched for the version from step 3 of Spike's answer, which is apparently only any executable now. That lead me to MS's download of a slightly newer version at:

TypeScript Download

Once that was downloaded, I ran it and it offered to Repair or Uninstall TypeScript for VS 2012 and VS 2013. (I already had VS 2013 and 2013 Web Essentials installed but a project that uses TypeScript wouldn't load for me.)

Once the Repair was completed, then the project with TypeScript loaded just fine. So it might be worth it to just try repairing the install of TypeScript.