How to reconcile the lack of Macros in Visual Studio 2012

Question

My organization has extremely restrictive and rigid rules our code must comply with in order to obtain certification and accreditation. For the last decade or so we have developed nearly a hundred VS macros that format code, generate comments blocks, enforce style rules, etc.

Our macros are not the kind you record some mouse movements; they all depend on the EnvDTE* VS automation objects. With VS 2012 dropping macros we are at a loss as to whether or not we will even be able to upgrade, without imposing a drastic impact on the team.

I am aware that the direction Microsoft is going is the VS Addins route and I am willing to investigate that route but I am having trouble finding code samples or documentation on how a VS Add-In can interact with the active code file in Visual Studio.

For example, here is a macro we use all the time that applies our Try wrapper design pattern to all methods that are capable of throwing unhandled exceptions

''' <summary>
'''  Wraps active method in Try* access wrappers.
''' </summary>
Sub InsertSingleMethodTryWrappers()
    Dim textSelection As TextSelection
    Dim codeElement As CodeElement

    textSelection = DTE.ActiveWindow.Selection

    DTE.UndoContext.Open("Generate Try Wrappers")  'Allow for single Undo operation to rollback all changes

    Try
        codeElement = textSelection.ActivePoint.CodeElement(vsCMElement.vsCMElementFunction)
        If Not (codeElement Is Nothing) Then
            Dim textSelection2 As TextSelection
            Dim codeFunction As CodeFunction
            'Dim codeFunction2 As CodeFunction2
            Dim editPoint As EditPoint
            Dim codeParameter As CodeParameter
            Dim parameters As CodeElements
            Dim codeElement2 As CodeElement
            Dim isVirtual As Boolean = False
            Dim strVirtual As String = String.Empty
            Dim strTypeName As String = String.Empty

            '' Cast the codeElement to codeFunction object
            codeFunction = codeElement

            '' Move cursor to the start of the method
            textSelection.MoveToPoint(codeFunction.GetStartPoint(vsCMPart.vsCMPartHeader))

            '' Should be able to use codeFunction.Kind.ToString to retrieve the function type
            '' vsCMFunctionVirtual if the method is virtual but there is a bug in the API
            '' that returns vsCMFunctionFunction even if the function is virtual (C# parsing bug?)
            ''
            '' vsCMFunction Type
            '' http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/envdte.vscmfunction(v=vs.80).aspx
            ''
            '' This frustrating bug means that we have to parse the header to determine if virtual
            textSelection.EndOfLine(True)
            If (textSelection.Text.IndexOf("virtual") > 0) Then
                isVirtual = True
                strVirtual = " virtual"
            End If
            textSelection.StartOfLine()

            '' Try not to screw up comments and attributes
            editPoint = GetNoneCommentOrAttribHeaderEditPoint(textSelection)
            If editPoint Is Nothing Then
                MsgBox("Could not find a line above the method that isn't a comment or attribute", _
                       MsgBoxStyle.Critical + MsgBoxStyle.OkOnly, "Error")
                Exit Sub
            End If

            '' Create an EditPoint to inject Try* methods
            'editPoint = textSelection.TopPoint.CreateEditPoint()
            'editPoint.LineUp()  'Move up 1 line
            editPoint.EndOfLine()   'Go to end of line above signature
            editPoint.Insert(Environment.NewLine)   'Insert blank line for cleanliness
            editPoint.Insert(Environment.NewLine)   'Insert blank line for cleanliness
            editPoint.LineUp()  'Move up 1 line

            parameters = codeFunction.Parameters

            Dim strAccess As String : strAccess = GetAccessModifierString(codeFunction.Access) 'Access Modifier
            Dim strName As String : strName = codeElement.Name  'Member Name
            Dim strType As String : strType = codeFunction.Type.AsString    'Type Name

            '' Get the un-qualified object name
            If (strType.IndexOf(".") > 0) Then
                Dim arrType() As String = strType.Split(".")
                strTypeName = arrType(arrType.Length - 1)
            Else
                strTypeName = strType
            End If

            ''' Create parameter type/name arrayList
            Dim arrParams As System.Collections.ArrayList
            arrParams = New System.Collections.ArrayList()

            For Each codeElement2 In parameters
                codeParameter = codeElement2
                arrParams.Add(codeParameter.Type.AsString.Trim & " " & codeParameter.Name.Trim & ", ")
            Next

            Dim strParams As String
            Dim strParamNames As String

            '' Capture a string with parameter names and types and one just of names
            For Each strParam As String In arrParams
                strParams += strParam
                strParamNames += strParam.Split(" ")(1)
            Next

            '' Trim excess comma for members of type void
            If strType = "void" Then
                If Not String.IsNullOrEmpty(strParams) Then
                    If strParams.TrimEnd.EndsWith(",") Then
                        strParams = strParams.TrimEnd()
                        strParams = strParams.Remove(strParams.Length - 1, 1)
                    End If
                End If
            End If

            '' -- Try* swallow methods --
            '' we don't care what the exception is, we just want to know success or failure
            Dim strTrySwallowSignature As String
            Dim strTrySwallowBody As String
            Dim strTryOutParams As String
            Dim strOutDef As String
            Dim strOutSig As String

            '' Members of type 'void' get no out parameters
            If Not strType = "void" Then
                strTryOutParams = "out " & strTypeName & " outObjType"
                strOutDef = "outObjType = null;"
                strOutSig = " out outObjType,"
            End If

            strTrySwallowSignature = vbTab & vbTab & strAccess & strVirtual & " bool Try" & strName & "(" & strParams & strTryOutParams & ")"
            strTrySwallowBody = vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & "{" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "Exception exception;" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & strOutDef _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "return Try" & strName & "(" & strParamNames & strOutSig & " out exception);" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & "}"


            '' -- Try* re-throw methods --
            '' We want to know success or failure as well as the exception if it failed
            Dim strTryReThrowSignature As String
            Dim strTryReThrowBody As String

            '' Members of type 'void' only get out exception parameter
            If Not strType = "void" Then
                strTryOutParams = "out " & strTypeName & " outObjType, out Exception exception"
                'strOutDef = "outObjType = new " & strTypeName & "();"
                strOutDef = "outObjType = null;"
            Else
                strTryOutParams = "out Exception exception"
            End If

            strTryReThrowSignature = vbTab & vbTab & strAccess & strVirtual & " bool Try" & strName & "(" & strParams & strTryOutParams & ")"
            strTryReThrowBody = vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & "{" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "bool result = false;" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "exception = null;" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & strOutDef _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "try" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "{" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "// insert code here " _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "//result = true; " _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "throw new NotImplementedException();" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "}" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "catch (Exception e)" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "{" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "exception = e;" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "}" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & vbTab & "return result;" _
                              & vbCrLf & vbTab & vbTab & "}"

            editPoint.Insert(strTrySwallowSignature)
            editPoint.Insert(strTrySwallowBody)
            editPoint.Insert(vbCrLf & vbCrLf)
            editPoint.Insert(strTryReThrowSignature)
            editPoint.Insert(strTryReThrowBody)
            editPoint.Insert(vbCrLf)

        End If
    Catch Ex As Exception
        MsgBox(Ex.Message)
    Finally
        DTE.UndoContext.Close()
    End Try
End Sub

Can someone direct me to how a VS 2012 Add-in can manipulate the active/open code file (using EnvDTE* or whatever object model is available for 2012)?

Answer 1

Well that turned out to be really simple. Turns out the Macro object model is part of the VS model so no problem.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/za2b25t3%28v=vs.110%29.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms228776.aspx

I should have know Microsoft wouldn't have left us Macro-dependant developers out in the cold like that!