ProjectGen Gotcha: Updating the Host Item Name when using a Project Descriptor File as Input

On the third screen of ProjectGen there is an item to fill in titled “Host item name”.  This item is used in two places in the project descriptor file and three places in projects based off the template:

In VSTA v 1 the host does not need to be aware of any of these.

In VSTA v 2, the startup class is used when loading add-ins and the PrimaryCookie is used in DPM scenarios.

ProjectGen offers the option of using a project descriptor file as input instead of manually entering all of the information.  This is where the Gotcha comes in.  If you use a project template descriptor file as input for ProjecGen and change the host item name on the third screen, in the new project template descriptor file and the resulting template only the host item name will be updated.  The PrimaryCookie will remain unchanged.

Workarounds:

1)      Manually change the PrimaryCookie in the project template descriptor file before use as input for ProjectGen.  Then use the descriptor file as input- no additional steps are required.

2)      Manually change the PrimaryCookie attribute in the xml designer file for the main code file.  To do this:

a.       Create the template with ProjectGen

b.      Extract the templates (both CSharp and VB).

c.       Open the xml designer file for the main code file (MainCode.designer.xml).

d.      Update the PrimaryCookie attribute of the HostItem element.

e.      Save the file.

f.        Zip the updated template (zip the items individually- do not zip the folder which contains them).

g.       Place the template in the ProjectTemplateLocation if not already there.

h.      Run setup for the host.