Visual Studio Extensions for RadControls for WinForms
Overview
RadControls for WinForms Visual Studio Extensions is an integration package that will significantly increase you productivity when managing WinForms projects in Visual Studio. The product helps you work smarter with streamlined features and minimizes the learning curve for new users.
The Extensions automatically create, upgrade and configure your RadControls projects in seconds, eliminating the need to set any assembly references manually. The Project Configuration Wizards automatically handle the dependencies between the assemblies once you choose the control assemblies your project needs. The Upgrade Wizard allows automatic checks for new RadControls distributions. A subsequent download/project upgrade is offered as well.
Access the RadControls for WinForms VS Extensions
You can access RadControls for WinForms Visual Studio Extensions through the Telerik Menu in Visual Studio. Wizards for creating/upgrading projects will pop-up, which will help you setting up your WinForms project faster and easier.
Create a Project Using a Project Template
With the RadControls for WinForms installation you now get two new project templates (for C# and VB.NET). Running any of them you are able to select a RadControls for WinForms distribution you have installed. If you’ve downloaded a manual zip distribution you can easily use it instead, by browsing to the folder you unpacked it to.
Using the Project Configuration Wizard
The Project Configuration Wizard handles the assembly references automatically and completely eliminates the need for you to remember the dependencies among them.
Let’s suppose you need to use a RadMarkupEditor in an application and you’ve only used the inputs. The project reconfiguration wizard is what you need – you click the Telerik.WinControls.RadMarkupEditor assembly and you get the Telerik.WinControls.Data automatically selected.
Using the Upgrade Wizard
Normally when upgrading to a new version of RadControls for WinForms you have to replace a number of assembly references. Now thanks to the Upgrade Wizard this is much easier and faster. You just select the new distribution and the assemblies your project uses get preselected in the assembly list. You also have the option to create a backup of your existing project before the actual upgrade is performed.
Project Conversion
You can easily convert your current WinForms project to Telerik project in which you want to jump-start using RadControls. The Visual Studio Extensions automatically upgrades any external application to become RadControls application with its necessary settings.
Keeping your Toolbox in sync with your project references
With Telerik’s Q3 2010 release the Visual Studio Extensions Package adds a Toolbox Configuration Utility which allows you to keep the Toolbox and the project references in sync. Thus, you will have the RadControls in your toolbox referring a Telerik distribution of your choice.
When dragging a toolbox item to your page/form assemblies might get accidentally replaced. Due to loading two assemblies in the Visual Studio AppDomain various design-time errors might happen (InvalidCastException, Error Rendering control, etc). The new Toolbox Configuration Utility guarantees that no such design-time errors occur.
