Accessing the Gallery

OverviewHow Do I

You can access the Gallery via the Project menu: Point to Add To Project, then click Components and Controls. The Gallery dialog box is similar to a generic file open dialog box.

The Gallery contains two default, system-defined folders called Visual C++ Components and Registered ActiveX Controls, plus folders for any classes that you have added to the Gallery from your own projects.

By default, Gallery items are stored in the directory:

\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\MSDEV98\Gallery

The default folders have the following special considerations:

  • They should not be removed or renamed.

    If you do change the Gallery folder or its default folders, Gallery creates new ones upon invocation. The result is that the new folders contain working links as well as the old ones.

  • They contain only shortcuts and registry information for the files within them.

    Expanding a default folder displays icons that represent shortcuts (links) to the controls or components it contains.

  • Should not be used to store other items, such as files, wizards, and so on.

Also, you should not delete, move, or rename the Gallery folder. Changing the properties of the Gallery folder removes the registry information that the default folders store. For more information, see Organizing Gallery items.

You can also organize the Gallery’s contents by creating and renaming folders. For more information, see Organizing Gallery Items.