Saving Data in Project Files

A project subtype can save and retrieve subtype-specific data in the project file. The Managed Package Framework (MPF) provides two interfaces to accomplish this task:

  • Call the SetPropertyValue method to save a full path of the project file.

    private SpecializedProject project;  
    IVsBuildPropertyStorage projectStorage = (IVsBuildPropertyStorage)project;  
    string newFullPath = GetNewFullPath();  
    // Set a full path of the project file.  
    ErrorHandler.ThrowOnFailure(projectStorage.SetPropertyValue(  
        "MSBuildProjectDirectory",  
        String.Empty,  
        (uint)_PersistStorageType.PST_PROJECT_FILE, newFullPath));  
    
  • Call the GetPropertyValue method to retrieve a full path of the project file.

    private SpecializedProject project;  
    IVsBuildPropertyStorage projectStorage = (IVsBuildPropertyStorage)project;  
    string fullPath;  
    // Get a full path of the project file.  
    ErrorHandler.ThrowOnFailure(projectStorage.GetPropertyValue(  
        "MSBuildProjectDirectory",  
        String.Empty,  
        (uint)_PersistStorageType.PST_PROJECT_FILE, out fullPath));  
    
  1. Implement the IsFragmentDirty method to determine whether an XML fragment has changed since it was last saved to its current file.

    public int IsFragmentDirty(uint storage, out int pfDirty)  
    {  
        pfDirty = 0;  
        switch (storage)  
        {  
            case (uint)_PersistStorageType.PST_PROJECT_FILE:  
            {  
                if (isDirty)  
                    pfDirty |= 1;  
                break;  
            }  
            case (uint)_PersistStorageType.PST_USER_FILE:  
            {  
                // We do not store anything in the user file.  
                break;  
            }  
        }  
    
        // Forward the call to inner flavor(s)   
        if (pfDirty == 0 && innerCfg != null && this.innerCfg is IPersistXMLFragment)  
            return ((IPersistXMLFragment)this.innerCfg).IsFragmentDirty(storage, out pfDirty);  
    
        return VSConstants.S_OK;  
    
    }  
    
  2. Implement the Save method to save the XML data in the project file.

    public int Save(ref Guid guidFlavor, uint storage, out string pbstrXMLFragment, int fClearDirty)  
    {  
        pbstrXMLFragment = null;  
    
        if (IsMyFlavorGuid(ref guidFlavor))  
        {  
            switch (storage)  
            {  
                case (uint)_PersistStorageType.PST_PROJECT_FILE:  
                {  
                    // Create XML for our data.  
                    XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();  
                    XmlNode root = doc.CreateElement(this.GetType().Name);  
    
                    XmlNode node = doc.CreateElement(targetsTag);  
                    node.AppendChild(doc.CreateTextNode(this.TargetsToExecute));  
                    root.AppendChild(node);  
    
                    node = doc.CreateElement(updateTargetsTag);  
                    node.AppendChild(doc.CreateTextNode(this.UpdateTargetList.ToString()));  
                    root.AppendChild(node);  
    
                    doc.AppendChild(root);  
                    // Get XML fragment representing our data  
                    pbstrXMLFragment = doc.InnerXml;  
    
                    if (fClearDirty != 0)  
                        isDirty = false;  
                    break;  
                }  
                case (uint)_PersistStorageType.PST_USER_FILE:  
                {  
                    // We do not store anything in the user file.  
                    break;  
                }  
            }  
        }  
    
        // Forward the call to inner flavor(s)  
        if (this.innerCfg != null && this.innerCfg is IPersistXMLFragment)  
            return ((IPersistXMLFragment)this.innerCfg).Save(ref guidFlavor, storage, out pbstrXMLFragment, fClearDirty);  
    
        return VSConstants.S_OK;  
    }  
    
  1. Implement the InitNew method to initialize the project extension properties and other build-independent data. This method is called if there is no XML configuration data present in the project file.

    public int InitNew(ref Guid guidFlavor, uint storage)  
    {  
        //Return,if it is our guid.  
        if (IsMyFlavorGuid(ref guidFlavor))  
            return VSConstants.S_OK;  
    
        //Forward the call to inner flavor(s).  
        if (this.innerCfg != null && this.innerCfg is IPersistXMLFragment)  
            return ((IPersistXMLFragment)this.innerCfg).InitNew(ref guidFlavor, storage);  
    
        return VSConstants.S_OK;  
    
  2. Implement the Load method to load the XML data from the project file.

    public int Load(ref Guid guidFlavor, uint storage, string pszXMLFragment)  
    {  
        if (IsMyFlavorGuid(ref guidFlavor))  
        {  
            switch (storage)  
            {  
                case (uint)_PersistStorageType.PST_PROJECT_FILE:  
                {  
                    // Load our data from the XML fragment.  
                    XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();  
                    XmlNode node = doc.CreateElement(this.GetType().Name);  
                    node.InnerXml = pszXMLFragment;  
                    if (node == null  
                        || node.FirstChild == null  
                        || node.FirstChild.ChildNodes.Count == 0  
                        || node.FirstChild.ChildNodes[0].Name != targetsTag)  
                        break;  
                    this.TargetsToExecute = node.FirstChild.ChildNodes[0].InnerText;  
    
                    if (node.FirstChild.ChildNodes.Count <= 1  
                        || node.FirstChild.ChildNodes[1].Name != updateTargetsTag)  
                        break;  
                    this.UpdateTargetList = bool.Parse(node.FirstChild.ChildNodes[1].InnerText);  
                    break;  
                }  
                case (uint)_PersistStorageType.PST_USER_FILE:  
                {  
                    // We do not store anything in the user file.  
                    break;  
                }  
            }  
        }  
    
        // Forward the call to inner flavor(s)  
        if (this.innerCfg != null && this.innerCfg is IPersistXMLFragment)  
            return ((IPersistXMLFragment)this.innerCfg).Load(ref guidFlavor, storage, pszXMLFragment);  
    
        return VSConstants.S_OK;  
    }  
    
Note

All code examples provided in this topic are parts of a larger example in VSSDK Samples.

See Also

Persisting Data in the MSBuild Project File