Setup
In this Getting Started section, we will walk you through the process of setting up your development environment, creating, debugging, and publishing your first extension.
Note
This guide assumes that you have already installed DevToys and DevToys CLI on your computer. It is also expected that you have some experience with C# and .NET and are familiar with the concept of dependency injection.
The setup process varies slightly depending on the operating system you are developing on. Below are the instructions for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Setting the Environment Variable
To debug an extension seamlessly, you need to set a specific environment variable on your system.
Follow these steps:
- Locate
DevToys.exe
and DevToys.CLI.exe
on your computer. If you installed the app using an installer (not through the Microsoft Store), it is likely in C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Local\Programs\DevToys\DevToys.exe
. Keep this path handy for a later step.
- Launch a PowerShell command prompt using Windows Terminal or Windows PowerShell app.
- Enter the following command to define the
DevToysGuiDebugEntryPoint
and DevToysCliDebugEntryPoint
environment variables.
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("DevToysGuiDebugEntryPoint", "<your_path>\DevToys.exe", "User")
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("DevToysCliDebugEntryPoint", "<your_path>\DevToys.CLI.exe", "User")
Replace <your_path>\DevToys.exe
and <your_path>\DevToys.CLI.exe
with the actual path you located in Step 1.
Selecting Your Editor
We recommend you use Visual Studio 2022 for its robust development capabilities for C# and .NET. This IDE also offers a free tier. However, if you are already familiar with JetBrains Rider, it is an excellent alternative. Finally, Visual Studio Code is another option, particularly if you prefer a more lightweight text editor.
- For Visual Studio users, please select
.NET desktop development
workload during installation.
- For Visual Studio Code users, please install the C# DevKit and ResX Editor extensions.
- For JetBrains Rider users, install .NET 8.0 if prompted.
Setting the Environment Variable
To debug an extension seamlessly, you need to set a specific environment variable on your system.
Follow these steps:
- Locate
DevToys.app
and DevToys.CLI.app
on your computer. It is common to find it in ~/Applications/DevToys.app
. Keep this path handy for a later step.
- Launch the Terminal application from your Applications folder or using Spotlight search.
- Enter the command
nano ~/.zshrc
.
- Within the opened
nano
editor, append the following line at the end of the document to define the DevToysGuiDebugEntryPoint
and DevToysCliDebugEntryPoint
variables.
export DevToysGuiDebugEntryPoint="<your_path_to_DevToys.app>/Contents/MacOS/DevToys"
export DevToysCliDebugEntryPoint="<your_path_to_DevToys.CLI.app>/Contents/MacOS/DevToys.CLI"
Replace <your_path_to_DevToys.app>
with the actual path you located in Step 1.
- Save and exit Nano (press
Ctrl+X
, then confirm by pressing Y
, and finally press Enter
)
- Enter the command
source ~/.zshrc
in the Terminal to apply the changes you made.
- Restart macOS.
Selecting Your Editor
We recommend you use JetBrains Rider as it provides a full IDE experience for C#. Visual Studio Code is another option, particularly if you prefer a more lightweight text editor.
- For Visual Studio Code users, please install the C# DevKit and ResX Editor extensions.
- For JetBrains Rider users, install .NET 8.0 if prompted.
Setting the Environment Variable
To debug an extension seamlessly, you need to set a specific environment variable on your system.
Follow these steps:
- Locate
DevToys
and DevToys.CLI
programs on your computer. It is common to find it in /usr/bin/devtoys
and /usr/bin/devtoys.cli
. Keep this path handy for a later step.
- Launch the Terminal application.
- Enter the command
nano ~/.bashrc
.
- Within the opened
nano
editor, append the following line at the end of the document to define the DevToysGuiDebugEntryPoint
and DevToysCliDebugEntryPoint
variables.
export DevToysGuiDebugEntryPoint="<your_path>/DevToys"
export DevToysCliDebugEntryPoint="<your_path>/DevToys.CLI"
Replace <your_path>
with the actual path you located in Step 1.
- Save and exit Nano (press
Ctrl+X
, then confirm by pressing Y
, and finally press Enter
)
- Enter the command
source ~/.bashrc
in the Terminal to apply the changes you made.
Selecting Your Editor
We recommend you use JetBrains Rider as it provides a full IDE experience for C#. Visual Studio Code is another option, particularly if you prefer a more lightweight text editor.
- For Visual Studio Code users, please install the C# DevKit and ResX Editor extensions.
- For JetBrains Rider users, install .NET 8.0 if prompted.