'Window Tabs' Developer Studio Add-In

WndTabs Loaded Into DevStudio

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Environment: VC5, VC6, eMbedded VC++, WinCE Platform Builder, Comctl32.dll 4.71+

What is it?

"Window Tabs", the add-in I wrote for Microsoft Developer Studio, adds a docking tab bar. Each tab names a windows that's opened in the workspace. You can switch between the windows by simply clicking on the tab. The tabs have right-click context menus, and can quickly show you (via tool-tips) the full path of the corresponding file.

The add-in has long ago evolved beyond a simple window switcher. Some key features found in the current version are:

• Highly configurable:
  • Control what goes on the tab: number, icon, path components, resource information.
  • Control the tab strip position (bottom/top).
  • Control the number of tab rows.     (NEW: Automatic row counts)
  • Control what goes on the tab context menus.
• Tab context menus packed with useful features:
  • Window management functions
    • Close window/all windows
    • Close all windows except current window
    • Close all related files (file group)
    • Minimize all windows
    • Automatically (and selectively) close windows opened during debugging.   NEW!
  • File management functions
    • Save file/all files
    • Access the file's shell context menu.
    • Open a file's alternate (.h<->.cpp etc.) file - manually or automatically (NEW)
    • Toggle a file's read-only attribute for quick hack of source controlled files.
    • Open a file as a text document. For instance, get quick access to your resource file's source.
    • Open a file's containing  folder.   NEW!
  • Clipboard copy functions 
  • And others...
• Full source code.
• Programmatically extend WndTabs using the WndTabs SDK.   NEW!
• Access tabs via keyboard shortcuts.
• Setup wizard to set up toolbars and keyboard shortcuts.
• Full online help.
• Automatic setup program
• Supports most VC variants, including VC5, VC6, eMbedded Visual C++ and CE Platform Builder.   NEW!
• Extension module (shareware) that adds the following advanced capabilities to WndTabs:
  • Tab Grouping - allows grouping of multiple windows on the same tab.
  • Tab Coloring - custom colors for tabs.
  • Fully customizable menus.   NEW!
  • Fully customizable keyboard shortcuts.   NEW!

Refer to the online help for installation and usage details, and a full list of features.

What's New

Version 3.0 has been almost a year in the making, and is the most ambitious version of WndTabs to date.   This version is uses the great BCG library to implement a fully customizable UI.  This isn't as simple as it sounds: To make everything work as it should, WndTabs is no longer a simple addin.  It is now a full MFC application living inside another MFC application (Visual C++).  As you might imagine, this requires a lot of stitching code.  And although the casual user wouldn't notice (and probably wouldn't care), if you want to know how it all works, have a look at the source code.

As I said, version 3.0 is a major update to WndTabs and users of previous versions are encouraged to check out the WndTabs site for a full list of new features and bug fixes.

A feature tour is also available online.

The WndTabs Source Code

• Writing DevStudio add-ins that handle events and export commands.
• Interfacing with other add-ins using the AddInComm library.
• "Stealing" events from other windows by using subclassing.
• Installing and using system message hooks (SetWindowsHookEx).  NEW!
• Enumerating the shell namespace / full support for file context menus including the elusive "Send To..." menu.
• Use of common controls (tabs, images, etc.)
• Use of the MFC template based collections (CTypedPtrArray, CTypedPtrList, etc.).
• Reusable components for HTML Help integration in MFC applications!
• Use MFC to access Internet files.
• Detect version updates over the net unobtrusively for both direct and dialup Internet users.
• Small tricks of the trade:
  • Dialogs that change at runtime.
  • Storing your configuration in the registry.
• And more...

Note

Downloads