A# Integration into Visual Studio 2005

The A# compiler has now been integrated into Visual Studio 2005.  (See below picture).  Features include colorization, name completion, parameter information.  Now you can build/run/debug A# code directly from Visual Studio. 

This is a simple integration.  There are lots more opportunities for further development, to include:

• Support for Windows forms

• autocompletion for object.method syntax

• Add gnatstub and msil2ada to tools menu

• Automatically call msil2ada on DLLs listed in"References"

• Automatically update project file to include additional folders in project

• Read project file for additional folders to search for autocompletion.

GETTING STARTED

To start from scratch integrated into Visual Studio (all downloads from sourceforge)

1. Download mgnat.zip and unzip

2. Download and run the installer (specifying the folder where you unzipped MGNAT).

3. Download and run the Visual Studio Integration Installer. (updated on 9 May 2006).

4. If you want to use other .NET assemblies, download and unzip msil2ada.zip

EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS?

1. The May 9 update resolves the "Parameter must not be null" error on generating projects (on machines without the VS SDK).

2. Make sure that your PATH environment variable contains not only the path to mgnat.exe (...\mgnat\bin), but also ilasm.exe (c:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727)

3. Trouble loading addin?  From Mike Londero: "I tested the A# Visual Studio Add-In. After the installation my Visual Studio 2005 Professional (German) throw an error at startup, that it could not load the A#-AddIn :-(.  I saw that the devenv.exe try to open the C:\WINDOWS\system32\mscorelib.dll. But my Windows XP SP 2 (German) is installed on C:\WINNT!  After creating a "junction" (with a tool from SysInternals) the Add-In works fine."

A# is free software, but donations are welcome!