.NET Reflector has an extensive add-in framework, and there are plenty of add-ins already available to use as examples of what can be done.

A .NET Reflector add-in is fundamentally a dll/exe assembly file that contains packages. A package is a class that implements the IPackage interface, which defines a Load and Unload method. An IServiceProvider interface is passed during loading, and gives access to a set of services which are part of the .NET Reflector object model (the most common of which we'll see below).

Available services

The following table lists the most commonly-used services that can be accessed through the GetService method onIServiceProvider

Although the .NET Reflector API exposes more interfaces than this, these are the most commonly used ones.

Building a HelloWorld add-in

A simple "HelloWorld" add-in can be created by implementing the IPackage interface.

The Load method is implemented to ask the IServiceProvider for the IWindowManager service, which allows you to communicate with .NET Reflector's windowing system. Finally, the ShowMessage method is used to show a message to the user:

using System; 
using Reflector; 
internal class HelloWorldPackage : IPackage
{ 
	private IWindowManager windowManager; 
	public void Load(IServiceProvider serviceProvider)
	{ 
		this.windowManager = (IWindowManager) serviceProvider.GetService(typeof(IWindowManager));
		this.windowManager.ShowMessage("Loading HelloWorld!");
	} 
	public void Unload()
	{ 
		this.windowManager.ShowMessage("Unloading HelloWorld!");
	}
}

The code can be compiled into an add-in dll, which is referencing Reflector.exe as a library:

csc.exe /target:library /out:HelloWorld.dll *.cs /r:Reflector.exe

The add-in can then be copied to your Reflector directory and loaded using the View Add-Ins menu. While this is a very basic add-in, the fundamentals of the construction and implementation don't change.

Adding items to command bars and context menus

The ICommandBarManager service allows you to add menu items to the .NET Reflector main menu and context menus. Each sub-menu and context menu is registered in the CommandBars collection with an identifier name, and the following table lists the most commonly used identifiers:

Learning more

Thoroughly documenting the .NET Reflector API is something we hope to improve in future.

We currently recommend this series of articles by Jason Haley:

• Getting Started with .NET Reflector add-ins
• Create your own add-in : The basics
• Create your own add-in : More details
• Wrapping .NET Reflector

For more examples, see:

• .NET Reflector Add-in Tutorial (Peli de Halleux)
• Building the .NET Reflector Add-in (Jamie Cansdale)