Updated: 5/17/2010 using information aquired from here: http://www.thecodinghumanist.com/Content/HowToEditVSTemplates.aspx

Ok, so I don’t like the way that the default new class template in Visual Studio 2008/2010 looks. I end up typing a lot of things over and over again.

Here is what it a new class looks like:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

namespace MyNameSpace
{
	class MyClass
	{
	}
}

Here is what I want it to look like:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

namespace MyNameSpace
{
	public class MyClass
	{
		#region Member Variables
		#endregion

		#region Constructors

		/// <summary>
		/// The default Constructor.
		/// </summary>
		public MyClass()
      		{
		}

		#endregion

		#region Properties
		#endregion

		#region Functions
		#endregion

		#region Enums
		#endregion
	}
}

So making this change is easy to do. All you have to do is edit a text file that is compressed.

Copy the zip file file located here to the desktop:
Visual Studio 2008

• For 64 bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\ItemTemplates\CSharp\Code\1033\Class.zip
• For 32 bit: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\ItemTemplates\CSharp\Code\1033\Class.zip

Visual Studio 2010

• For 64 bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\IDE\ItemTemplates\CSharp\Code\1033\Class.zip
• For 32 bit: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\IDE\ItemTemplates\CSharp\Code\1033\Class.zip

Extract the zip file.

Using a text editor, open the Class.cs file.

The file will have the following text:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
$if$ ($targetframeworkversion$ >= 3.5)using System.Linq;
$endif$using System.Text;

namespace $rootnamespace$
{
	class $safeitemrootname$
	{
	}
}

Change it to have this text:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
$if$ ($targetframeworkversion$ >= 3.5)using System.Linq;
$endif$using System.Text;

namespace $rootnamespace$
{
	public class $safeitemrootname$
	{
		#region Member Variables
		#endregion

		#region Constructors

		/// <summary>
		/// The default Constructor.
		/// </summary>
		public $safeitemrootname$()
		{
		}

		#endregion

		#region Properties
		#endregion

		#region Functions
		#endregion

		#region Enums
		#endregion
	}
}

Save the file.

Rebuild the zip file with the new Class.cs.  Be careful to build the zip file correctly.

Copy the new zip file back here and overwrite the existing one:
Visual Studio 2008

• For 64 bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\ItemTemplates\CSharp\Code\1033\Class.zip
• For 32 bit: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\ItemTemplates\CSharp\Code\1033\Class.zip

Visual Studio 2010

• For 64 bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\ItemTemplates\CSharp\Code\1033\Class.zip
• For 32 bit: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\ItemTemplates\CSharp\Code\1033\Class.zip

Now, you have to rebuild the template classes.  To do this:

1. Open a command prompt as Administrator.
2. Change to the appropriate directory:
   Visual Studio 2008
   64-bit
   cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\

   32-bit

   cd C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\

   Visual Studio 2010
   64-bit

   cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\IDE\

   32-bit

   cd C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\IDE\
3. Run this command:
   devenv.exe /installvstemplates

Now any new class you create will have your new format.

Copyright ® Rhyous.com – Linking to this article is allowed without permission and as many as ten lines of this article can be used along with this link. Any other use of this article is allowed only by permission of Rhyous.com.