Installing VS Package from code

Question

Is there an API that can be used from .NET code to install/uninstall a Visual Studio Package, for a specific VS version?

The API would take as inputs:

• VSIX file path
• VS version (we'd like to have support for VS2012, VS2013 and further versions)
• a flag to indicate Install or Uninstall

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Similarly I'd need also an API that tells me if a specific VS Package is installed or not. the The API would take as inputs:

• VSIX file path
• VS version

and would return a boolean: Installed or not

Answer 1

VSIXInstaller.exe can install or uninstall a vsix for for a specific VS version and edition. To check package installation you can use Microsoft.VisualStudio.Shell.Interop.IVsShell.IsPackageInstalled from VS automation engine.