Guide to Install Microsoft Dynamics 365 Developer Toolkit Extension into Visual Studio 2017

November 26, 2019 8 Comments

Requirements

  • Visual Studio 2017
  • CRM SDK
  • 7Zip
  • Notepad (or similar application)

Introduction

When setting up my development environment I wanted the ability to use the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Developer Toolkit in the latest version of Visual Studio 2017. This extension allows the ability to deploy plugins and workflow code directly from Visual Studio – which is a huge time saver for Dynamics 365 development.

Problem

The only problem is that it officially supports Visual Studio 2015 only. I thought I was out of luck with Visual Studio 2017 and I would have to use an older version of visual studio if I wanted to use this extension.

Solution

After doing some digging, I found a resource that showed that it is possible to run this extension on Visual Studio 2017 with some tweaking.

This guide builds off of this one. I ran into issues with the source tutorial since it was a little vague. I wasted some time going in the wrong direction on getting this installed so hopefully my guide helps eliminate that wasted time!

Learn more about our Dynamics 365 offerings

Learn More

Guide

  1. Go to this page:
    https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=DynamicsCRMPG.MicrosoftDynamicsCRMDeveloperToolkit
  2. Download extension ‘Microsoft Dynamics 365 Developer Toolkit’
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 Developer Toolkit
  3. Go to your downloads folder
    your downloads folder
  4. Right-Click and go to 7-Zip and then click ‘Open Archive’
    open zip file
  5. Go to the file extension.vsix.manifest and right click. Then, click Edit
    file extension.vsix.manifest | Dynamics 365 Developer Toolkit
  6. Change 14 to 15 for the version and save the file
    Change 14 to 15
  7. You will see a pop-up in 7zip saying that a file was modified. Hit ‘Ok’
    file was modified
  8. Go back to the download folder, hit right click on the file and select Open With…
    click on the file and select open with
  9. Select Microsoft Visual Studio Version Selector
    Microsoft Visual Studio Version Selector
  10. Wait for the VSIX Installer window to appear. This might take a few seconds to pop up.
    VSIX Installer window
  11. Select Visual Studio Professional 2017 on this screen. Click Install.
    Select Visual Studio Professional 2017
  12. It should now install this extension on Visual Studio 2017
  13. To confirm that it has been installed, open up Visual Studio 2017 and in the top right bar select File > New > Project
  14. Dynamics 365 should be showing under Visual C# in the popup window, confirming that it has been downloaded successfully.
    Visual C# in the popup window
  15. On the toolbar, select Tools > Options…
    visual studio tools options
  16. Scroll down on the left hand side of the screen until you see ‘Dynamics 365 Developer Toolkit’. Expand this section.
    Dynamics 365 Developer Toolkit
  17. Select Tool Paths and then provide the location to the Plug-In Registration Tool and CRM Sdk Bin Directory
    CRM Sdk Bin Directory | Dynamics 365 Developer Toolkit
SCHEDULE A DEMO

Now you are able to deploy and work on CRM Plugin and Workflows directly in Visual Studio 2017!

If you have any questions or queries, leave a comment below. You can also connect with our BOLDEnthusiasts by clicking here.  

8 thoughts on “Guide to Install Microsoft Dynamics 365 Developer Toolkit Extension into Visual Studio 2017”

  1. Last part is unclear. Where exactly is this Plguin-in registration tool path? How do you get it, where is it shown earlier in the process?

  7. HI All, I did that and I am still getting error.

    This extension is not installable on any currently installed products.

  8. I followed the instructions and get an error when running – “This VSIX Package is invalid as it does not contain the file extension.vsixmanifest at the root.

    I havent moved it, just adjusted the version

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