Introduction

VSScript is an extension for Visual Studio development environment. It allows you to automate various development tasks performed in Visual Studio, either by recording and replaying your actions, or allowing you to write scripts in a simple language based on popular Lua scripting language.

VSScript is meant to be a replacement of standard Visual Studio macro recorder based on Visual Basic. The most important reasons to create VSScript were the following:

Standard Visual Studio macro engine is widely considered as awkward to use. Not integrated very well into the IDE (opening separate IDE application window), slow to launch, clumsy to debug, often freezing Visual Studio. VSScript aims to remove these drawbacks.
The macro engine has been removed in recent releases of Visual Studio (starting with 2012). A replacement is needed, and VSScript fulfills this need.

VSScript features include:

Interactive macro recorder: remembers your actions and converts them into a script for further replaying. Recorder actions include: typing text, moving the text cursor, performing various editing operations (like Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, etc.), issuing advanced editor commands (e.g. Comment, Uncomment) as well as other environment commands, switching active windows, etc.
Powerful scripting language, based on Lua. Lua is very simple and elegant scripting language, being also very popular especially among game developers. Chances are that you are (or will be someday) using Lua in your programming project! Therefore it is worth to learn the language on its own.
Well-integrated development: VSScript does not need external editor application, like the old macros did. Instead, VSScript adds is own Script Editor window to Visual Studio IDE. The window is a tool window (like the console or task list) which can be docked or placed anywhere. You can just type the macro code inside the editor and launch it with single click. Or alternatively, you can use the interactive recorder which will create the script for you. No more clumsy switching between the Macros IDE and the main IDE!
Fully functional editor with dedicated Lua language support: syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, real-time syntax error detection, underlining wrong code lines, error messages displayed in tooltips, code outlining, automated block commenting/uncommenting, and more.
Integrated script debugger: allows you to debug your scripts. Most common debugging functions are supported: stepping the code (into/over/out modes), running/stopping, breakpoints, examining the call stack, multiple coroutines (thread of execution in Lua), displaying contents of variables, evaluating simple expressions.
High performance: because the scripter is tightly integrated into Visual Studio and does not use external application, all its operations are very fast and low resource-consuming.
Language library: currently the scripter supports standard Lua language libraries, as well as DTE bindings for Visual Studio control. Subsequent versions will be further extended with additional utility libraries.