Download the package that includes the Microsoft Visual Studio Shell 12.0 libraries

Summary

In ArcObjects, creating an add-in with Microsoft Visual Studio requires running the ValidateAddInXMLTask. This task requires Visual Studio Shell 12.0 to run with the necessary packages installed and without interruption, otherwise errors may be returned.

Procedure

The Microsoft Visual Studio Shell 12.0 library is a part of Visual Studio 2013 Shell (an older version of the software). Therefore, the download link is not located on the main Visual Studio Downloads page, and is separated as isolated shells. The following steps describe how to locate and download the Visual Studio 2013 Shell.

1. In a web browser, navigate to the web page, Microsoft: Visual Studio Isolated Shell.
2. On the page, check the I have read and accept the license checkbox.
3. Scroll to Visual Studio 2013 and download the desired shell.

4. Check the original filename by right-clicking the installer file and clicking Details. If the filename is different, rename the downloaded file to the original filename so the installer runs without compatibility issues.