External tools

Add a custom MSBuild tool

You can configure custom tools (MsBuild with custom arguments or an external executable) that automatically process specific files when they changed. For example, JetBrains Rider generates code from .resx files using the ResXFileCodeGenerator tool (this association is built-in).

Suppose, you need to generate .aspx.designer.cs files when editing .aspx files. You can do this using Redesigner, an open source WebForms generator.

1. To have Redesigner as an executable, either build it from sources or download the Redesigner.exe build with the .NET Framework 4.6.2 from JetBrains website.

2. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Tools | Custom Tools.

3. Click and provide all necessary details:

   • Name: — arbitrary name to identify the tool.

   • Extensions: — comma-separated list of file extensions (without dots) that should be processed by the tool.

   • Path: — to make sure that the path is specified correctly, click ... and use the file chooser dialog.

   • Args: — command-line arguments for the tool. To make the arguments work for different solutions and projects, use the macros that are explained in the dialog. Note that command-line arguments are often sensitive to whitespaces in file paths, so don't forget to surround file paths with quotes. Command-line arguments for Redesigner.exe can look like this: -r "$PROJECT_FOLDER$" -w "$PROJECT_FOLDER$\bin\$PROJECT_NAME$.dll" "$FILE$"

   

4. Click Save in the Settings dialog to apply the modifications and let JetBrains Rider choose where to save them, or save the modifications to a specific settings layer by choosing this layer from the Save selector. For more information, see layer-based settings.

A configured custom tool will be triggered every time you edit a file that have a specified extension. You can also trigger it manually by right-clicking a file in the Solution Explorer and choosing Execute [tool name] from the context menu.

If a custom tool provides some output, you can find it in backend.log (Help | Show Lot in Explorer/Finder).

Add a local external tool

This example demonstrates how to add OptiPNG as an external tool and use it to optimize images in your project.

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Tools | External Tools.

2. Click and specify the tool's settings.

   

   For more information, refer to External Tools.

   In our case, OptiPNG will be run with the -o4 $FilePath$ arguments. You can use macros that can refer to the project name, the current file path, a path to the PHP executable, and so on. Clicking will open the Macros dialog that lists all available macros and their values.

3. Click OK to add the tool and then apply the changes.

Run the added local external tool

To open the selected file in the newly added toolimage, do one of the following:

• Go to Tools | Images | Optimize PNG.

• Right-click a file in the Project tool window and select Tools | Images | Optimize PNG from the context menu.

• Create a shortcut to run the tool.

  Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Keymap. Find the Optimize PNG action under the External Tools node, and assign a shortcut for it.

  

When you run the tool, the output is displayed in the Run tool window.

Add a remote external tool

Remote SSH external tools are configured similarly to local external tools, but also define the remote server on which they are executed and require credentials for connecting to it via SSH. For more information about working with the built-in SSH terminal, refer to Run SSH terminal.

This example demonstrates how to add date as a remote SSH external tool that is executed on a remote server over SSH and returns the current date and time on it.

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Tools | Remote SSH External Tools.

2. Click to open the Create Tool dialog.

   

   This dialog provides the same set of settings as when you add a local external tool, but also allows you to select a remote connection. If you don't specify the connection settings, JetBrains Rider will ask you for the host, port, and relevant SSH credentials every time you run the tool on the server. For more information, refer to Remote SSH External Tools.

3. Click OK to add the tool and then apply the changes.

Run the added tool on a remote server

Do one of the following:

• In the main menu, go to Tools | Remote Tools and the name of the added remote external tool.

• Create a shortcut to run the tool.

  Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and then select Keymap. Find the action with the name of your configured remote external tool, and assign a shortcut for it.

After you specify the host, port, and credentials, JetBrains Rider will connect to the server via SSH and run the date command, returning the output to the Run tool window in JetBrains Rider.