Create a visual studio initial solution, with a tool or extension

Question

I found myself repeat on the same structure over and over again in all new projects. Is there a tool that I can use to create my own initial template?

Answer 1

You can setup your base project and export it as a project template (File -> Export Template).

This article is a good source of information and walks through the process of packaging up your project template in a VSIX file for distribution.

There is an extension (the Export Template Wizard) that you can get from the Online Gallery that provides a few more options than the standard Export Template, and is not as involved as creating the VSIX manually. You can read about that here, which also talks about template parameter substitution.