I started this post a couple of months ago and found myself having the same problems again and trying to find a solution for it again. So it's time to write it down so everybody can benefit.

Setting up Vegas Scripting in Visual Studio 2022

1. Create a New C# Class Library Project
   1. Open Visual Studio 2022.
   2. Create a New Project:
   3. Click on "Create a new project".
   4. Search for "Class Library" and select "Class Library (.NET Framework)". Vegas Pro scripting requires the .NET Framework, not .NET Core or .NET 5/6+.
   5. Configure Your Project:
      • Project Name: e.g., VegasProScriptingExample
      • Location: Choose a suitable directory.
      • Framework: Select .NET Framework 4.8 (ensure compatibility with Vegas Pro 22.0).
   6. Click "Create" to generate the project.

2. Add References to Vegas Pro API

   1. Right-Click on "References" in the Solution Explorer and select "Add Reference...".

   2. Browse to the Vegas Pro Scripting DLL:

   3. Click on the "Browse" tab.

   4. Navigate to C:\Program Files\VEGAS\VEGAS Pro 22.0\

   5. Select ScriptPortal.Vegas.dll and click "Add".

   6. Ensure the Reference is Added:

      • In the References list, you should see ScriptPortal.Vegas listed.

3. Configure Project Properties

   1. Right-Click on the Project in Solution Explorer and select "Properties".

   2. Set Assembly Information:

      1. Navigate to the "Application" tab.

         • Ensure the "Target framework" matches what Vegas Pro expects (e.g., .NET Framework 4.8).

      2. Build Configuration:

         • Go to the "Build" tab.

         • Set "Platform target" to x64 since Vegas Pro is a 64-bit application.

4. Implement the Script

   1. Open the Class File:

      1. By default, Class1.cs is created. You can rename it as desired.

   2. Implement the Vegas Script Interface:

      • using System;
        using ScriptPortal.Vegas;
        
        namespace VegasProScriptingExample
        {
            public class EntryPoint
            {
                public void FromVegas(Vegas vegas)
                {
                    // Example: Display a message box
                    System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show("Hello from Vegas Pro Script!");
        
                    // Your scripting logic here
                }
            }
        }
        

      • Important: The entry point class must be named EntryPoint and contain a method FromVegas that takes a Vegas object as a parameter.

5. Add Necessary References for UI Elements (Optional, but needed for the above sample script):

   1. If you plan to use UI components like message boxes, ensure you add references to System.Windows.Forms.

   2. Right-click "References" → "Add Reference..." → "Assemblies" → "Framework" → Select System.Windows.Forms and click "OK".

6. Build the Solution:

   1. Click on "Build" → "Build Solution" or press Ctrl + Shift + B.

This is enough to run the script from within Vegas. So open Vegas, go to Tools, Scripting, Run Script and browse to your projects output folder, e.g. d:\projects\MyVegasScript\bin\debug\ and select the .dll file that was generated.

Setting up Debugging - Method 1 (not yet working)

1. In VS 2022, open the Debug menu, the bottom entry is 'MyProjectName Debug Properties', click it. (Can also be reached through project properties and then clicking the Debug entry on the left)
2. Select 'Start external program' and point it to the Vegas executable,
   • e.g. C:\Program Files\VEGAS\VEGAS Pro 22.0\vegas220.exe
3. Add command line arguments:
   • -SCRIPT:d:\projects\MyVegasScript\bin\debug\MyScriptName.dll
4. Run (F5)

• This is not working! Vegas exits with code 0, no script is run! I have not found a solution to this! Anyone?

Setting up Debugging - Method 2 (not really debugging, but a good time saver)

1. In your script add this line directly in the FromVegas function:
   1. vegas.UnloadScriptDomainOnScriptExit = true;
   2. So it looks like:

   3.         public void FromVegas(Vegas vegas)
              {
                  vegas.UnloadScriptDomainOnScriptExit = true;
      
                  // Example: Display a message box
                  System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show("Hello from Vegas Pro Script!!!!");
      
                  // Your scripting logic here
              }
      

2. Now open Vegas and start your script from within Vegas (Tools, Run Script)

3. Don't close Vegas, you can now change your code and run it again from within Vegas without closing Vegas!

• But this does not allow for actual debugging the code! So messageboxes dumping outputs will be your friend.....

Setting up Debugging - Method 3 (not working)

1. Start Vegas Pro manually from the Start menu or by double-clicking the executable.

2. Attach to the Vegas Process:

3. In Visual Studio, go to "Debug" → "Attach to Process...".

4. Find vegas220.exe in the list and click "Attach".

5. Run the Script in Vegas:

   1. From Vegas Pro, run your script manually using the Tools -> Scripting menu.

   2. Visual Studio will hit any breakpoints you set in the script.

• I could not get this to work either. It just does not stop at my breakpoint. Probably because the dll is not yet loaded and when it is loaded, it is already finished before I can set the breakpoint.

So, if anyone knows how to really get debugging to work, would be great! I'll update the text above when I find out how to do it.