Mapping Web Connection Script Maps to the HTML Editor

By default Visual Studio only understands certain file types that it knows about. Web Connection tends to use custom file extensions for script files so for example the script map I use for my message board is .wwt for my blog it's .blog. If I open these script files in Visual Studio without mapping extensions, they are displayed as plain text without syntax coloring because Visual Studio has no idea that these files are HTML files.

In order to make these files show HTML syntax coloring I can add them by going to Tools -> Options -> Text Editor -> File Extension which brings you to this dialog:

Here you can map an extension to one of the many editors that are available in Visual Studio. For Scripts and Templates you generally want the Html Editor.

Type your extension name, then select the Html Editor from the dropdown list and click Apply. Your mapping is now ready.

Note that any already open documents have to be re-opened to see the changed association.

Troubleshooting

Problem: I'm trying to edit a Web Connection Script or Web Control Page and I see no syntax coloring for my page. What can I do?

Visual Studio has an annoying issue that sometimes it'll loose the association between the Web Connection template extension and the Visual Studio custom editor associated with the extension. The result is that you see a plain text page without syntax coloring.

In orderto fix this issue you'll need to recreate the editor mapping by going back into the Tools -> Options -> Text Editor -> File Extension dialog.

If your Extension is not listed

If your script map extension is not in the list, add it again:

Type the extension into the Extension text box
For Scripts and Templates pick Html Editor from the drop down
Click Apply
Click Ok on the dialog

Go back to your project and close any files that are open with this new extension, then re-open them. You should now have syntax coloring.

If your Extension is listed

If the extension is listed and syntax coloring is still not working, it means that Visual Studio has corrupted the setting and you need to remove it and re-add it.

Make sure to follow these exacts steps - they are important even if they seem redundant:

Select your extension in the list

Select your extension
Click Remove
Now type the extension name
Select Html Editor for script and template extensions
Click the Add button
Click Ok on the dialog

It seems unintuitive to have to first remove and then re-add, but just editing the extension is not sufficient. It has to be removed and re-added to work.

Design Time Only

To be clear, these editor settings are design time only settings that control operation in Visual Studio and they have absolutely no effect on the application running at runtime.