The following style changes tab text color from default black to white for not selected and not highlighted tabs:

<Style TargetType="TabsStudio:TabName" BasedOn="{StaticResource DefaultTabNameStyle}">
  <Style.Triggers>
  <MultiDataTrigger>
            <MultiDataTrigger.Conditions>
                <Condition Binding="{Binding Path=IsMouseOver, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=TabsStudio:Tab}}" Value="False"/>
                <Condition Binding="{Binding Path=IsTabSelected, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=TabsStudio:Tab}}" Value="False"/>
            </MultiDataTrigger.Conditions>
            <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="White"/>
      </MultiDataTrigger>
  </Style.Triggers>
</Style>

<Style TargetType="TabsStudio:TabExtension" BasedOn="{StaticResource DefaultTabExtensionStyle}">
  <Style.Triggers>
  <MultiDataTrigger>
            <MultiDataTrigger.Conditions>
                <Condition Binding="{Binding Path=IsMouseOver, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=TabsStudio:Tab}}" Value="False"/>
                <Condition Binding="{Binding Path=IsTabSelected, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=TabsStudio:Tab}}" Value="False"/>
            </MultiDataTrigger.Conditions>
            <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="White"/>
      </MultiDataTrigger>
  </Style.Triggers>
</Style>

<Style TargetType="TabsStudio:TabNameModificationMarker" BasedOn="{StaticResource DefaultTabNameModificationMarkerStyle}">
  <Style.Triggers>
  <MultiDataTrigger>
            <MultiDataTrigger.Conditions>
                <Condition Binding="{Binding Path=IsMouseOver, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=TabsStudio:Tab}}" Value="False"/>
                <Condition Binding="{Binding Path=IsTabSelected, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=TabsStudio:Tab}}" Value="False"/>
            </MultiDataTrigger.Conditions>
            <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="White"/>
      </MultiDataTrigger>
  </Style.Triggers>
</Style>

<Style TargetType="TabsStudio:TabExtensionModificationMarker" BasedOn="{StaticResource DefaultTabExtensionModificationMarkerStyle}">
  <Style.Triggers>
  <MultiDataTrigger>
            <MultiDataTrigger.Conditions>
                <Condition Binding="{Binding Path=IsMouseOver, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=TabsStudio:Tab}}" Value="False"/>
                <Condition Binding="{Binding Path=IsTabSelected, RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType=TabsStudio:Tab}}" Value="False"/>
            </MultiDataTrigger.Conditions>
            <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="White"/>
      </MultiDataTrigger>
  </Style.Triggers>
</Style>

Plus you need to create a tab coloring rule for not selected tabs with transparent background:

<SolidColorBrush Color="Transparent"/>

Transparent background for not selected tabs

Dark tabs theme in Visual Studio 2010

Project tab coloring rule with transparency

Dark theme with custom transparent colors for two projects

<Condition Binding="{Binding Path=IsGroupFocused, RelativeSource={RelativeSource Self}}" Value="False"/>
<Condition Binding="{Binding Path=IsGroupWithLastActiveDocument, RelativeSource={RelativeSource Self}}" Value="True"/>

<LinearGradientBrush StartPoint="0,0" EndPoint="0,1">
  <GradientStop Color="#FFFDFDFD" Offset="0"/>
  <GradientStop Color="#FFD5DAE3" Offset="0.49"/>
  <GradientStop Color="#FFCED4DF" Offset="0.5"/>
  <GradientStop Color="#FFCED4DF" Offset="1"/>
</LinearGradientBrush>

Gray color rule for selected but unfocused tab

Gray selected tab when Solution Explorer is active

Update: Added white color to modification markers in the style.

Previously add-ins stored global settings in the add-ins directory near the binary files. Now I’ve added the GetAddinSettingsDirectory method to the ITabsStudioEngine interface providing a directory near general Tabs Studio settings. It makes possible to have separate add-in settings for SSMS 2008 and Visual Studio 2008.

Previously all .dll add-ins from the add-ins directory were loaded at startup. Now the list of active add-ins is stored near general Tabs Studio settings. You control this list as usual from Add-in Manager. It again makes now possible to have separate active add-ins for SSMS 2008 and Visual Studio 2008.

Export/import settings now save and restore all add-in settings as well.

Download link: Tabs Studio v2.6.0.

Sorter Options

For example, if Sorter is set up to sort only by extension and you open Form1.cs [Design] and stdafx.h:

Sorting by extension

Order not changed when a new extension is added

Re-sorted tabs

The updated Sorter add-in is included in Tabs Studio v2.5.7.

Tabs in 4 rows

The same tabs in 3 rows

This is because the current tab layout algorithm first of all tries to minimize distracting tab movement between rows (keeping tab in the last position, reserving a row buffer for new tabs and changes in tab width).

I’ve added the new LessRowsPriority property to let you customize this behavior. (Remember also the RowBuffer property.) The larger LessRowsPriority value the more actively Tabs Studio will try to minimize number of rows. It is a double with default value of 1. Value of 10 is kind of high priority and value of 100 – very high priority. You can set it in a custom style like this:

<Style TargetType="TabsStudio:Tabs" BasedOn="{StaticResource DefaultTabsStyle}">
  <Setter Property="LessRowsPriority" Value="10"/>
</Style>

Adding a tab to the priority group

Priority tabs are identified by tab name and work globally across all solutions. To remove a tab from the priority group, right click on the tab and select Remove from priority group.

You can color priority tabs using the new TabsStudioPriorityGroup:Properties.Top property. For example, in the standard Tab Coloring Rule dialog, add the following custom condition:

<Condition Binding="{Binding Path=(TabsStudioPriorityGroup:Properties.Top),
  RelativeSource={RelativeSource Self}}" Value="True"/>

A tab coloring rule for priority tabs

The Sorter add-in now recognizes if PriorityGroup is running and sorts priority tabs first:

Sorter and PriorityGroup sort and prioritize tabs

PriorityGroup will be included in the next Tabs Studio release.

The new preview tab is displayed as a normal tab, but you can see the blue under line when it is selected. To manually promote this tab you can use the Window menu and the keyboard shortcut (btw this screenshot was made on Windows 8):

Promote preview tab command in Visual Studio menu

I don’t know how useful the preview tab will be. It can be turned off in Visual Studio options. On the other hand, floating tab groups are definitely useful and I will try my best to support them in a next release.

I noticed one new problem in VS 11 – tabs in a separate window can get light grey background inheriting style from a Visual Studio control up in the tree. To work around this, use the following custom style (it is the same example style that disables blue inactive tab background on mouse over):

<Style TargetType="TabsStudio:Tab" BasedOn="{StaticResource DefaultTabStyle}">
  <Setter Property="Template">
    <Setter.Value>

      <ControlTemplate TargetType="{x:Type TabsStudio:Tab}">
        <Border Background="{TemplateBinding Background}" Padding="5,1,5,1"
                      BorderThickness="1,1,1,0" BorderBrush="Gray">
        <ContentPresenter Name="Content" ContentSource="Header"
              HorizontalAlignment="{Binding Path=HorizontalContentAlignment,
                RelativeSource={RelativeSource AncestorType={x:Type ItemsControl}}}"/>
        </Border>
      </ControlTemplate>
    </Setter.Value>

  </Setter>
</Style>

Download link: Tabs Studio v2.5.0.

Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview

Tabs can be pinned now and remain always visible – in the same row with normal tabs, in a separate row above normal tabs and in several rows above normal tabs:

Pinned tabs in a separate row above normal tabs

Documents opened indirectly, e.g. when you hit a breakpoint in a new file, are displayed in a special preview tab. When you hit a next breakpoint in another new file, the preview tab displays the new file and “forgets” about the previous one. Thus reducing the number of open documents:

The blue preview tab during debugging

Floating documents can be grouped in a separate window and have tab groups within this separate window:

Floating document in a separate window with two vertical tab groups

Several self-explanatory options are available to customize tabs and windows behavior:

Tabs and windows options

I’ve managed to run Tabs Studio in the new IDE, but need more time to make a proper release:

Tabs Studio tabs in Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview

Updated tabs layout option

Download link: Tabs Studio v2.4.2.

Export settings and Import settings buttons

Tabs Studio keeps separate settings for VS 2010, VS 2008 and SSMS. If you use several products, export saves all settings and the additional dialog lets you select which settings you want to import:

Products selection for settings import

Settings are stored in a .tssettings zip file and mirror the directory structure of settings in “c:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Sergey Vlasov”.

Download link: Tabs Studio v2.4.1.