Merge pull request #13823 from v-thepet/vs2

Visual Studio freshness #2

Author: JamesJBarnett

docs/ide/how-to-update-existing-templates.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
-title: Update existing project item templates
-description: Use the Export Template Wizard and other manual processes in Visual Studio to update project item templates that you already created.
-ms.date: 01/02/2018
+title: Update existing project or item templates
+description: Use the Visual Studio Export Template Wizard or a manual process to update existing project or item templates.
+ms.date: 04/14/2025
 ms.topic: how-to
 helpviewer_keywords:
 - item templates, updating
@@ -12,58 +12,61 @@ author: ghogen
 ms.author: ghogen
 manager: mijacobs
 ms.subservice: general-ide
+
+#customer intent: As a developer, I want to learn how to edit project and item templates in Visual Studio, so I can easily keep my templates up to date.
 ---
+
 # Update existing templates
 
-After you create a template and compress the files into a *.zip* file, you may want to modify the template. You can do this by manually changing the files in the template or by exporting a new template from a project that's based on the template.
+After you create a Visual Studio project or item template by compressing the template files into a *.zip* file, you might want to modify the template. This article explains how to modify an existing template by using the **Export Template Wizard** or by manually changing the files in the template.
 
 ## Use the Export Template Wizard
 
-Visual Studio provides an **Export Template Wizard** that can be used to update an existing template:
+You can use the Visual Studio **Export Template Wizard** to update an existing template.
 
 1. Choose **File** > **New** > **Project** from the menu bar.
 
-1. Select the template that you want to update and continue through the steps to create the new project.
+1. Select the project template you want. If you want to update an existing project template, select that template.
+
+1. Follow the steps to create the new project.
 
-1. Modify the project in Visual Studio. For example, change the output type or add a new file to the project.
+1. To change the project template, modify the project in Visual Studio. For example, change the output type or add a new file to the project.
 
-1. On the **Project** menu, choose **Export Template**.
+1. To change an item template, select **Project** > **Add New Item**, and add the item template from the **Add New Item** dialog box. Make any changes you want in the item.
 
-    The **Export Template Wizard** opens.
+1. On the **Project** menu, choose **Export Template**. The **Export Template Wizard** opens.
+
+1. On the **Template Type** page, select either **Project Template** or **Item Template**, depending on which type you want to export.
 
 1. Follow the prompts in the wizard to export the template as a *.zip* file.
 
-1. (Optional) Place the *.zip* file in the following directory: *%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Visual Studio \<version\>\Templates\ProjectTemplates* to make it available for selection. You'll need to perform this step if you did not select the option **Automatically import the template into Visual Studio** in the **Export Template Wizard**.
+1. If you select the option to **Automatically import the template into Visual Studio**, the wizard places the *.zip* file in the *\\ProjectTemplates* or *\\ItemTemplates* folder at *%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Visual Studio \<version\>\Templates* to make it available for future projects. If you don't select this option, paste the *.zip* file in the user template location manually.
 
-1. Delete the old template *.zip* file.
+1. Delete the old template *.zip* file if necessary.
 
 ## Manually update an existing template
 
-You can update an existing template without using the **Export Template Wizard**, by modifying the files in the compressed *.zip* file.
-
-### To manually update an existing template
+You can update an existing template without using the **Export Template Wizard** by manually modifying the files in the template *.zip* file.
 
-1. Locate the *.zip* file that contains the template. User project templates are located at *%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Visual Studio \<version\>\Templates\ProjectTemplates*.
+1. Locate the *.zip* file that contains the template. User templates are located in the *\\ProjectTemplates* or *\\ItemTemplates* folder at *%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Visual Studio \<version\>\Templates*.
 
 1. Extract the *.zip* file.
 
-1. Modify or delete the current template files, or add new files to the template.
+1. Modify the current template files, or delete or add new files to a project template.
 
 1. Open, modify, and save the *.vstemplate* XML file to handle updated behavior or new files.
 
-    For more information about the *.vstemplate* schema, see [Visual Studio template schema reference (extensibility)](../extensibility/visual-studio-template-schema-reference.md). For more information about what you can parameterize in the source files, see [Template parameters](../ide/template-parameters.md).
-
-1. Select the files in your template, and from the right-click or context menu, and choose **Send to** > **Compressed (zipped) folder**.
+   For more information about the *.vstemplate* schema, see the [Visual Studio template schema reference](../extensibility/visual-studio-template-schema-reference.md). For more information about what you can parameterize in the source files, see [Template parameters](template-parameters.md).
 
-    The files that you selected are compressed into a *.zip* file.
+1. In Windows Explorer, select the files for your template, including the *.vstemplate* file. Right-click the selection and select **Compress to** > **ZIP File**.
 
-1. Put the new *.zip* file in the same directory as the old *.zip* file.
+1. Copy the resulting *.zip* file and paste it in the same directory as the old *.zip* file.
 
-1. Delete the extracted template files and the old template *.zip* file.
+1. Delete the extracted template files, and delete the old template *.zip* file if necessary.
 
 ## Related content
 
-- [Customize templates](../ide/customizing-project-and-item-templates.md)
-- [Create project and item templates](../ide/creating-project-and-item-templates.md)
+- [Project and item templates](creating-project-and-item-templates.md)
+- [Customize templates](customizing-project-and-item-templates.md)
+- [Template parameters](template-parameters.md)
 - [Visual Studio template schema reference](../extensibility/visual-studio-template-schema-reference.md)
-- [Template parameters](../ide/template-parameters.md)