How can I find (and rehabilitate, if necessary) the Code Snippet I created?

Question

I created a code snippet (the first of many, hopefully) using mainly this article as guidance.

It seemed to work. Here are the steps I took:

First, I created this file with the code snippet (HtmlTableRowWithTwoCells.snippet):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> 
<CodeSnippets xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/CodeSnippet">
    <CodeSnippet Format="1.0.0">
         <!-- The Title of the snippet, this will be shown in the snippets manager. -->
          <Title>Create a 2-Cell HTML Table Row</Title>

          <!-- The description of the snippet. -->
          <Description>Creates a 2-Cell Row to be added to an HtmlTable</Description>

          <!-- The author of the snippet. -->
          <Author>Warble P. McGorkle for Platypi R Us (Duckbills Unlimited)</Author>

          <!-- The set of characters that must be keyed in to insert the snippet. -->
          <Shortcut>row2</Shortcut>          

          <!-- The set of snippet types we're dealing with - either Expansion or -->
          <SnippetTypes>
            <SnippetType>Expansion</SnippetType>
          </SnippetTypes>          

        </Header>

        <!-- Now we have the snippet itself. -->
        <Snippet>

        <Declarations>
            <Literal>
              <ID>RowName</ID>
              <ToolTip>Enter the Row instance name</ToolTip>
              <Default>RowName</Default>
            </Literal>
            <Literal>
              <ID>Cell1Name</ID>
              <ToolTip>Enter the name for Cell 1</ToolTip>
              <Default>Cell1Name</Default>
            </Literal>
            <Literal>
              <ID>Cell2Name</ID>
              <ToolTip>Enter the name for Cell 2</ToolTip>
              <Default>Cell2Name</Default>
            </Literal>
        </Declarations>

            <!-- Sepecify the code language and the actual snippet content. -->
            <Code Language="CSharp" Kind="any">
                <![CDATA[

                    var $RowName$ = new HtmlTableRow();
                    var $Cell1Name$ = new HtmlTableCell();
                    var $Cell2Name$ = new HtmlTableCell();
                    $RowName$.Cells.Add($Cell1Name$);
                    $RowName$.Cells.Add($Cell2Name$);

                ]]>
            </Code>
        </Snippet>
    </CodeSnippet>
</CodeSnippets>

Then, I created this "manifest" file (.vscontent):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<VSContent xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vscontent/2005" >
  <Content>
    <FileName>HtmlTableRowWithTwoCells.snippet</FileName>
    <DisplayName>Inserts a 2-Cell HTML Table Row</DisplayName>
    <Description>Inserts a 2-Cell Row to be added to an HtmlTable</Description>
    <FileContentType>Code Snippet</FileContentType>
    <ContentVersion>2.0</ContentVersion>
    <Attributes>
      <Attribute name="lang" value="csharp"/>
    </Attributes>
  </Content>
</VSContent>

I zipped those two files together, renamed the extension from .zip to .vsi, 2-clicked it, and installed it into the "My Code Snippets" folder here with these steps:

And it indicates the snippet was installed in a reasonable location:

Yet, when I attempt to add a Code Snippet in VS, the only categories I see are these (no "My Code Snippets"):

When I select Tools > Code Snippets Manager..., I can navigate to Visual C# > My Code Snippets, but it is empty.

When I use the Code Snippets Manager's "Import" button and navigate to the location of the snippet and attempt to add the snippet file, I get, "The snippet files chosen were not valid."

Why does it tell me it installed successfully, when it apparently didn't (or where is it hiding)? What flaming hoop did I neglect to catapult myself through?

Is the "weird" name of the "manifest" file possibly the problem? ".vscontent" seems odd to me, but that's what the article referenced above says to name it. Perhaps that was just on oversight, and it should really be [snippetName].vscontent?

UPDATE

Apparently, naming the "manifest" file *.vscontent" is not the problem. Maybe it's a problem, but it's not the problem, because I named it the same as the .snippets file (except for the extension), went through the installation process again, and got the same exact results: seeming success, actual demoralization.

BTW, by default, when choosing a category into which to place the snippet, the Code Snipeets Manager puts a checkbox in "Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for Applications 2005 > My Code Snippets". I had previously unticked that and ticked the topmost "My Code Snippets"; this time I retained the default selection, PLUS my preferred location/category PLUS "Visual C#"

But alas and anon, the only category of those that seems to dispaly via Ctrl+K, X in VS is C#, and the expected shortcut ("row2") does not appear in the snippet dropdown.

Answer 1

Here's an easier way (and, as a bonus, it works):

Download the Snippets Designer:

Write the code directly in Visual Studio:

var RowName = new HtmlTableRow();
var Cell1Name = new HtmlTableCell();
var Cell2Name = new HtmlTableCell();
RowName.Cells.Add(Cell1Name);
RowName.Cells.Add(Cell2Name);

Right-click and select "Export as Snippet"

This puts the code in the Snippet Designer. Here's what it looks like after setting a few properties, and electing which parts of the code would be replaceable:

This is quite easy - sure beats the "olde-fashioned" way I was trying (which would have been okay, had it worked).

All I had to do was right-click the elements of code I wanted to replace on adding a new snippet, set the snippet's shortcut and description properties in Solution Explorer, save it, and voila!

Now mashing Ctrl+K, X in VS shows the snippet in "My Code Snippets" along with its description and shortcut:

Selecting it adds the snippet with the replacement strings highlighted: