# Quick start: the 5 minute activity set > Quick start guide for building custom UiPath activities using the Activity Creator for Visual Studio. :::important This document refers to a deprecated version of the UiPath Activity Creator for Visual Studio. Please see the new documentation [here](https://docs.uipath.com/marketplace/automation-cloud/latest/user-guide/how-to-create-activities). ::: ![UiPath Activity Creator quick start overview](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-34507-ea338ce0-45ca32e0.webp) ## Intro An activity is the building block of process automation. UiPath Studio includes built-in Core Activities and other dedicated activities (PDF, mail, Excel) that you can install through the Package Manager. You can read The UiPath Activities Guide for more details and examples, as well as how to Manage Activities Packages. Additionally, you can create custom activities to better automate processes based on your needs. The steps below will give you the foundation to build custom activities in 5 minutes flat. ## What you'll need * [Visual Studio Community/Professional/Enterprise](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/) (2019 recommended) * [UiPath Studio](https://www.uipath.com/developers/community-edition-download) ## 1) Add the UiPath Activity Creator Extension to Visual Studio Open Visual Studio and click **Extensions > Manage Extensions**. ![Visual Studio Extensions menu showing Manage Extensions option](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-23727-a7be6177-bf528bfe.webp) In the wizard that appears, click Online and then Search (`Ctrl+E`) for UiPath. Download the *UiPath Activity Creator* extension. ![Searching for and downloading the UiPath Activity Creator extension in Visual Studio](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-24799-95e73585-2110b94b.gif) Close Visual Studio and, once the VSIX Installer appears, complete the installation. ![VSIX Installer completing the UiPath Activity Creator extension installation](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-26008-fa8eff2e-e2499217.gif) ## 2) Create a Solution Visual Studio organizes project files, settings, and build configurations into containers called *Solutions*. Go to **File > New > Project** (`Ctrl+Shift+N`) to create a new solution. ![Visual Studio File menu showing New Project option](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-35338-e5dacdb1-5427113f.webp) In the *New Project* wizard that comes up, select **Other Project Types > Visual Studio Solutions > Blank Solution** and click Next. Give the solution a name and click Create. ![New Project wizard with Blank Solution selected](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-35366-6a9045be-63104544.webp) ![Solution name entry field in the New Project wizard](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-33775-e49d786d-f6a55f93.webp) Notice that, in the Solution Explorer, a new solution has been made. ![Solution Explorer showing the newly created blank solution](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-34363-4253b390-c8ac8dcd.webp) ## 3) Add a New Activity Project Custom activities require a number of standard files organized in a specific way. Rather than add them all manually, right-click your solution in the Solution Explorer, and select **Add > New Project**. ![Solution Explorer context menu showing Add New Project option](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-35072-6b6a7d4f-13e5dcaf.webp) Within the wizard that comes up, search for **uipath**, select **UiPath SDK Project**, and give your activity set a name (the conventional format is `.`; UiPath.Orchestrator, for example). ![New Project wizard with UiPath SDK Project template selected and activity set name entered](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-34671-b1cac9a7-91eec80c.webp) Notice that 3 projects, a Shared folder, and many files have now been added to your solution. ![Solution Explorer showing three projects, a Shared folder, and generated files after adding the UiPath SDK Project](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-36073-25c14c19-e3413db9.webp) ## 4) Build the Activity Set Within the Solution Explorer, right-click your solution and select Rebuild Solution. You now have a working set of two activities! ![Solution Explorer context menu with Rebuild Solution selected](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-35370-0d70ffb2-3df944ac.webp) ## 5) Add the Activities to Studio In order to use your activities, UiPath Studio has to know where to find them. In the build Output, take note of the location of your newly created activity set. This will come at the bottom after `Successfully created package:`. ![Build output showing the successfully created activity set package path](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-33399-08d3bc9a-2a09f99a.webp) Open UiPath Studio and navigate to the Package Manager's **Settings**. From here, tell Studio to look for new packages in the output folder copied from above. Once you click **Add**, you'll be able to see your new activity and import it into future workflows. ![UiPath Studio Package Manager Settings with custom output folder added](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-36308-a14f9cd9-61646b4e.gif) ## Using your activities Once Studio has hooked into your output folder, add your activity set to workflow. ![Adding the custom activity set to a workflow in UiPath Studio](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-34751-562a6ca3-d3bb2ac2.gif) Notice that a new category has been added to the Activities pane. ![Activities pane in UiPath Studio showing the new custom activity category](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-33123-2b649236-845f0430.webp) Out of the box, you now have two activities to use: a Parent Scope and a Child Activity. More on those to come. ![Parent Scope and Child Activity displayed in the UiPath Studio designer](https://dev-assets.cms.uipath.com/assets/images/marketplace/marketplace-docs-image-34507-ea338ce0-45ca32e0.webp)