How to add an item to the Site Actions Menu in SharePoint 2010

In this article we will be seeing how to add an item to the Site Actions Menu in the SharePoint 2010.

Steps Involved:

I. Open Visual Studio 2010.

ii. Go to File => New =>Project.

iii. Select Empty SharePoint project template from the installed template SharePoint => 2010.

iv. Enter the Name and click OK.

v. Check the option "Deploy as a Sandbox solution".

vi. Click Ok.

vii. Right click on the solution and select "Add a new item".

viii. Select Empty Element template, enter the Name and click Ok.

ix. In the Elements.xml replace the code with the following.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Elements xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">
  <CustomAction Id="SiteActionsToolbar" GroupId="SiteActions" Location="Microsoft.SharePoint.StandardMenu" Sequence="1000" Title="Solution Gallery">
    <UrlAction Url="/_catalogs/solutions/Forms/AllItems.aspx"/>
  </CustomAction>
</Elements>

x. Go to the SharePoint site where you have deployed your solution.
xi. Go to Site Actions, you will see an option for Solution Gallery.