What I like to do is compile a custom file to generate a C# file. I only need it to compile when its been changed but compiling everytime is ok.
When I looked around I kept finding reference to Custom Tool and found this pretty good article. I remember pre2010 I was able to have a build rule for extensions but it looks like that doesn't exist anymore? It allowed me to specify an extension and bin+args to run against when the file changed. Whats the closest thing to that? It looks like it no longer supported which is exactly what I want
Custom Tool requires me to mess around with registry, create a dll and requires VS SDK. Its way overkill for something I done with ease in the past.
How do I have visual studios run my exe to build a custom extension source file without going into overkill like custom tool above? Must work for C# project, C++ projects would be nice but not required.
Related
I'm creating a RN app that is meant to be some kind of wrapper. It should have multiple targets (like in Xcode) and all its content (images, text, etc.) should be target dependent. Unfortunately, I cannot find any useful informations about how to achieve this without opening Xcode or Android Studio project and create those targets manually (like here). Is there any other solutions for this?
I was still struggling with described problem but I finally found a solution. It's not easy, needs writing a bit of boilerplate code and looks more like a workaround but I hope it will help someone in the future. What I did is I have completed my wrapper app with the resources for one of my targets so I can have visual effect. In the project's root directory I've created a folder with subfolders for each target. Inside each I have put files (images, source code files, other assets) that are target-dependent. Then I've created bash script that takes one argument - target's name. Based on it, it replaces all the target-dependent files from target's subfolder to the original file's destination in the project structure. In this proces all meta-data informations are also replaced so after firing .sh file I can build the app and upload it to both stores. It's really time consuming to create all these apps separately and publish them and it's maybe not the best solution, but at least it works!
On android, you can edit build.gradle files, java or properties, without having to launch Android Studio (which simply uses Gradle)
You can build different type flavours by only changing app/build.gradle
On iOS, that's another story. Project file (.pbxproj) is a mess,and other Workspace/Scheme files are not easy to read or script. So XCode is the way to Go.
I tried to have dynamic target & Info.plist, there are tools to script that like PlistBuddy
in the end, I saw there are many ways to launch a React Native app for developpers. Some prefer the command line, and only VSCode.
Others want to play with native IDE.
By the way, native IDEs are VERY useful.
e.g. : you want to fine-tune your application performance, using XCode view hierarchy debugger or android Studio Layout Inspector (and be sure you don't use to many views), or use any other performance tools these IDEs offer...
In the end, I used react-native-config along with multiple almost similar configs (Info.plist < target < Scheme for each), here's a post giving an overview of the setup.
Is there anyway within Visual Studio / TFS to identify which project produces which dll?
I'm aware you can look under a particular project's properties and see what the name of the dll is, but in the circumstance where you have loads and loads of projects this doesn't seem very efficient.
I've got the situation where I've got a project that references a dll, which includes a method I want to examine, but I don't know what project produces this dll.
Unfortunately, no. The only way I know is that you may could use a decompile extension. (Strongly not recommend to use) Through the source code after decompile, you can view namespace and judge which project produces the dll. (Under normal circumstances)
And you may also have to face some problems such as:
Legal issues
Need to pay for the extension
Only work for C#/.Net
The source code may be confusion and not standard
This should be a one time activity, you can go ahead and take a look into the project file, in case of C# project the csproj file.
If you do not want to do it opening each file, then i would say write a small tool to read all the project files and look for the name.
BTW, this will be different for different projects, and you need to find out the proper location to look.
I am using this extension (https://github.com/ceztko/SolutionConfigurationName) to put solution output all in one folder. It is working splendidly on our development machines. (I modified the source to support VS2012 installation)
We are now trying to run a build using devenv.com, but it seems that the macros are not being evaluated properly --or rather, they are an empty string ""
Does anyone know if devenv.com plays nice with extensions? Or maybe the workflow for a headless build is different such that the extension is not getting triggered? It uses UpdateSolution_Begin to update the variables.
tia
A headless build won't load that extension, and definitely won't go triggering solution events like that.
To be honest, this feels strongly like an XY problem. A solution build results in the MSBuild Configuration property being specified to each individual project, and I can't think of any scenario where you wouldn't simply be able to base a build customization on that property. For the Roslyn codebase itself we direct all OutDirs for all projects by simply having a single msbuild .targets file that defines the output path, and then we include that in all projects. Very clean, and doesn't require VS extensions to be installed, or even VS installed at all in order to do a build.
I have this old VB6 project that is composed of a few DLLs, OCXs, and GUIs.
There is a GUI component that includes this in it's VBP file:
Type=Exe
Reference=*\G{00020430-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}#2.0#0#C:\Windows\SysWOW64\stdole2.tlb#OLE Automation
Object={EAB22AC0-30C1-11CF-A7EB-0000C05BAE0B}#1.1#0; ieframe.dll
Object={3050F1C5-98B5-11CF-BB82-00AA00BDCE0B}#4.0#0; mshtml.tlb
Reference=*\G{64E54C86-D847-48F7-9AE5-D6C9B8E6A3A2}#3.0#0#..\..\bin\Crypt.dll#Crypt
Reference=*\G{B3E7F95C-B6D9-458E-B4D4-5272759B139A}#4.0#0#..\..\bin\SpeechMike.dll#SpeechMike_DLL
Object={831FDD16-0C5C-11D2-A9FC-0000F8754DA1}#2.1#0; MSCOMCTL.OCX
Object={AB4F6C60-4898-11D2-9692-204C4F4F5020}#29.0#0; Ccrpsld.ocx
Object={48E59290-9880-11CF-9754-00AA00C00908}#1.0#0; msinet.ocx
Object={9C526969-AA6E-4D61-BAFA-117FD20C2B38}#3.0#0; SpeechMike.ocx
The Reference settings are a pain since they always change from one machine to the other. I mean, the GUID '9C526969-AA6E-4D61-BAFA-117FD20C2B38', for the last one as an example, will be something on my system, but something else on somebody else's machine.
For now, to make it work, I erase References to Crypt.dll and SpeechMike.dll. Also Object SpeechMike.ocx. Otherwise, Visual studio looks for something that does not exists. Then in "project > references" I check both Crypt and SpeechMike and the Reference goes back to the VBP with the proper GUID and version. Finally, in 'project > components' I add the OCX and I'm good to go.
Am I wrong about that? How can I share the project with some else without going through hoops and loops to start the project?
I'm using MS Visual Basic 6 (part of VS 6 enterprise).
This sounds like "failure to maintain binary compatibility." Normally you only do this to yourself, but of course it can be a bigger headache if multiple people are compiling your libraries from the source Project files.
When you create ActiveX EXEs, DLLs and OCXs you need to create a "base" version where type and class ID values (GUIDs) get assigned. The documentation even suggests that you do this leaving the procedures empty: just a comment line or something so the IDE does not remove the empty declarations.
You don't have to use an "empty" base reference library, it can be one with full code in it.
Once you have compiled this baseline library, you'd exit and save your Project. Then rename this "empty" library as something else and from there keep it along with your Project source files.
After this you re-open the Project and go into Project Properties and on the Component tab change the Compatibility setting to Binary Compatibility and in the box there enter the full path and name of your compiled baseline library. Save the Project. Now you can add code and compile the "real" library to be used by other programs.
When you distribute these libraries (DLLs, OCXs) to somebody else in source code form so that they can compile them you must provide this renamed compiled baseline library along with the source code files, VBP file, resource files, etc.
From there your GUIDs will be stable until you make a change to something that breaks binary compatibility (changing a method's argument list, etc.).
There is more detail on this in the online Help (MSDN Library). See:
Using Visual Basic|Component Tools Guide|Creating ActiveX Components|Debugging, Testing, and Deploying Components|Version Compatibility in ActiveX Components
I read something about PowerWrap which is supposed to allow you to static-link a vb6 .exe to it's dependent files (.OCX, etc.)
However, the website for the product appears to be just a squatter.
Anyone know anything more about the product or something similar that's still being supported?
I discovered another solution called UMM (Universal Make My Manifest). You give it a list of files and some options, and out comes a manifest ready-to-go. I've been using it for a half-million line VB project with dozens of ActiveX modules, and it works well. Requires tlbinf32.dll.