At my company, our software for one set of services is broken out into many different solutions containing any number of 350+ projects. My job at the company is to trace through all of this code to find where errors occur.
To facilitate this, I would like to have all of the projects contained within a single solution. I can do this via the 'Add Existing Project...' menu item, but it only allows me to add one project at a time. I also noticed that I can add existing items (multiple simultaneously) from Windows Explorer by dragging them onto a solution folder, but that doesn't import projects; it only adds the project file itself to the folder.
Is there a way to add multiple projects to a solution simultaneously? I realize that this may (read: will) take a long time.
I think you are looking for something like this:
http://nprove.codeplex.com/
This allows to load a a project or a folder with projects from the team foundation source control explorer into the current solution.
A solution would be to create a small program that takes as input the list of projects you want to add to your solution (or that scans a directory for *.csproj, *.vbproj...) and writes to the *.sln file of your solution.
If you open a *.sln file with notepad, you'll see there is no magic in it, it's just a text file that contains the list of projects (with their GUID) and some information about the build configuration.
Look at the structure of a solution file and try to write a piece of code that does the same as visual studio when user adds a project to the solution.
I'm pretty sure that can be automated with a small effort. Just a matter of file parsing.
Visual Studio Extension "Add Existing Projects" (Created by: Cyotek) allows you to add multiple projects to one solution by selecting all once. Worked perfectly for me on VS2017.
Related
I am working on a c++ solution which contains 20 projects. My first project builds and I run it as a pre-build event for rest of the projects. Now this executable actually creates some c++ files which should get added to all the other projects which are yet to be compiled. How should I do this? (Using VS2008)
Here are few solutions I thought.
Solution 1:
Let the exe update the vcproj file for all the remaining projects. But in this case as the project is on in VS, it creates some reload popup which I dont want. So is there any way to suppress this popup and just save the changes.
Solution 2:
Visual Automation:
I was just going through some automation API.
The solution and project interface methods would help in adding new file. But will it not create a new pop up as the previous on? Can I use MSbuild here?
You can simply use Generated_*.cpp (or similar pattern) as name of items for corresponding group in project. Than when project is build it will pick up all matching files, even once generated during pre-build steps.
If number of files is small you can just add them to the project directly (which I believe is ok even if they are missing before build).
Note that it may be good idea to generate files into separate folder (like obj\....) so you don't run into cases when someone mistakenly checks in generated files.
I have a solution file that has the following example projects:
SharedLibrary
NonSharedLibrary
WebProject
WebProject.Install
Then another solution file that has the following example projects:
SharedLibrary
WindowsServiceProject
WindowsServiceProject.Install
Currently I open both in two separate instances of VS2010. The share library is the same in both but shared through my source control.
Is there an easy way to create another Solution file that when opened, opens all necessary projects for both. Then when testing, etc. you just change your startup project.
All the while maintaining the ability to open the old solutions if you want to just work on one of them.
Has any one does this before and/or know of a good methodology?
Visual Studio solutions are basically containers that group projects together. You can reuse the same projects in multiple solutions. A common way of handling this is to have one solution that contains all of your projects. Then create additional solutions that only load some of the projects. For example, you might make one solution for UI developers that only loads the projects they need while other developers might not care about the UI but need the windows service.
Each developer can set their own startup project which is stored in their local .suo file.
If you have multiple solutions open simultaneously and you change one project then you'll get the reload message in the other instance since they are shared.
Sure. Just create a new (or several) empty solutions right next to your existing one and then just add to it the projects you want to see there (Add Existing project)
Being new to VS, how may I think of these two concepts, what is the difference?
I find some missing information in the other answers (at least for people who come from other IDEs like, say, Eclipse) . To say that a solution is a container for projects is only part of the thing. The conceptual feature of a VS project (what determines its 'granularity') is that one project produces one output: typically an executable or a library (dll). So, if you are going to code three executables that uses related code, you'll create one solution and at least three projects - probably more.
A solution is a container for projects, and tracks dependencies between projects.
Just to come up with a metaphor..
A solution is like a house, a project like a room. Each room provides a piece of functionality whereas the house, a container of rooms, provides the means to link the rooms together and organize them appropriately.
Kind of corny but I made it up on the fly, so bear with me :)
It doesn't help that Visual Studio seems to make things more confusing. "New Project" actually creates a new SOLUTION containing a project. "Open Project" actually opens a solution containing one (or many) project. (The file menu says "Open Project/Solution" but it really is opening solutions. There is no "Close Project" only "Close Solution" which is accurate.
So, in VS you are always working within a solution. Many solutions contain only one project and newer developers are likely to think of them as the same thing. However you can add other projects into a solution.
In case anyone decides to scroll down this far... I thought the MS docs did a pretty good job at describing the differences. I've copy pasted (and rephrased) the relevant bits here:
When you create an app, application, website, Web App, script, plug-in, etc in Visual Studio, you start with a project. In a logical sense, a project contains of all the source code files, icons, images, data files and anything else that will be compiled into an executable program or web site, or else is needed in order to perform the compilation. A project also contains all the compiler settings and other configuration files that might be needed by various services or components that your program will communicate with.
You don't have to use solutions or projects if you don't want to. You can simply open the files in Visual Studio and start editing your code.
In a literal sense, a project is an XML file (.vbproj, .csproj, .vcxproj) that defines a virtual folder hierarchy along with paths to all the items it "contains" and all the build settings.
In Visual Studio, the project file is used by Solution Explorer to display the project contents and settings. When you compile your project, the MSBuild engine consumes the project file to create the executable. You can also customize projects to product other kinds of output.
A project is contained, in a logical sense and in the file system, within a solution, which may contain one or more projects, along with build information, Visual Studio window settings, and any miscellaneous files that aren't associated with any project. In a literal sense, the solution is a text file with its own unique format; it is generally not intended to be edited by hand.
A solution has an associated .suo file that stores settings, preferences and configuration information for each user that has worked on the project.
A Solution can have many Projects.
The Solution can also handle managing the dependencies between its different Projects...making sure that each Project gets Built in the appropriate order for the final Solution to work.
A project contains executable and library files that make up an application or component of an application.
A solution is a placeholder for logically related projects that make up an application. For example, you could have separate projects for your application's GUI, database access layer, and so on. The projects would be specific divisions for your program's functionality, and the solution would be the umbrella unifying all of them under one application.
A solution is a readable text file whose extension is .sln and having a structured content that describes the projects that it contains. A project is a readable XML formatted text file whose extension is .vcxproj and having a structured content according to its XML schema, and whose primary purpose is to contain the listing of source codes filenames and their dependencies or references to other project's source codes as well.
Solutions are containers for projects - you can also use them to organize items that are used across different related project (shared dll's and such).
Solutions are containers used by Visual Studio to organize one or more related projects. When you open a solution in Visual Studio, it will automatically load all the projects it contains.
When you create a new project in Visual Studio, it automatically creates a solution to house the project if there's not a solution already open.
You can set dependencies of projects on other projects in the solution. The dependent project is build after the project it is depending on is built.
For more details refer - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/ide/quickstart-projects-solutions
If you are from an Eclipse background you would probably go to build path of a project and add a dependency on other project or add an external jar. In VS you can do that in a single container called solution where all related projects are grouped together.
Eg. Let's say you are build and android and iOS app in xamrin, there would be some common code and resources that could go in a separate project and then your android and iOS projects can depend on this common code project. Also you could have projects to test these projects etc.
I am working on a project using VS 2008, containing MANY files within projects
within solutions. We recently had to convert all our work from VS 2003 to 2008 (you know
how big companies are always the last to convert to the lastest version of stuff).
In trying a "Find in Files" (or "Quick Find") within 1 solution containing 3 projects, I am successful in my search within all 3 projects only when using "Current Doc" & "All Open Docs". But when using "Entire Solution" or "Current Project" only 2 of the 3 projects give me correct results. The Find will not show files within 1 project in particular that I KNOW include results from my Find.
After reading suggestions from:
http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=105511
I attempted every Workaround they had, and NONE worked for me. Any suggestions???
Setting find options
First try the following:
Ctrl+Shift+F (Find In Files)
Look in: Entire Solution
Expand Find Options
Whatever for Match case
Whatever for Match whole word
Uncheck "Use:"
Look at these file types: *.*
"Dealing" with some rare solution hierarchy issues
Next, if you have your projects organized into solution folders (as in you have this instead of this), try expanding each of the projects one time, as follows:
foreach solution folder in the project
expand the solution folder
foreach project in the solution folder
• expand the project node
• (optional) collapse the project node
(optional) collapse the solution folder
Additional details regarding expanding the projects: in my work on my Solution File List tool pane (in particular the Find in Solution Explorer feature shown), I found that sometimes files aren't found in the solution if the project hasn't been expanded once. Using the automation model, the problem always occurs, but using the lower level COM interfaces is more likely to work. The lower level interfaces are what Visual Studio uses internally, so most of the time people won't run into this problem. I use a lot of carefully ordered operations (aka hacks) to keep it working as much as possible, but every once in a while I still have to expand a folder before a file is found.
If all else fails
I'll need to know as much of the following as you can provide. These are relevant for all projects in the solution, not just the ones that aren't working for the Find in Files. For some Visual Studio operations, an exception will interrupt the remainder of the operation, so an exception while operating on project A might keep the find from reaching project B, etc.
What project types do you have in the solution? Especially if you are using 3rd party project types such as VS.Php (I think .phpproj) or nFringe (.ucproj). As a quick check, you can right click each of those projects and select Unload Project, then try the Find In Files afterwards.
What source control system are you using?
Do you have any 3rd-party add-ins installed? (Microsoft ones count if they are power toys, etc.)
Do you have any non-file-system files in the project? (Nodes in the project that don't map directly to a file on the hard drive.)
Does any project in the solution reference files on the network?
In an earlier question, I've found out that sadly Solution Folders are not real folders inside a directory.
I wonder if there is an AddOn or Macro that adds this functionality? i.e. when I create a Solution Folder, it created a real folder. When I Create a new Item (Right Click => Add => New Item) it automatically moves them into that folder, removing causes it to delete it from disk (after asking) etc.
This is for Visual Studio 2005, although we might upgrade to 2008 in a few months.
As of now, this doesn't seem to be possible in either VS 2005, 2008 and 2010 and there is no AddIn for this.
I too thought it was a strange idea. However it can be a useful tool to logically group projects in solutions without necessarily moving around folders in the file system.
I suspect you need this for revision control tool. In that case Look at AnkhSVN.
Maybe what you want is to add files to a solution folder as «links», i.e., keeping the files where they are but giving them a different organization inside the solution.
(when you add an existing file to a solution folder or to a normal project folder, if it is in a different corresponding physical folder, the file is copied).
It usually stays unnoticed, an option in the «Add > Existing Item ...» dialog where you can choose "Add As Link", instead of the "Add".
This allows to share files amongst projects, or, simply, organize them differently.
What I oftem miss is the possibility to add "virtual" folders inside a project, for organizational purposes, without breaking the namespace/folder best-practice.
Can't really get the point you want to add this function.
Sometimes you want to know if it can do this , however, the answer may be no. But it is not necessary means you can't achieve your original goal, there still a few ways to work around it without this.
Additionally, VS solution suppose to be the shortcut of your project settings and should not been included in any hard-code, the solutions may be various between the PCs and IDE envrionment.
I didn't really use VS2005 much, but have been using VS2008 for the past year.
It has a tick box for creating a solution folder when you create a new solution/project.
If you then use the "Solution Explorer" window you can create and manipulate folders and class files within them. This will actually create new directories that match.
Deletion of files from within the Solution Explorer will also delete the actual files from disk.