I'm opening a solution that was apparently built on Visual Studio 2003 (not sure, I don't know anything about it) and trying to migrate to 2010. When trying to migrate I get the message:
the application for project '' is not installed make sure the application for the project type (.csproj) is installed.
If I open each one of the single projects of the solution they migrate fine but not the solution itself.
Right-click on the project file, then "Reload"
If your solution opens, but your project is showing as "incompatible", it may need to just reload. This worked for me when running an update from VS, and it did not recognize my njsproj
I know this is an old question, but it is still occurring in VS 2013.
I had an old VS 2003 web application. I opened it in VS 2013 (Ultimate) and had the error message:
Could not find the server on the local machine.
Creating a virtual directory is only supported on the local IIS server
along with
The application for project is not installed.
Yes, I am upgrading, and yes, I don't have some other elements ready. Giving me errors is fine - but why are you not completing the migration/load of the project. I can't fix the other issues if you don't LOAD ANYTHING! You loaded the subprojects, and then you told me that I should choose a later .NET Framework. Great, I did that. So why didn't you just finish loading the main project and let me fix the errors?
Lots of attempts to fix this failed. My final solution, just to get the project loaded was {arrow pierces chest, dies with Arghhhhhh on his lips}...
I located the {project}.csproj file. I found the <Reference> sections. The paths to the .NET Framework components were no longer valid and referred to old versions no longer installed (yeah, upgrading, remember?). I manually changed the paths to refer to .NET Framework 4.5 components. The project still didn't load.
Then I located the {project}.csproj.webinfo file. It referred to http://localhost/{stuff}/{project}.csproj, so I just set it to {project}.csproj. No luck. Then I just renamed the webinfo file to hide it. Eureka, the project was hot!
The project loaded, I got the "You have completed the first step in converting your Visual Studio .NET 2003 web project. To complete the conversion, please select your project in the Solution Explorer and choose the 'Convert to Web Application' context menu item." Which, of course, is not present, but is present as the very last item in the Project menu. Then I got the "This action will add designer and code behind files required for converting Web site projects to Web application projects. Do you want to continue?" You bet your posterior I want to continue! And now I have a project I can actually start to fix. Thanks, Microsoft, for the informative error messages.
If your projects individually migrate fine, then create a new blank visual studio 2010 solution, and add new projects individually (right click on solution->add->existing project)
But I'm not sure that your projects will load fine individually. There are project types that require some additional software to be installed in order to be supported. The most frequent problems I face are old projects built with old versions of asp.net mvc (1 or 2) and I have asp.net mvc 3 installed...or really old projects built with asp.net ajax...In those cases, you have to install that additional software and then import project, or find a tool to upgrade that project type to a newer version.
I found a solution that worked for Visual Studio 2017.
In Visual Studio, go to Tools > Extensions and updates. At the upper-right search box, search for "integration". It should come up with Analysis or Diagnostic Tools (or similar). Click Disable, then Enable. Exit the dialog, and close Visual Studio. Relaunch and open your solution again. Your projects will still complain they can't be loaded because of incompatibilities, but now you can right-click them individually and select "Reload Project" and they should load fine.
Credit goes to Paul Potter and Paul Shaughnessy at https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/content/problem/216061/project-incompatible-application-not-installed.html - I just did the verification work, condensing the information, and delivery :)
Adding this answer as reference for people who landed here for missing ".smproj" file.
This issue can arise due to various project files missing. For me, it was because of ".smproj" file missing which is Project file for SQL Server Analysis Services(SSAS). I re-installed SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) and restarted the Visual studio.
Originally Answered here
Sometimes the SSIS or SSAS Extension in "Manage Extension" is disabled in the settings and must be Enabled manually. And then restart Visual Studio
It happened to me as wel.
You usualy do really need only to reload project in the solution. But in some cases you maybe:
didn't install SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) for VS
have to enable SQL Server Data Tools manualy in the Extensions
If you have both things settled then try to reload project again. This happened to me when I moved from VS2019 to VS2022 and extension was somehow disabled.
I am using visual studio 2019 and I was faced with this issue when I reopened my ASP.Net webform App in visual studio after modifying for install SSDT.
this problem happens when Visual studio packages will modify (Especially when SSDT will be installed).
To solve this problem you have to go to you project folder and looking for the folder that named '.vs', this folder is hidden.
Deleting these folder will solve the problem because after that when you will open your project with visual studio, it will create the folder again.
Adding this for those who face issues for SSRS projects in VS2017 from earlier version as this comes up in google search.
In Visual Studio, go to Tools > Extensions and updates. Download the below :
Microsoft Reporting Services Projects
Microsoft RDLC Report Designer
In SSIS 2017, t the upper-right search box, search Microsoft Integration Services Projects.
go to Tools > Extensions and updates.
Enable -"Microsoft Integration Services Projects"
This will help to resolve the issue re-launch the SSIS
For my case, I disabled this extension and turns out, it is needed.
Enabling it resolved my problem.
In VS2019 Before you try any of the above right click the solution and click "Resolve Errors" no kidding that made my tabular model solution being available again.
For me what worked was a variation of #vapcguy solution.
Go to #vapcguy link for Paul Potter and Paul Shaughnessy solution: https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/content/problem/216061/project-incompatible-application-not-installed.html - I
Follow comment on Paul Potter's post by Albert Romeo
Integration Services Plugin was disabled(as explained before: Goto Tools > Extensions and updates > and search for integration/analysis/reporting and enable application
I had to enable integration services, then reload project. I don't know why since I've been using the same SSIS project several times a week for months.
I'm using Visual Studio 2010 with the new website publish dialog. I have a Web Application website. When published, in theory it should compile all the code into an single assembly. However, in both Debug and Release, after publishing the directory always contains source code of page and user controls (even with the untransformed web.config files Web.Debug.config and Web.Release.Config). This is very confusing.
But with package/publish web project configuration and Generate Deploy package context menu item, the Package\PackageTmp directory is clean.
Why doesn't Visual Studio use this Package to publish the website?
Where is the precompile option?
Web.config xml transform seems not work, why does Visual Studio bring this feature to confuse me?
The correct answer is to look in the Package/Publish Web settings (in the web application project properties) and look for the "Items to deploy".
For a web application you'd want "Items to deploy" to have "Only files needed to run this application" which would NOT copy the source code files, since they've been compiled into the DLL in the bin folder.
Note that this setting varies for your current Build type (Debug/Release/etc), so plan accordingly...
Ciao!
You need to understand the differences between Web Application Projects versus Web Site Projects.
To deploy a Web application project, you copy the assembly that is
created by compiling the project to an IIS server. In contrast, to
deploy a Web site project, you typically copy the project source files
to an IIS server.
For Web application projects, you typically build the project in
Visual Studio or by using the ASP.NET batch compiler on a computer
that is not the production IIS server. All code-behind class files and
standalone class files in the project are compiled into a single
assembly, which is then put in the Web application project's Bin
folder. (The .aspx and .ascx files are compiled dynamically in a
manner similar to what is done for Web site projects.)
For Web site projects, you do not have to manually compile the
project. Web site projects are typically compiled dynamically by
ASP.NET (on both the development computer and the production IIS
server). You can choose between batch compilation mode, which
typically produces one assembly per folder, and fixed compilation
mode, which typically produces one assembly for each page or user
control.
In visual studio 2013/2015, select an option "Precompile during publishing"
Does anybody know why VS 10 change himself project type from Web Appliacation to Web Site when this project is downloaded from Team Foundation Server?
Sounds like someone has changed the application and checked it in that way...
Visual Studio won't change the project type on it's own.
Project type is stored in the project file, not in the solution file. Do a TFS compare (or view the history) on the project file to see if that was changed.
For C# project files the extension is .csproj
This site says "web applications" have a .csproj or .vbproj , but that a "website project" will not have a project file (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd547590.aspx). If the Web Application project was blasted away, and a web site created in its place, it may be difficult to track down when the change happened.
Is it possible to use Visual Studio 2010 as a simple web site editor (HTML + JavaScript; no ASP.NET)?
VS only supports known project file types (i.e. .csproj), so I started with a C# project and I've been fiddling with the file, but VS still keeps creating .vshost files and obj directory.
Can I force it not to do this?
See Previous Question
Visual Studio Web Development is orientated to ASP.NET projects creation, but you can build without any problem, HTML & JS applications deleting the extra directories created for ASP.NET apps, which need that.
Maybe using Visual Web developer
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/query/9z74w20y
You can add "Project Folders" to a empty project / solution and add the files into the folders without any project "overhead" .. intellisense works fine ..
I want certain projects in my solution opened in Visual Studio have different icons..Just like how Visual Studio displays different icons for class project, web site project etc
I am not talking about changing the icon of the winforms or other such app being produced
I understand I should arrange my code into proper namespaces / folder structure...and can even arrange the project into solution folders...but above will communicate better to my teammate for time being...(unfortunately we have inherited a reasonable code base and things needs to be cleaned along further development)
If you look in your SLN file, the project has a guid assigned to it.
all the c# projects have
Project("{FAE04EC0-301F-11D3-BF4B-00C04F79EFBC}")
and all the build folders have ..
Project("{2150E333-8FDC-42A3-9474-1A3956D46DE8}")
These define the project type, which you can hunt down in your registry ....
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\9.0\Projects
With this finding, I would say what you are looking for is VERY possible, but you'll have to create custom project types for visual studio. This may not be as daunting as it sounds, if you start with on of the default packages.
Here is a pointer to a sample, where in fact they mention setting the custom icon in step 3.
Building a Custom Project Wizard in Visual Studio .NET