How can we set up the PATH environment variable in Visual Studio 2010 for the entire solution/project?
When I want to refer to a reference .dll, it has worked for me to set up a Solution Explorer level folder, and add the DLL file to that folder. Then in the filesystem, I add a matching folder (since the Solution folder is logical and not a real folder) at the solution level. There I put the physical DLL file, and if you are using source control, check-in that directory.
Once that's all done, for any project that needs to reference that DLL file, I can browse to it on the Solution level, add the reference, and make sure that the properties are set to 'Copy Local,' so that the DLL file shows in the appropriate /bin folder.
I would try something like that to get your dependencies better organized.
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I have a solution in VS 2010 containing 5 C# projects, 1 C++ project and 1 VB project. My solution has a solution folder "Dependencies" that replicates a file-system folder with the same name. The solution folder has a number of .dll files and some .xml files in it.
When I build my solution, all but one of the .dll files are copied from that folder to my output directory. I've looked at the file in Visual Studio for Copy Local property that is referenced here, the property is not there for any of that files in that folder.
I've looked at all the projects in my solution, and none of them are actually referencing that dll directly which I'm assuming is why it's not being copied. The problem lies in that one of the dlls that IS referenced by one of my projects depends on the dll not being copied.
I tried to add the problem dll as a reference in my projects and I get the following error
A reference to "dll" could not be added, Please make sure that the file is accessible, and that it is a valid assembly or COM component.
I don't really care if it's a COM component or that it's valid etc... because I need it to output.
My question is: How can I beat Visual Studio into submission and force it to copy the dll?
No need to beat anything, just add the DLL to one of the projects with Project + Add Existing Item. Any will do but you'd normally favor the one that has the dependency on this DLL. Your EXE project if you are not sure. it isn't clear if it matters, but use the arrow on the Add button to select "Add as Link" so the file doesn't get copied to the project directory. Afterwards, select it and change its Copy to Output Directory property to "Copy if Newer".
Do keep an eye on source control, this DLL probably needs to be checked-in. So having it in the dependent project directory is actually a good place for it.
Using xcopy.exe in a Post-Build event is otherwise a general way to copy dependent files that the build system doesn't know about or puts in the wrong place.
In Visual Studio 2010 through 2013, by default (eg. When I create a new Console Application) new solutions output their compiled executable into Solution name/Project name/bin/Debug/. I want them to be output into Solution name/Debug/, and likewise for all other build configurations like "Release".
I can do this by manually going into properties of each project, going to the Build tab, changing Output path from bin\Debug to ..\Debug. I must repeat this for every project and every build configuration.
After dozens of solutions, I'm a bit sick of doing this tedious task by hand every time. Is there a way to change the default output path?
A solution that works for Visual Studio 2013 is sufficient.
This property is defined in each Visual Studio Project Template
So, for example, the C# Console Application template is located in
\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\Common7\IDE\ProjectTemplates\CSharp\Windows\1033\ConsoleApplication\consoleapplication.csproj
The csproj is an XML file that you can edit at your will. The build output directory is define like this (for each configuration):
...
<OutputPath>bin\Debug\</OutputPath>
...
<OutputPath>bin\Release\</OutputPath>
...
If you change this file, it will change all your future new C# Console Application projects. You could also write a utility program that list all csproj in \Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\Common7\IDE\ProjectTemplates and update them accordingly.
This is not necessary.
One of the projects in your solution is marked as the Startup project, shown in bold in the Solution Explorer window. An EXE project, like your console mode app. You used Project + Add Reference to add references to other projects in the solution so you can use the class libraries that those projects generate in your console mode app.
Those references will have the Copy Local property set to True.
When you build your project, MSBuild will automatically copy the assemblies from their respective bin\Debug directory into the bin\Debug directory of your console mode app, thanks to that Copy Local setting. And it is smart enough to also look at the dependencies of those class libraries and copy them as well.
So after the build is complete, the bin\Debug directory won't just have your console mode project's EXE file but also all the DLLs it needs to execute properly.
There are a few ways that this can go wrong and MSBuild cannot figure out that such a dependency actually exists. Pretty uncommon, you'd for example have to use Reflection in your code to load assemblies (Assembly.Load() and friends). The workaround for that is to explicitly copy the dependency in a post-build event. You didn't leave enough bread-crumbs in your question to judge whether that's the real problem.
What you ask for is certainly possible, the IDE just doesn't make it easy because it wasn't designed to assume this was necessary at all. You'd have to replace the Build + Output Path setting to, say, ..\Debug instead. You can create your own project template with that setting already preset. Create a new class library project, change the setting and use File + Export Template to create the template. You'll have it available the next time you create a project.
But, really, find out first why the default Copy Local machinery isn't working for you.
Rather than changing a global, protected file, you can create your own .targets file that changes the <OutputPath> however you want and import that into your projects. This could also set other defaults you might want to change and don't want to do for every project. All you'd have to do then in your project files is add something like toward the top (after the root element, of course):
<Import Project="$(SolutionDir)\Common.targets"/>
All external libraries I use in my solutions are in the Lib folder of respective projects within a solution and all have their Build Action property set to 'Content' and Copy to Output Directory property set to 'Copy if newer'.
When I check in my solution into TFS, some dll files are copied to TFS and checked in with a blue lock appearing next to them, and some are not, prompting my team members to ask me for copies of these dll files in order to be able to build the solution...
If File Properties of all these dll files are the same and these are all .NET assemblies, what is it that determines if a dll will be checked in or not, and just what is the most appropriate Build Action for a dll library?
When you add a project or a folder to your source control, dolls and executables are ignored by default. you need to go to the exclusion tab and select the dlls you want to check in explicitly. that's why you have the seemingly random behavior.
What I discovered is that it depends on how you add the dll files to your solution.
If the dll file is first copied to your Lib folder and added to your project from there (copy/paste into Lib folder in Solution Explorer), it is not checked in and copied to the TFS.
If the dll file is added to your project (copy/paste into Lib folder in Solution Explorer) from its original location VS will copy the file to your Lib folder and check it into TFS.
I am creating a project based off an old project because it has a lot of the functionality that I am required to use.
I want to rename all the directories and solution names to have the name of the new project. Under Documents\Visual Studio 2008\Projects I was able to change the initial directory and solution file names, but not the name of the subdirectory which houses the bin, obj, and properties folders. When I change the name of that subdirectory, none of the files will open when I open up the solution.
How can I change the project's folder name inside Visual Studio 2008 so that it will load all the files as part of the solution and still work?
You could open the SLN file in any text editor (Notepad, etc.) and simply change the project path there.
This is what I did:
Change project and solution name in Visual Studio
Close the project and open the folder containing the project (The Visual studio solution name is already changed).
Change the old project folder names to the new project name
Open the .sln file and the change the project folder names manually from old to new folder names.
Save the .sln file in the text editor
Open the project again with Visual Studio and the solution is ready to modify
I found that these instructions were not enough. I also had to search through the code files for models, controllers, and views as well as the AppStart files to change the namespace.
Since I was copying my project not just renaming it, I also had to go into the applicationhost.config for IIS express and recreate the bindings using different port numbers and change the physical directory as well.
go to my start-documents-iisExpress-config and then right click on applicationhost and select open with visual studio 2013 for web
you will get into applicationhost.config window in the visual studio
and now in the region chsnge the physical path to the path where your project is placed
Im setting up a svn repository and wondering where i should put the dll files.
What Ive currently done is put them in the /bin/debug folder and then link them in my project file in visual studio.
is this the way to do it?
I presume you are asking about third party dll files, because the output (exe/dll) files generated by the project are better left unmanaged by SVN, because they are regenerated on each and every build.
What I usualy do is create a Lib folder, that is on the top level of my source tree, and put all needed references there, usually in additional folder divided by tool or by functionality (logging, emailing, apis, etc, etc...)
You should not put anything from the bin/Debug or bin/Release in your source control. If you do that, you will lose them when you clean your solution or your projects.
What you have to do is create a folder, within the solution folder for example, and reference the dlls in your projects. Any third-party dll that is in the references of a project will be copied to the bin/Debug or bin/Release folder when the project is compiled.
We typically have a seperate folder called dlls or something where we keep all 3rd party dlls/assemblies
Dlls are only needed at runtime. For a quick fix, you may copy your dlls in the Debug folder where your .exe file is. This Debug folder is at the same level as the solution .sln file in Visual Studio. Which thing you will have to do each time you start a new project... Debug folder
A better solution would be to copy all third party dlls, plus all the corresponding .h and .lib files, in 2 folders, say C:\dev\include and C:\dev\lib, and then add these 2 folders to your path environment variable once for all. This way, you'll be able to access them from all your projects, without having to copy them over and over.
Now, if you want someone to be able to run your project on another computer, you'll need to copy all needed .h, .lib and .dll files in your project in a separate folders that you create, say include and lib again, in your project directory where your own program files are, as mentioned in the previous posts. Project folder
PS. Sorry, it would not let me upload the 2 screenshots, so click on links.
I typically put it in a Lib folder within my Visual Studio project solution folder. I would also create sub folders all the way to indicate whether the dll is for a 32 bit or 64 bit build and also which version of Visual Studio was used to build it. So something like this: Lib\WIN32\VC2015\ . Then in the Project Properties of the project, under the Debugging Configuration Property, I set Environment to
PATH=$(SolutionDir)Lib\WIN32\VC2015;%PATH%
By doing this, I can have separate dll folders for different project configurations if I want to and also the dll files are in a good place to check into source control as well.