I'm asked to make some changes in an old C# ASP.NET Web project developed in Visual Studio. But I'm unable to successfully open the project in Visual Studio 2017. There are no database connection related errors either. The C# developer of the project is not available anymore and there is no documentation. Question: Is there any info in config file or some other file (.cssproj etc.) in a C# web project that can help determine what version of Visual Studio was used so I can try to open the project in that particular version of the Visual Studio?
Open the .sln file and at the top you will see something like this:
Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 12.00
# Visual Studio 14
VisualStudioVersion = 14.0.25420.1
MinimumVisualStudioVersion = 10.0.40219.1
This means it was created in Visual Studio 14.0.25420.1 (Visual Studio 2015 Update 3) but the minimum version you can use to open it to maintain backwards compatibility is is 10.0.40219.1, which is actually Visual Studio 2010 SP1.
Look into .config, .proj file, and .sln file, those files usually have information about what framework version being targetted. And once you know the version you can simply google which Visual studio to use.
The .sln can sometimes have the information you are looking for.
For instance this is the beginning of the solution I am working with. Note, however, that everyone uses this solution in Visual Studio 2017 and JetBrains' Rider yet it still has VS 2015 floating around in it because that's what it was originally created in. EDIT: Just looked at the link #PeterB posted and this is a VS 2017 format.
Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 12.00
# Visual Studio 15
VisualStudioVersion = 15.0.27130.2036
MinimumVisualStudioVersion = 10.0.40219.1
Project("{FAE04EC0-301F-0000-0000-00C04F79EFBC}") = "ABC", "ABC.Web\ABC.Web.csproj", "{71F88F58-85B4-0000-0000-105C954AA99E}"
EndProject
The solution file can have different formats and I am pretty sure a solution created in VS 2017 will yield a slightly different structure.
For the project you may also be able to tell based on the ToolsVersion
<Project ToolsVersion="12.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
Related
I need to build a C# solution but do not know which version of Visual Studio it was created by. I installed Visual Studio 2017 but got build errors like:
CS1617 Invalid option 'preview' for /langversion. Use '/langversion:?'
to list supported values.
I opened the .sln file with an editor and saw the following lines:
Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 12.00
#Visual Studio 15
VisualStudioVersion = 15.0.28010.2050
MinimumVisualStudioVersion = 10.0.40219.1
I'm confused about the numbers. Why is the format version different from the VisualStudioVersion. Does Visual Studio 15 mean Visual Studio 2015? If not, is there a list showing the correspondence between the VisualStudioVersion and real Visual Studio commercial names?
As written in this article, 2022 starts with 17 start as a major release
Regarding the documents corresponding to the currently commonly used 2022, 2019, and 2017 versions, thanks to shingo for the proposal.
They are:
2017->15
2019->16
2022->17
Usually you can open programs compiled in previous versions in the latest version.
[I asked this question in MSDN in June and have had no replies as yet so I am hoping that I can get an answer here. A stackoverflow search for "uwp blend" yielded exactly 100 results, none of which are for the same issue as here.]
I created a brand new WIndows Template Studio solution - called "AppName" - with VS 15.7.3 and added a .NET Standard 2.0 class library project - called "ConversionService" - to the solution.
When I tried to open the solution in VS Blend 15.7.3 (same version number as VS) I got the following - rather scary - message:
One-way upgrade
Visual Studio will automatically make functional changes to the following projects in order to open them. You will not be able to open these projects in the version of Visual Studio in which they were originally created.
- ConversionService, "[location redacted]ConversionService.csproj"
Non-functional changes required
Visual Studio will automatically make non-functional changes to the following projects in order to enable them to open in Visual Studio 2015, Visual Studio 2013, Visual Studio 2012, and Visual Studio 2010 SP1. Project behavior will not be impacted.
- AppName, "[location redacted]\AppName.sln"
No changes required
These projects can be opened in Visual Studio 2015, Visual Studio 2013, Visual Studio 2012, and Visual Studio 2010 SP1 without changing them.
- , ""
What does the above message mean? (I redacted the actual file locations.)
It seems to say that I won't be able to go back into VS to edit the ConversionService project, which is definitely something I want to be able to do.
Why does VS Blend 15.7.3 seemingly not like projects created in VS 15.7.3?
(I previously had the same issue with another completely separate solution containing UWP and NET Standard projects but I didn't need Blend for that.)
I have had a project in VS 2015 Update 3 with a lot of code logic behind. I upgraded it to VS 2017 RC successfully. The code implementation went on and on until getting to the point where VS 2017 RC exhibited a lot of issues and instabilities e.g. .Net Core DLL template removed! by installer or Resource file could not be compiled and so forth! I'd like to revert the solution back to VS 2015 to keep working flawlessly but it's impossible easily due to a lot of code implemented in VS 2017 excluding new Roslyn features. Any suggestions how to perform the downgrade?
You will also need to update your *.vcxproj files, to change the toolset referenced there to the one used by the earlier compiler.
What I found useful, is to create a small scratch project (just simple console app) in each version of visual studio, then use beyond compare or similar to contrast the .sln and .vcxproj files from each vs version. This will show you the toolset changes and maybe a few others that you need. For example going from vs 2017 to vs 2019 the toolset changes from 141 to 142.
So the lines
<PlatformToolset>v141</PlatformToolset> are for vs2017
and
<PlatformToolset>v142</PlatformToolset> is for vs2019
It's indeed a manual process and no there are no tools that can automate that.
I had the same problem and i fixed it using this solution:
1) create a solution of whichever project you want (winforms, etc)
2) browse to your project folder and find your .sln file.
3) open it using notepad.
4) copy the first 4 lines as shown
here.
5) find your .sln file for the project you wish to downgrade. for example : foo.sln (its found where your project is).
6) open it with notepad and paste the lines instead of the first 4 lines
7) save and open the sln. it should open it under visual studio 2015
i hope this works for you
Trying to open a VS 2012 solution (SLN file) explicitly in VS 2013 succeeds. Simply double-clicking it in Windows Explorer still opens it in VS 2012 instead.
I've read "Visual Studio 2012 doesn't convert vs2010 solution?" and followed the suggestion to "Save As..." the solution file.
Still it opens in VS 2012 by default.
My question:
How to change a SLN file to force it being opened in Visual Studio 2013?
The .sln file indicates the intended version as one of the early lines - for example:
Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 12.00
# Visual Studio 2013
or:
Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 12.00
# Visual Studio 2012
However - it can only make use of this if the default application for .sln files is the "Microsoft Visual Studio Version Selector". It is not uncommon for the default .sln application to be a specific version instead. In windows 8:
you can tell which is the default because it says "keep using":
Note that you can also force the upgrade of a .sln or .proj file by using the commandline, where devenv is the target IDE version:
devenv "MyProject.sln" /upgrade
Example:
"%programfiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio 12.0\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe" "D:\Source\MySolution.sln" /upgrade
Note that this does not open Visual Studio. An alternative is to, from within the IDE, select "Save As" for your solution file and overwrite or save the solution under new name.
Read more:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/w15a82ay.aspx
Seems like the OP has a working answer already ... but for me the problem was different. I had a VS 2012 solution (several actually) and wanted to convert them to 2013 (which I understand is a trivial change to the .sln file, but I wanted it done automatically in case there was some secret upgrade logic I was unaware of).
So I thought I would open it in VS2013, it would automatically upgrade as expected, and then I'd be set to double click the solution and see it in VS2013 going forward. But opening in VS2013 was NOT upgrading the solution for me automatically as expected and I could not find an explicit way to force the upgrade after opening the file in VS2013. I could work with the solution, save my changes, and close VS2013, but the .sln would remain unchanged and un-upgraded.
Turns out my problem was in how I was opening the solution ... as a habit I right click files and select "open with" to choose the program I want to use to open a file. I do this frequently. Note I am NOT talking about changing the default "open with" program but just opening a file with a specific program once. So I would right click the .sln file... open with Visual Studio 2013 ... and nothing would upgrade.
Eventually I thought to go into VS2013, then do File > Open and select the .sln file (this is foreign to me since I hardly if ever open anything this way, maybe you are the same way). Anyway that did upgrade the solution file instantly.
After upgrading, lines 2-3 of the .sln file changed from this:
Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 12.00
# Visual Studio 2012
to this:
Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 12.00
# Visual Studio 2013
VisualStudioVersion = 12.0.30501.0
MinimumVisualStudioVersion = 10.0.40219.1
So from my experience, to automatically update a VS2012 .sln to VS2013, you must open VS2013 and select the .sln from the File > Open dialog. Using the explorer shell to force the .sln file to open in VS2013 does not invoke the upgrade logic (apparently).
As a further note, I tested with another solution, and after making changes through Configuration Manager (which obviously "touches" the .sln file) it did upgrade a VS2012 to VS2013, even after having opened it through right-click open with.
I had a solution that had previously been upgraded from 2010 to 2013 successfully but still showed the .sln as associated with 2010.
I tested all the methods given in this thread and the only one that successfully corrected the .sln was to open Visual Studio 2013 alone, then open the solution that still was associated with 2010 in the IDE, then use the [File] > [Save (name).sln as] to overwrite the existing .sln file.
Setting the file assoc of the .sln to be the "Visual Studio version selector" made no change and the solution continued to open in 2010.
The devenv (name).sln /upgrade method made no change to my .sln file.
Hacking the raw text of the .sln file corrupted mine and it would not open at all.
To solve this issue I just changed the following lines of the .sln file:
Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 11.00
# Visual Studio 2010
into these:
Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 12.00
# Visual Studio 2013
The comment line is to be changed as it is parsed by the solution loader.
Update:
A better approach is to use the devenv command line as pointed in another reply, which will do it safely for you.
This may work for readers attempting to upgrade a solution file to Visual Studio 2015. (I upgraded a VS 2012 solution.)
Open the solution in VS 2015.
Add a new project to the solution. (I added a test project.)
Remove the project.
Save the solution.
You may want to delete the removed project folder at this time since step 3 did not delete it.
This worked for me when neither zumey’s nor TCC’s answers did.
EDIT
Metro Smurf had a similar, but easier answer than mine for a similar question. His steps were:
Open solution in VS 2015
Right-click solution > Add > New Solution Folder (name does not matter)
Save solution
Delete the newly added solution folder
Save solution
Im writing an applcation with C# in visual studio 2012 but i want to open that project in another place in visualstudio 2008. How i can do this? in saving i have to do something? Or in oening in visualstudio 2008?
Since I am stuck with VS 2008 in my home computer, I regularly have to do this.
You can modify your solution file (*.sln) manually. Most of the time you just have to change the first two lines that define the VS version of the solution.
From this link:
You can edit the sln and csproj/vbproj files by hand and try that way, I've used this method with no side effects. In the sln file the first lines for VS2010 will say
Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 11.00
# Visual Studio 2010
and for a VS2008 solution:
Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 10.00
# Visual Studio 2008
Also, in a 2010 project file you may find a section like
<Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v10.0\WebApplications\Microsoft.WebApplication.targets" />
which will need to be modified as
<Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v9.0\WebApplications\Microsoft.WebApplication.targets" />
With only these 2 types of changes I was able to open the solution & projects with VS 2008.
It's not possible.
Visual Studio generally doesn't support forward compatibility -- that is, opening a newer project in an older version of Visual Studio. It generally supports backward compatibility -- opening an older solution in a newer Visual Studio.
Your only real option here is to retain it as a 2008 solution; even then, when you open it in 2012, it may ask you to convert it to a 2012 solution format, which will make it unusable in 2008.
I have found this while I was Googleing. It may be useful in your case:
Visual Studio Project Converter
Disclaimer: I have not personally tried this program.
I had the same need basically because I wanted to keep the compatibility with .net 3.5.
Although VS2010 and VS2012 support projects running on this FW version, many users are still forced by their companies to use VS2008 or 2010.
I could also develop in 2008 but as a geek that I am I dind't even consider it! :)
So, my solution was to create separate *.sln and *.csproj files for each VS version.
This way you guarantee that everything will work out of the box for each VS version.
The easier and faster way I found to do this was to open eash VS version and create empty solution and projects, with the same structure as the original but with the vs version on the name like:
my.solution.sln
my.project.csproj
...
my.solution.vs2008.sln
my.project.vs2008.csproj
...
my.solution.vs2010.sln
my.project.vs2010.csproj
...
Keep in mind that you have to manually open all the versions and add the new files and so on... they won't be automatically synchronized but it pretty much works.
Hope this helps,
Cheers!