Changing The Name Of A C# Project Folder? - c#

I have a main project directory with the following contents:
SubDirectory (Directory)
Project.sln (Solution File)
When I try manually changing SubDirectory's name in my Windows explorer, I get errors when I open the solution file. How can I rename this directory without affecting my solution?
Thanks!

Rename it in Visual studio, or edit the .csproj/.sln file with a text editor and fix the refrences.

Open the solution file in a text editor and rename all references to the old folder.

Open up the .sln file in notepad. You'll see a line like this:
Project("{FAE04EC0-301F-11D3-BF4B-00C04F79EFBC}") = "myproject", "myproject\myproject.csproj", "{DF81752F-37EE-4F4E-BC22-B09C8D05ED78}"
EndProject
If you want to rename the folder from myproject to newproject, you can change myproject\myproject.csproj to newproject\myproject.csproj (or whatever).

Change the name in SolutionExplorer.. it will work fine..
However it doesn't gurantee problem with Source Control or TFS you will need to resolve them manually

Your solution has the paths to your project files embedded in it, which includes the folder name. If you want to rename the folder, you have three options:
Close the solution. Rename the folder, then reopen the solution. The projects will show up as gray, and you'll need to click each one and locate the project file in the Properties window. Note that this may remove project references, but it may not. This is what I would suggest.
Open the solution and remove the project(s) within that directory. Note that this will remove any project references from any other projects that reference the project(s) that you're removing. Rename the folder, then add the project (and any project references) back.
Close the solution. Rename the folder, then open the .sln file in Notepad (or some other text editor) and fix the paths manually. This will preserve any project references.

When I have done it, I manually change it, then open the solution. You will get an error about not being able to find the project file, just choose to locate it, and it will re-map it. If you are using VSS, make sure everything is checked in first.

There are probably paths in project/solution related files that contain the old directory name. You'll either have to update those manually or find a way to rename the project from within Visual Studio.
This might help you rename the project:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/3e92t91t%28v=VS.90%29.aspx

In Visual Studio solution explorer,
edit the project properties to change
the assembly name, namespaces etc.
etc. to what you want.
Rename the top
Project nodes in VS solution explorer.
Shut Visual Studio down.
Open Windows explorer and rename your
folders and .csproj files to what you
want.
With a text editor and NOT Visual
Studio, open up the
sln file,
the .csproj files and
anything else you've renamed.
do a
Find & Replace looking for the old project strings, filenames,
namespaces (if required - I suggest
you leave that bit for when all has
been transitioned) and replacing them
as required.
I'm suggesting you'll
need to be selective because I don't
know how you've named your projects
and .csproj files ;-)
Once you've done all that, quit your
text editor and try opening up your
.sln file again.
Do a Rebuild the first time to remove any artifacts from the old configuration/naming.
HTH

Related

Visual Studio 2022 - file added in Windows Explorer not recognized by solution or Intellisense

My csproj file is defined with wildcard .cs file inclusion:
<ItemGroup>
<Include=".\**\*.cs" />
Is there a correct way to add files in the Windows Explorer, which would refresh the file list?
When I add .cs files in Windows Explorer, they aren't recognized by the solution explorer, even after I close and re-open Visual studio.
This worked in VS2015: closing and opening Visual studio made all new files part of the project, and Intellisense was working, code hilighting, go to definition, find all references, etc...
Not working in 2019 and 2022, but the workaround is to delete the .vs folder. Deleting it seems to reset some cached data, but I also lose a bunch of settings of the project.
(I don't know about VS2017 since I skipped that version).
I also tried to delete just the ".vs/ProjectName/v17/fileList.bin" file, but it doesn't help. I have to delete the ".suo" file as well.
I can add files in the Solution Explorer but that's a more cumbersome than just copy-pasting them between Windows Explorer windows that I have open. Also, it breaks the "include **.cs", since it changes the .csproj file and adds each file as a separate line like so
My workflow includes copy-pasting files from Explorer. Closing and reopening the IDE is annoying, but not such a hassle as deleting the .vs folder and losing all settings.
Also tried with alternative syntax ("CSFile" xml element instead of "Compile"):
<ItemGroup>
<CSFile Include="*.cs"/>
But there's no difference in functionality.
csproj file: https://pastebin.com/KEeFW4r7

Move VC# Project And Maintain Links

How do you move a Visual Studio C# project and maintain the linked files?
For example;
I have a VC# Project that sits in folder: A/V2013_Project.
This VC# Project links to files A/Image/a.png this is because we have many other projects that use this file also.
I want to move my project to A/Release/V2013_Project. Ie move the project to a sub-folder.
I'm not renaming anything in the new project, not changing anything else except for the location of the project.
When I move the project all my links fail (theres more than 50) and most of my references fail. By fail, I mean they no longer point to the file. Within the newly moved VC# project; when I click on a linked file VC# displays an error:
Cannot find the file A/Image/a.png. It may have been moved or deleted.
But this file was never moved. Its still in exactly the same place.
How can I move a VC# project and maintain the links and references? Are there any 3rd party addons that can do this?
Edit: Using wintermute's advice; the links are indeed relative and not absolute. For example;
<Resource Include="..\..\Resources\Other\Images\TOOLBAR_close.png">
<Link>Resources\Other\Images\TOOLBAR_close.png</Link>
</Resource>
Any ideas how I can make links absolute in VC#?
It depends on how the file is linked. It isn't clear from your question.
Some files are references by the .csproj file. Close Visual Studio down (just to be sure) and open the .csproj file with Notepad or some other text editor. See if the files you're talking about are referenced there. If so, add the text "..\" in front of each file name, indicating they are one directory higher up, relative to the project location.
Some files are referenced in the .resx file(s). In this case Visual Studio should have included the name of the .resx file as part of the error message. This can be fixed using Visual Studio's editor. Double-click on the error message and it should open the .resx file with the file reference that is in error as the selected line. Again, add "..\" in front of the file name.
You say you have 50 references. Hopefully this means you can search-and-replace to add the "..\" text to the relevant file names.
Edit:
You posted an edit to your question, showing this line:
<Resource Include="..\..\Resources\Other\Images\TOOLBAR_close.png">
If you really want to make this absolute, then just do it.
<Resource Include="D:\Merlinia\Trunk-Debug\Add-Ons\Picture Editor\VS2012 projects\PictureEditor\Resources\Other\Images\TOOLBAR_close.png">
But as I mention in a comment on your question, make sure this is the best way to fix the problem.

Can't "save as" or copy a C# project

I want to copy a C# project so I can make some changes to it while keeping the old one.
When I copy its whole folder, the solution file does not open on Visual Studio 2008. Visual Studio starts and it does not open anything.
There is no "built-in" tool for this.
In Solution Explorer, Right-Click your solution and select "Open Folder in Windows Explorer":
In Windows Explorer, select one folder up:
Right-Click your Project's folder, then Copy it to the Clipboard:
Now, simply Paste your Clipboard contents in the same directory or in another directory.
NOTE: If your project uses relative path names and you paste your project into a different directory, you will need to go in and fix any broken link references.
If you are opening the solution file, you will need to open the solution explorer pane in Visual Studio and then select the project/file you want to open.
Do you right click the folder, select copy, and then paste the copy? You can copy the whole folder and simply rename the folder to something else. There shouldn't be any problems with that. I have done this many times and always was able to open the copy.
Visual Studio 2013 Express is free and out right now. Try it if everything else fails.

Could not find file 'obj\Debug\OldProjectName.csproj.FileListAbsolute.txt

I'm trying to publish project (tools vs2010), but cannot all the time getting the error below.
I paste to my projects files from another project and then I changed namespace (OldProjectName) to the parent project (NewProjectName). But it still getting information from somewhere about old project.
I cleaned solution, builded, rebuilded. Closed and reopened again and all the time the same error.
I'm able to build project but publish it.
Any ideas what can cause the problem?
Error 1 Copying file
obj\Debug\OldProjectName.csproj.FileListAbsolute.txt to
obj\Debug\Package\PackageTmp\obj\Debug\OldProjectName.csproj.FileListAbsolute.txt
failed. Could not find file
'obj\Debug\OldProjectName.csproj.FileListAbsolute.txt'. 0 0 NewProjectName
Open your .csproj file in notepad
Find "obj\Debug\OldProjectName.csproj.FileListAbsolute.txt"
Remove that line and save it
Open your project and try to publish it and this time you will be succeeded.
Note: if you are getting any more file like .pdb remove that as well.
Hope it will help you
Make sure the obj folder is not read only, if so change read only property of this folder to false. this worked for me.
Check the permissions to the folder obj\Debug\ if you give it write permissions, the error would go away.
Check if the folders "bin" and "obj" are checked-in to source control, if so delete those two folders in source control. There is no need to check-in these two folders to source folders. Also make sure that these folders "obj" and "bin" are deleted from your hard disk, they will be created again after a build.
Hope this will fix your issue.
It is your responsibility to make copies so you can go back to one.
Open your project file (vb/cs)proj with a notepad, and search for the missing files.
In my case I got this error when I tried to publish the project and certain files were not found.
Each publish attempt I got another file name, after checking that the file actually didn't exist in the project, I removed it from the project file, manually.
Then publish succeeded.
Delete the obj folder and build again.
Ref: http://forums.asp.net/t/1402005.aspx
Like many others these files were read only and needed to be deleted or actually able to be overwritten by VS. However, as may be the case for many others, the problem was because these files were checked in to source control. Your bin and obj folders should not be in source control. Mark them for delete and submit the changelist.
One exception to the rule is for the bin folder could be dll files that are not .Net compatible. Such as a C/C++ dll that you are using through a .Net wrapper dll. I mark them as content so that they get published and check them into source control.
I too had this problem. I resolved this by deleting files inside project bin folder (.dll and .pdb) and closed and re-opened VS .
The file named FileListAbsolute.txt was deleted from the folder obj/debug. Visual Studio can automatically recreate the file and others in the obj/debug for you.
For VS to recreate it, set the configuration of the solution and the project to debug mode. Then rebuild your solution.
To change the configuration mode to debug, from the solution explorer, right-click on the solution name and select Properties.
Select Configuration under Configuration Properties. Then select Debug from the dropdown list.
Click Apply and OK. Ensure that in Configuration Manager, the configuration mode is also a debug mode.
Then rebuild your solution.
For me using solution here: Certain Razor views not publishing
Excluding the views folder and re-including fixed it for me. So it's possible for anyone else experiencing this it may be as simple as excluding and then including the file/folder in question of your project.
I encountered this bug using VS2017 with a solution stored in OneDrive.I suspected OneDrive's sync mechanism to be the root cause of this.
When I tried to reproduce using VS2019 however it did not reappear. Looks solved in between these versions.

Post build copy config file to another project

I have a solution which contains a website and various class libraries. The exists on the file system like so:
C:\Projects \MyWebsite\dev\MyWebsite.sln
C:\Projects\Core\MyClassLibrary1.csproj
C:\Projects\Core\MyClassLibrary2.csproj
I want to move the App.config file from MyClassLibrary1 project to the bin of the MyClassLibrary2. I want to do this on post build in VS or MSBuild using relative paths if possible. This way anybody checking out the projects will not have to modify any paths if they choose to locate the project in a different location.
I have already tried the following approaches but to no avail.
copy /Y "$(ProjectDir)App.config"
$(ProjectDir)\..\ MyClassLibrary2\$(OutDir)\ MyClassLibrary2.dll.config"
Any ideas?
Thanks
Consider adding the App.config file in your second class library using Visual Studio Add As Link.
Add -> Existing Item -> Add As Link
The Add As Link command is shown if you click the dropdown next to regular Add button in Visual Studio. This way you can reuse the file in multiple projects.
Try some other common MSBuild properties, although João has a better suggestion I think.

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