This may be a ridiculous question for you C# pros but here I go. I'm a Flash developer getting started in Silverlight and I'm trying to figure out how to create a "codebase" (a reusable set of classes) for animation. I'd like to store it in a single location and reuse it across a bunch of different projects. Normally in Flash I would add a "project path" reference and then start using the code. My question is, how do I add a folder to visual studio so that I can "use" those classes in my project. I tried "Add > Existing Item" but that copied the files into my project directory.
The easiest way would to create a new ClassLibrary project and build it. This will output a .dll file in a folder you can specify in the project settings menus, which you reference from every project that needs it.
Also, you can copy this .dll into the /bin/ folder of your project - this will do the same thing for this specific project, but when you start the next one you can change some details in the codebase library without breaking the first project.
The solution described by Tomas (adding a reference to a dll binary) is the correct solution to this problem; better than referencing the source code and compiling it into each project.
But just for extra information, if you ever do need to add a source code file to your Visual Studio project without having it make a copy of the file you can use the following steps:
Right click on your project in Solution Explorer and select Add -> Existing Item.
Navigate to the location of the source code file and select it.
On the "Add" button in the dialog window there is a drop down arrow. Click this and select "Add as Link".
This will allow you to use this source code file in your project without having VS make a copy of the file.
In Solution Explorer, right-click on the project node and click Add Reference.
In the Add Reference dialog box, select the tab indicating the type of component you want to reference. (for instance for a class library a dll)
Select the components you want to reference, then click OK.
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Has anyone successfully been able to use a form created in one project in another with VS2015?
I have created many forms that I usually need to include in most of my projects, however whenever I try to add them to the new project I can never seem to get them to work.
I would like to add them to a separate project, with their code and designer/image references etc, but I have only been successful in adding the form with code no resources or designer.
Instead I am currently having to manually re-create the same form in a new project and copy and paste and reset all the controls and labels and what not in the newer solution.
In the past I used to do it like this guy did: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPBMoibAmU0 But it doesn't seem to work with VS2015?
Surely there's a simple way to do this? My way works but it's very time consuming and I think unnecessary.
So what I used to do in the past: Copy the form1.Designer.cs, form1.cs into the new solutions directory, then in the new solution, right-click the project properties, add existing file and browse and select the two files and click OK.
Yes, people re-use code all the time, this question is coming from a fundamental misunderstanding about how code and projects work. Code intended to be shared should be created in a shared project or shared/distributed library.
Using a distributed library:
Create a class library (.dll)
Add a reference to System.Windows.Forms
Define any code, forms, resources that are intended to be re-used here.
Compile library and retrieve .dll file.
Copy .dll file into your new project and add a reference to it.
Use the form.
This is essentially how the nuget package manager works except it handles managing the physical .dll files and adding of references automatically. If you will be the only consumer of this and you don't intend to check your source code into a source control server (git, tfs, svn, etc) then you could also store this dll only in a single location (your documents folder, etc) so updating it is easier.
If you want to be able to make changes to the original source code in all the projects that use the form, you can instead add the original shared lib project to your new VS solution by right clicking on your solution, clicking add existing project, and navigating to the csproj file of your library project.
Wow I finally worked it out,
To add a existing form of another project to current:
Right-click the Project Properties in Solution Explorer.
Click "Add".
Click "Existing Item".
Browse only for the "Form1.cs" and select it, Click "OK".
Right click the added "Form1.cs" and select "View Code".
Look at top for "namespace", highlight the actual namespace eg: "namespace Form1", so highlight "Form1".
Right-click highlighted namespace and select "Rename...".
A box appears, tick "Include Comments", "Include Strings", then type the new name in(with still the Rename box visible) and Click "OK".
Now just add the resource files to the current project.
I'm trying to use this color dialog written by someone else in my program but I don't know how to integrate it. I'm very new to C# so I am not really sure what I'm doing.
http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/33001/WPF-A-Simple-Color-Picker-With-Preview
I would recommend that for third-party code, you do not integrate their source code directly into your own project, but an assembly reference to the compiled foreign code. This makes it easier to separate your code from third-party code, and update the third-party code later on if a new version becomes available.
So this is roughly what you do.
First, create an assembly from the third-party code (the color picker source code):
Download the source code.
Open the Visual Studio solution (.sln) hopefully present in the download.
Create a Release build. (This might require you first changing the build configuration to Release via the Build menu in Visual Studio.)
After a successful build, there should now be the color picker DLL in the bin\Release folder.
2. Next, add the created assembly (.dll) into your own project and reference it:
Put a copy of that DLL into your own solution/project's directory.
In your own project, add an assembly reference to that assembly (via the Solution Explorer window's References node's context menu).
Open your project in the solution explorer, right click on References, click on Add reference, select Browse and add it.
To add an existing project to a solution:
In Solution Explorer, select the solution or the solution folder that you want to add a project to.
Right click, select Add and then choose Existing Project.
Select the project you want to add to the solution and then click Open.
To add an assembly reference to an existing
Right click on References in your project in Solution Explorer
Select Add Reference.
Select Browse and navigate to the assembly
I have a Project in which there is a form that has several objects (controls) in itself. I want to add this form to another Project in another Solution. How to I can do this. Thanks.
This is a good thing to reuse your code :)
You have to make a library project.
1)File => New Project
2)Check Visual project in the tree
then select "Class Library", give it a name "MyFormLib"
3)Then simply copy paste YourForm.cs and YourForm.designer from your app project, to "MyFormLib".
4)Now go to solution explorer, browse to your application project, right click on "references" then "add reference"
5)To finish click on "solution" then choose your library project "MyFormLib"
.
6)You can now use the form from the library project inside your application project.
e.g : new MyFormLib.TheForm()
7) To reuse your form in your second application, redo steps 4 to 6
Just simply open the project where you want to add the existing form:
Right click on the Solution Explorer
Select "Add" -> "Existing Item..."
Browse your other project's folder, and search for the 3 files of your form:
yourForm1.cs, yourForm1.Designer.cs, yourForm1.resx
The simplest way is to
Open the destination solution in Visual Studio.
On the Solution Explorer, right-click the destination Solution name and Click on Add > Existing Projects. Identify the project with your source Form.
Move the form from source to destination project (The designer and resx files will move with it)
Change relevant namespace specifications and then you may remove the old form.
In simply words i cant add reference in mono project the button "edit reference" in project menu is not active, i tryied to make new project and paste my code but button was still not active? How coudl i add reference?
You've probably got it already, still if anyone else comes across it- you need to make sure you select the project (to which you wish to add references) in the solution view and then add references (by either going to Project then Edit references or right clicking on the project); as long as the solution is selected in this view the edit references menu item will be disabled.
Go to Edit references(you can get this by right clicking on the reference icon). If you would like to add a package, you can do that by selecting the require package under the package tab.But, if you would like to add the reference from a local project library, go to the .Net Assembly tab and browse for the location of the .dll file (most often it will be in the bin folder of that local library project), and add it to your project.
I downloaded a C# project and I wish to debug the project to see how an algorithm implementation works.
The project has come in a Folder, inside this folder there are -
.sln file and
a folder which has source files and a .csproj file.
I installed Visual Studio and opened the .sln file present in the main folder. I built the project successfully, but when I try to debug the project I get this message:
A project with an Output type of Class Library cannot be started directly In order to debug this project, add an executable project to this solution which references the library project. Set the executable project as the startup project.
The strange part is that I don't see a main function anywhere.
What should I do to get round this hiccup?
The project you have downloaded compiles into a dll assembly and provide a set of classes with implemented functionality.
You should add to your solution a new project with Output Type of either Console Application or Windows Application (VS Add Project wizard will offer you different templates of Projects).
In the newly added project, you can implement logic to test your Class Library.
Output type of the project you can find and change by the following steps:
Right click on project in Solution Explorer -> Properties.
In opened tab with properties select Application and there will be ComboBox marked with Output Type label.
Just right click on the Project Solution
A window pops up.
Expand the common Properties.
Select Start Up Project
In there on right hand side Select radio button with Single Startup Project
Select your Project in there and apply.
That's it. Now save and build your project. Run the project to see the output.
This was the solution that worked for me since I couldn't find 'Common Properties' option.
Select your topmost level project in Solution Explorer.
Go to Project, and in contextual menu Set as StartUp Project.
See also: A project with an Output type of Class Library cannot be started directly
Just needs to go:
Solution Explorer-->Go to Properties --->change(Single Startup project) from.dll to .web
Then try to debug it.
Surely your problem will be solved.
The strange part is that I don't see a main function anywhere.
That is exactly your problem. The project merely creates a DLL. It has no executable to run.
You will need to add a second project, which is an executable which references the other project, and calls something in it.
1) Right Click on **Solution Explorer**
2) Go to the **Properties**
3) Expand **Common Properties**
4) Select **Start Up Project**
5) click the radio button (**Single Start_up Project**)
6) select your Project name
7) Then Debug Your project
Right Click on "Solution Explorer" -> "Properties"
Expand "Common Properties"
Select "Start Up Project"
click the radio button "Single Start_up Project"
select your Project name from the drop down list.
If still not working after the above steps, then try this.
Expand solutions explorer.
Right click on project name -> "Properties"
Go to "Application" tab
Select "Output type"
From the drop down list select the appropriate type according to your application.
"Windows application" or
"Console application"
Then save (ctrl + S)
Try debugging (F5)
You'll need some kind of app (Console Apps are my favorite for debugging, but a WinForm will do) which uses your Class Library. Just add a new project (in the same solution) of a Console Application or Windows Forms Application, and add a reference to your current project. Once you've done that, make any calls you need, set your break points, and go to town.
I had a similar issue when trying to use the Experimental Instance of Visual Studio 2013. This was for a vsix project (Creating Snippets).
Solution was:
Right Click Project in Solution Explorer > Properties > Debug
Setting the Start Action to "Start external program" and using the following path:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 12.0\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
This option was set to "Start project" which won't work for the application output type Class Library, which caused that same error.
Note: Yours may differ depending on how you installed VS.
Error solutions is that you have already open your project but by mistake you have selected another class library .. that's reason this error is showing ... so what u need to do you u just select u r project then right click on u r project
after right click u can see the list box and select the "Set as start up project " option .
Accepted answer works if your solution has a project that compiles to an exe. If your solution does not have any projects that compile to an exe, then you have to use 'Start external program'.
VS2019 instructions:
right click -> properties on the main solution
debug, start external program, and add command line arguments
VS2022 instructions:
right click -> properties on the main solution
scroll down to Debug
Debug > General > Open debug launch profiles UI
left click the 'new' icon in the top left, select 'executable'
fill it out as per VS2019 (pick the exe and add command line arguments)
when clicking the start button, first select the profile you made
Suppose you have multiple project in the solution. Select the project that you want to view in browser and select 'Set as StartUp Project'. In your multiple project soln which was the main, the visual studio was unable to identify. this was the main problem.
You can right click the Class Library project and from the drop-down choose Initialize Interactive C# which will load your project context and you can work it in the interactive session.
In my case, the cause was that one of my projects in the solution wasn't loaded. The reason it couldn't load properly was that the file path length of one of the files was too long. Upon deleting this long file, I could reload the project, and build the solution.
If the question involves an Azure project, make sure you have the "Azure development" tool set installed, or when you go to run a solution you may get this same error.
Tools > Get Tools and Features... > Tick the box next to Azure development > Click install
None of the answers provided above helped me resolve this error, this is what resolved the issue for me.
Right click on the solution and select "Properties", which is in my case "Sintctech.Data".
Select the section called "Application".
Check what you have selected as your output type. If it is "Windows Application", change it to "Console Appication".
Rebuild and the problem should be fixed.