Is it possible to save a whole C# solution in one single text file? I vaguely remember a tool (VS add-on?) to do this, but I cannot find it.
WARNING: This is highly likely a duplicate, and I would be happy to delete the post if so, but I haven't been able to find the answer in SO.
I doubt that this would be possible.
A solution consists of a number of completely different file types, each in their own format, with a different purpose:
The solution file is in a legacy (non-XML) text format and informs your IDE (typically Visual Studio) about all the different projects that are part of the solution, as well as pointing it to other files relating to the solution such as test run configuration settings.
Project files these days are XML build files that inform MSBuild what source files are to be built, and how.
Source files contain code of an arbitrary programming language.
Other files a project can also have any other arbitrary text or binary files. (For example, embedded resource images.)
So there we have at least four different file formats: non-XML text, XML, plaintext, and binary.
Perhaps the only way that you could achieve the combination of all these disparate file types into a single file would be to have some mechanism to magically extract all of the separate files out from your single file, present them to the development and build tools as if everything were normal, and then magically re-combine them back into the single file after.
That would be roughly equivalent to taking the entire solution directory and running it through WinZip to produce a single file (a compressed file, to boot!) though perhaps witha more seamless integration via a Visual Studio Add-In.
Related
I want my program in Visual C# to allow the user to generate a portable .exe file to be run on another user's computer, with the portabe .exe receiving the values the first user inserted. I don`t want to use a configuration file or any other file to store the input values to be then read because I want the .exe to be a single file. I have the main and the second program (future portable executable)
as different projects on the same solution. Is there a way to modify values of the portable .exe or does a new program needs to be compiled on the fly?
To formally answer the question.
You can convert the assembly to IL, search and replace and recompile. However, if you are building this application, you should really consider the need and use case for such very thoroughly.
If you need just to modify the behavior of an application, you have a plethora of options.
Registry (can be remotely done)
A config file (though you ruled this out)
You could use a login method to a resouce
Wcf for instance
Active Directory
A network DB
Rebuild you app for these users
Msbuild with a batch file to tweak something
A pre build script
If you are really tricky you "might" be able to track down the offset of an int and tweak it. However this seems very unreliable
Or if you really have your heart set on this, see the following and associated questions
Modify Emdeded String in C# compiled exe
Is it possible to Add/Remove/Change an embedded resource in .NET DLL?
Update from Ben Voigt Comments
Win32 Resources can be changed after being embedded in an EXE. .NET
System.Resources can only be changed before embedding. C# applications
are compatible with both kinds, but the distinction is very important
The The necessary function is UpdateResource
You can typically append to an .exe without breaking it and then read the data in upon execution.
See: appending data to an exe
So i made 6 different little applications each in its own Project.
And my idea is now to build some kind of Launcher with 6 buttons each of them launching their respectives applications.
I know how to /Add/Existing Projects/Select Project, but my worry is more upon managing to run those application on a Button_Click.
I'm thinking about copy/paste-ing my .cs files of each apps, and their resources.
Should I ? Shouldn't I ?
What would be the best thing to do ?
EDIT1
Well, as i said, my apps are very small, i mean like very very small. It's mostly about automating templates mails sendings and opening/closing reports.
All my apps are in a single form each and they only refer to .png or .txt to store datas or dress up fancy-ish reports with images.
Right now, I'm in the process of importing FormX.cs one by one, as NonStatic said, re-referencing the UI and renaming some functions. I did 2 so far, and i'm hitting a generic file path issue.
I'm not sure how ressources are working once the .exe is built. Are they "embed" whereever the ressources file is located ? (Resources folder, or ..\bin\debug) or should i be carefull with this and systematicly put tehm in some specific folder ?
Also, thanks for your point Zdravko Danev, i was about to just copy/paste everything. You made me think slower about this. But i'm kind of searching for a real merged solution, "fusioned solution" if i may say. I don't want buttons to just run .EXEs. :p
EDIT2
I managed to copy/paste all my forms, was kinda easy, though time consumming to check every references.
But it's done.
Most definitely do not copy the code!
It is relatively easy to create a simple launcher. Take a look at Process.Start:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.diagnostics.process.start.aspx
I think your question is not about merge projects but how to launch them in a uniformed application or launcher.
You could copy files together, rebuild user interface. In the user interface, calling methods in the copied files. Then you could public a single EXE file other than multiple files.
If your original projects generate dll files, you could build a new app which reference those dll files. Loading them when you need it and invoke methods from there.
If your original projects generate exe files, then #Zdravko's solution, using Process.Start() to launch those exe files with correct parameters.
My interest is in the first place regarding solution files containing C# projects.
Is there anything, like the exact .NET framework version, user names and passwords, any other information that can identify the machine the solution file was created on?
No. Take a look at the file. It just enumerates all projects in your solution and their build configuration.
Places where you can find computer-specific stuff might be the project files and the .suo file (which you usually don't send to version control) and the PDBs of the compiled assemblies (they contain file paths, etc.).
No, as Patrick Hofman has already answered, .sln file just contains a list of .csproj project files.
However,
Exact target .NET Framework version is stored in .csproj files.
Username isn't stored anywhere if you do not specify it yourself, except for different places like assembly references, PDB files, different configuration files, if you use user-specific pathes like C:\Users\yourusername\My Documents\Visual Studio Projects\ConsoleApplication1 etc.
Also, note that there is a thing like file metadata. It is not related to Visual Studio at all, but it can store information about file creator. As for me, I see my computer name and domain username in Details tab of file properties.
Connection strings are stored in .config (App.config, Web.config etc) files. You definitely wouldn't want to commit your login and password to a public database.
I'm attempting to make a single small update to a website written in C#/ASP.NET.
All I'm trying to do is change the email address a form submits to, which is why I'm not seeking out a proper C#/ASP.NET developer.
I've done a little research, and it seems that the site itself is using dll files in the /bin folder to run the forms and things. The form is contact.aspx.f3293f9sd.dll, so I've edited the corresponding contact.aspx.cs file.
What do I do now?
Can I build this single CS file into a single DLL and upload it? I've scoured the menus and see no such option, and Google results seems to imply that you need to add entire projects and build entire projects at once.
Is that correct? What's the process here?
What you need to do is open the solution file. Solution files are files composed of projects. The contact.aspx.cs file is part of one of those projects. You need to make your change in the file, then recompile your solution. Then you can upload the DLL file it outputs to your production. Make sure you compile in Release mode.
I'm currently working on a project with multiple language options. I have loads of resource files with my first language and want to copy these files and add some text to them using some sort of batch script in visual studio.
From within VS it will be hard to achieve. There are many standalone tools to edit .resx files separately (like http://resx.sourceforge.net or http://resxmanager.com). Great help when translation gthe files, but I do not know any capable of scripting/batching the job.
RESX are simple XML files, so I think you'd be quicker to write simple console app to load the XMLs via standard C#/Perl/Ruby/Python libraries, patch the texts, and write them back to files instead of searching for a scriptable tool, but maybe I'm wrong. I'd be happy to see such tool too! :)
-- edit:
With pure .bat batch files, it may be hard, because the Windows Console simply lacks proper string-replace commands and you have to use some tricky commands like see the BAT here.. At least small tool like grep or sed would be handy, and the script would be 100% more flexible.
You can rather easily do it with PowerShell, CygWin, Ruby, etc or even the JScript/VBScript that you should already have installed along with your Windows. See here for a such a script in VBS. It scans only a specific directly witout subfolders, but you can easily mix it with this sample to get recursive directory walking. Btw. VBS is kept in files of such extension: myscript.vbs and may be simply double-clicked or simply run just like .bat or .exe files.
All of this however are more like typical programming.. If you have some complex renames to do and if you dont have any Python/Ruby/blargh at hand, I'd recommend just writing it in C# as the code will be friendlier.