[dba-VB] Projects vs Solutions

John,

Susan and I ran into this when we wrote a beginner's article.  In tools -> Options under Project and Solutions, make sure the Always Show Solution checkbox is checked.  Otherwise, you only see a solution and you keep creating separate solutions for each project.

Charlotte Foust 

-----Original Message-----
From: dba-vb-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:dba-vb-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of jwcolby
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 11:41 AM
To: Discussion concerning Visual Basic and related programming issues.
Subject: Re: [dba-VB] Projects vs Solutions

OK, let's back up a minute.

I created a project InfoEngine.  I created another project ScanCSVForErrors.  I created another project MergePurge.  Etc.

Each one of these is both a solution and a project.  What I mean by that is that when you open Visual Studio you "Create" projects, at least unless you do some unknown thing.  There is no "New Solution", there is only "new project".

Except that:

a) I really want the Solution to be InfoEngine.
b) I would PREFER that the other projects be physically stored under InfoEngine.
c) Of course I want these projects to be considered by the SOLUTION InfoEngine to belong to the solution InfoEngine.
d) Each of these "projects" contains a solution file.  So what is it, a solution or a project?

Is this a "start over stupid" kind of moment?  Is it just me or is this whole Solution / Project thing extremely poorly defined?  Why do we discuss Solutions and can't even purposely create one? 
Why does a project get a solution file if it is a project?  What the hell IS a solution?  Where are the tools for migrating existing projects into a solution?

By the by, I have a solution explorer up and it contains two projects now, but I can't reference, EVEN PURPOSELY directly in code, objects in one project from the other project.  It just tells me "doesn't exist".

And so... instead of writing a solution (or is that a project?  Or perhaps a project in a solution???), I walk around the forest in circles.

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com


Charlotte Foust wrote:
> A project IS part of the solution.  The solution is the outer namespace for the application.  It contains projects.  Your current situation is the way we do it (I think).  The several projects don't contain references to one another unless you create them by right clicking the project and select Add Reference.
> 
> Charlotte Foust

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