Visual Studio Hacks

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Chapter 1, Master Projects and Solutions

#3 Organize Projects and Solutions

HACK

The problem with this structure is that it is not easy to work with since the

solution file is nested inside one of the project directories and references a

project file that is contained in a different directory. If you were to move

Folder A to a different location, the solution would end up with a broken ref-

erence to Project File B. A better way to handle solution files is to always start

with a blank solution and then add project files to this solution over time. To

start with a blank solution, you simply need to click on File

➝ New ➝ Blank

Solution. You can create a directory for this blank solution and add projects

to this solution. Your file structure will now look more like this:

Solution Directory\

Solution File

Folder A\

Project File A

Folder B\

Project File B

This file structure is much more manageable. You can check the entire solu-

tion into SourceSafe, you can safely move the solution directory, and you

can even zip up the entire directory structure.

Working with Multiple Solutions

Whenever possible, you should stick to a single solution for your develop-

ment project. But when you get above a certain number of projects in a solu-

tion, it starts to become unwieldy for you to manage. It is also inconvenient

to have multiple executables or web projects in a single solution, as you will

constantly be