Do you know the desired features of structuring large Builds in VS.NET?

The desired features of structuring large Builds in VS.NET:

1. Scalable - The project should allow continuous additions to the structure
   • Developers should be able to keep adding to the structure
2. Multiple Versions - The project should support multiple product releases
   • The structure should be able to allow developers to work on the next release while there is still work in progress for a previous release of another section of the project
   • Developers can work side by side with different versions in parallel (i.e. at the same time)
3. Efficient - The build should be as quick as possible
4. Reliability - Builds should be reproducible on any machine and reliable
5. Switchable - The project should be able to switch between debug release and other versions
   • The project should be able to activate without debug
   • A config should be made for a demo build
   • It should support a full release

Method 1 - Using Project Reference Assemblies within VS.NET

The first attempt was the following method of adding project references to a large solution.

Figure: Adding a project reference

Each project within a solution references other product's assemblies by the project's GUID.

✅ Advantages

The advantages of adding the project to the solution is that you can easily switch between debug and release versions, and the build time is quicker.

❌ Disadvantages

The main disadvantage is that the project can only reference other projects within the same solution.

Method 2 - Using File Reference Assemblies within VS.NET

The following method of adding file references to a large solution was also attempted.

Figure: Adding a file reference

This method involves projects referencing assemblies by looking into their reference path.

✅ Advantages

The main advantage of referencing .dll's is that it is more flexible. Projects can reference assemblies from other solutions outside the current solution.

• The solution's environment is "cleaner", allowing projects to be more expansive
• All you need to do is change the assembly to "shared"

❌ Disadvantages

There are, however, many disadvantages including the fact that only one version of the proj file can be added to the solution.

• The .csproj file cannot be used
• You cannot reference or one set of assemblies for debug and another for release. Only point to one
• VS.NET only use the paths specified in the .proj file as a hint. VS.NET records the location of the assemblies as options for the project for each user
• You cannot switch between versions
• You also cannot use this method if there are 200 projects in one solution