VS Solutions + Strong Name + Licensing

[Jamie Clayton]

G'day,

I'm just evaluating VBP.

Installation environment
1. Loaded VBP on build server (Windows 2003 server)
2. Loaded .net sdk 2.0
3. Loaded Nunit 2.2.8

Solution required
1. Replace Nant build *.xml solution run on Developer machines that required (Devenv.exe) command lines to build. (licensing costs and complexity reduction, not too mention time savings)

2. Primary function to build, backup and run nunit tests for vb.net (2.0) software solutions/projects.

3. Package msi solution (VS.msi project) and zip and deploy (email). Mainly Vb.net windows forms + SQL 2005 based solutions.

4. Ensure Xheo licensing integrated into application output.

5. Interaction with Vault Source Control.


Test Results

1. Visual Studio msi project support isn't available in this senario. Disappointed. What are my options? (I'd like to keep it simple or costs down).

2. I have a \Components\ folder in most of the projects that allows me to place shared components/controls into source control. In the various VS projects I add references from the \components\ directory, but during the build process this seems to get ignored. I've generated a series of create directory (bin) and copy files (components to bin directories) as a work around. Is this normal practice?

3. The solution build seems to have trouble with projects with overlapping references to each other. Eg. Project A references Project B/C. Project B references Project C. It would seem that Project A doesn't get copies of the project output from B/C at all, while Project B/C output is as expected. I'm assuming this is a more complex project referencing model then VBP can handle. What are my options?

Feedback

A) Love the speed of the VBP solution, not to mention the examples and xml logging/reporting.

B) Shame some of the prompt screens can't be a little bigger. I also seem to get a number of screens hidden under the Terminal Server ribbon on the top of the screen, making it hard to move those screen around.

[kinook]

Originally posted by Jamie Clayton
1. Visual Studio msi project support isn't available in this senario. Disappointed. What are my options? (I'd like to keep it simple or costs down).

Building Setup projects is not supported by MSBuild (a limitation of that product). Install VS on the build box and select devenv in the Override field on the Options tab of the Make VS.NET/2005 action, or use another MSI creation tool (WiX, Advanced Installer, InstallAware, SetupBuilder, etc.).

2. I have a \Components\ folder in most of the projects that allows me to place shared components/controls into source control. In the various VS projects I add references from the \components\ directory, but during the build process this seems to get ignored. I've generated a series of create directory (bin) and copy files (components to bin directories) as a work around. Is this normal practice?

3. The solution build seems to have trouble with projects with overlapping references to each other. Eg. Project A references Project B/C. Project B references Project C. It would seem that Project A doesn't get copies of the project output from B/C at all, while Project B/C output is as expected. I'm assuming this is a more complex project referencing model then VBP can handle. What are my options?

The VBP Make VS.NET/2005 action ultimately invokes VS (msbuild/devenv) to actually perform a build of a VS solution, so you would need to check with MS on these issues. Note that building from the VS command-line is not identical to building from the IDE; you can check the 'Display compiler command-line' checkbox on the Options tab of the Make VS.NET/2005 action, rebuild the step, then provide the command-line used with your other support information when contacting MS.

B) Shame some of the prompt screens can't be a little bigger.

All input screens are resizable.

I also seem to get a number of screens hidden under the Terminal Server ribbon on the top of the screen, making it hard to move those screen around.

Maybe try un-maximizing the VBP window (Alt+Space, R) and moving/sizing as needed (Alt+Space, M or Alt+Space, S). Otherwise, can you describe your setup and the problem in a little more detail (see http://www.kinook.com/Forum/showthre...?threadid=3044)? Thanks.