Multi-Project templates

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SkipV - 06 Dec 2005 18:09 GMT

I am having problems setting up a new Multi-Project Template in the VS2005
IDE and am looking for some guidance.

Scenario:
The application architecture of our system consist of 5 logical layers (Data
Access, Entity, Domain Rules, UI Controller, and UI). Each logical layer of
an application is derived from a base class for the logical layer (i.e.
common UI code exists in the UI Base class, which each app's UI component
should be a subclass of). And, of course, there are other framework
components in the system that are commonly used by all logical layers (for
instance common Delegate types, string utility functions, various interface
declarations, etc.).

So, my primary goal for the template is to setup a basic solution structure
for new applications that will include not only new projects for each logical
layer, but to also include the existing common projects and to have the new
logical layer projects reference those existing projects. (i.e. The new app's
UIController project will always derive from the UIController base, so I want
the template to include the UIController base and have the new app's
UIController project reference the UIController base).

Question:
How do I setup my root .vstemplate to include an existing project (that will
exist in a relative path)?

I haven't been able to find this in any documentation, or sample templates.
If anyone has a link they could share on including existing projects in the
templates, that would be appreciated as well.

Thanks,

Skip V.

ps. I was able to easily accomplish this in VS2003's Enterprise Templates,
I'm assuming that the ability exists in VS2005, I'm just not finding it.

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"Gary Chang[MSFT]" - 07 Dec 2005 09:19 GMT

Hi,

Currently we are looking into this problem. We will update you as soon as
we get anything out.

Thanks for your understanding!

Best regards,

Gary Chang
Microsoft Community Support
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"Gary Chang[MSFT]" - 09 Dec 2005 12:10 GMT

Hi,

I suggest you may take a look on Guidance Automation Toolkit, which is an
extension to Visual Studio 2005. It allows architects to author rich,
integrated user experiences for reusable assets including frameworks,
components and patterns.

The resulting Guidance Packages are composed of templates, wizards and
recipes, you can accomplish your purpose by a custom action in a GAT recipe
easily enough, along with any other new projects you want to add to the
solution.

For the details about GAT, I suggest you refer to the following MSDN topic:

Guidance Automation Toolkit
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/teamsystem/workshop/gat/default.aspx

Thanks for your understanding!

Best regards,

Gary Chang
Microsoft Community Support
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SkipV - 09 Dec 2005 18:43 GMT

Gary,

Thanks for looking into this for me, but this was not the response I was
hoping for.

From my perspective, it is frustrating that I will have to rely upon what
appears to be a community type project that is not available yet for the RTM
version of Visual Studio 2005 to completely convert my system's source over
to VS2005.

I had expected the new and improved template feature, which replaced the
Enterprise Template feature in VS2003, to support at least all of the
functionality of the older feature that was being replaced.

Granted, the VS2005 template feature does make it extremely easy to create a
very simple template, but the cost of this niave design is proving to be high
in productivity time for me and my team.

This marks the 3rd disappointment I've experienced (so far) with VS2005.
#1 being: bloated compiled assemblies with VB.Net (the compiler emitting
"My" namespace types into my assemblies, causing my small footprint
assemblies to double in size in some cases). Problem resolved, but cost me 1
day.
#2. Different runtime behavior between debugging in the IDE and running in
release mode (the vshost type impersonating my types - we do some type
checking at runtime to determine which code path to take). Problem resolved,
but cost me the bulk of 1 day.
#3. And now this new Template feature's inability to support existing
projects. Including the time I've spent actually converting our existing ETP
solutions over to the 2005's solutions (I had to convert each individual
project and then manually reconstruct the solutions - as the 2005 Conversion
Wizard would croak and leave out some nested projects when converting an ETP
solution) has cost me a week and a half so far. I expect I'll have to spend a
couple more weeks diving into this GAT when it becomes available for the
VS2005 RTM.

I'm sorry for venting on you (I realize there were many teams involved in
the designs of these new features that have caused me so much frustration),
but I've gotta gripe at somebody:-).

Thanks again for checking this out.

Skip V.

ps. What I was hoping for something simple like "Oh you need to use the
<AmbiguouslyNamedElement> in your root .vstemplate to reference an existing
project." That would've saved me a bit of grief and more importantly, quite a
bit of productivity time.

> Hi,
>
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>
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"Gary Chang[MSFT]" - 13 Dec 2005 05:49 GMT

Hi,

I consulted this issue with our corresponding specialists, they suggest
you may only add relative paths from the template to a existing file or
other template. For example you can use a 'ProjectGroup' root vstemplate,
and define sub projects/files within it. You could also define sub project
vstemplate files for the existing projects that include all the files for
that project.

Thanks!

Best regards,

Gary Chang
Microsoft Community Support
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"Gary Chang[MSFT]" - 14 Dec 2005 08:14 GMT

Hi,

I got several more approaches you can take:

1) Use a multi project VsTemplates and duplicate the common project in each
one
2) Use an IWizard to instantiate the common project (the others would
instantiate using the normal wizard implementation)
3) Use the old style of templates - they may have more flexbility, but I
still think you're looking at a wizard implementation.

Wish this helps!

Best regards,

Gary Chang
Microsoft Community Support
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SkipV - 19 Dec 2005 15:33 GMT

Thanks Gary.

I ended up resolving this outside of the IDE. I wrote a little utility app
that unzips a basic solution structured the way I need it (including the
project references), does a search and replace to insert the new Application
Name every where I need it updated, and then opens the new solution in the
IDE for the developer.

It turned out to be a lot easier to just go down my own path on this (just
took about 250 lines of code) than to get the new template feature to work
the way that I needed it to.

Anyway, this one is resolved.

Thanks again,

Skip Valentine

> Hi,
>
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>
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"Gary Chang[MSFT]" - 20 Dec 2005 02:41 GMT

That's great, thanks for updating us you have already worked around this
problem, good luck:)

Have a nice day!

Best regards,

Gary Chang
Microsoft Community Support
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