Partial Update of VS.NET Project?

[Kent P. Iler]

Hi,

I've been using Visual Studio (not .Net) for many years (6+). I'm just now
switching to VS.NET 2003. I am building my first project. In the past, I
tend to work on my local machine (having local versions of IIS and SQL
Server). Then after I'm ready to move the site to the web, I will initially
create a new project in the same solution that contains the web server on
the Internet. I start by doing a full copy, and then as I make updates, I
can pick and choose the files I put. If I only update a single file, then I
just copy/paste that one file.

I don't see any way of doing something like that with .Net. When I try to
create a project on the web server with the same name and in the same
project, I get an error (can't have 2 projects named the same in the same
solution - namespace conflict). However, if I name it something different,
and then move files over, it tends to not work because the ASPX files are
looking for code based on the original project's namespace.

The only way I've seen to update the project on the web from VS is to use
the copy project button. However, there isn't an incremental copy - it
sends all the files.

Am I missing something here? I know I can FTP the files, but that would
require going outside of Visual Studio to do it.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks.

-- Kent Iler

 

[Harald Bjorøy]

I am not sure I follow all you say; but I have successfully been working the
way I believe you describe here.

I work at my local machine, and deploy by copy to my customers; I even have
two parallell versions of the same project, the "release"-version and a test
version.

The way I do it:
a) the server must (of course) have the correct framework installed
b) I create a folder on the server, typically a subdirectory of the WWWRoot
(not necessarily linked to the name of the project)
c) Create an application for the given subdirectory (using IIS admin-tools,
find the directory, click properties, click "create application")
d) Copy the neccessary files from your development directories to the
application directory on the server. Normally global.asax, web.config,
bin\<project>.dll and many aspx-files. I you change one aspx-file, including
events and source code, you have to deploy both the aspx and the
bin\<project>.dll files.

- no install required.

Regards,

Harald Bjorøy

 

[Kent P. Iler]

But how do you copy the single file after you have made a change? In
VS6, you could have a project setup for both local and remote
websites, and just copy/paste. You also had the option for coping the
website, but choosing only files that have changed vs. pushing the
entire site out.

In order to move a single file in VS.NET 2003, I'm thinking I would
need to FTP it, which means using another tool NOT integrated with VS.

Is this correct?

--Kent Iler

 

[Harald Bjorøy]

You may be correct - I remember I have used your technique before in VS, in
VS.NET I have wanted to do it manually (because of my projects nature).

A suggestion: (there may be a better and correct way to do this)

* Create the directory and enable it as I explained in the previous post
(w/o copying any files)
* Create a new "empty project" in that location (add project to your
solution)
* Be sure to enable "Show all files" on both projects - it's an icon in the
solution explorer
* Drag & drop (use Ctrl to copy - not move) files as they are needed.

Be sure to copy only the needed files - and just leave the standard-elements
of the empty project.

This only works if you can browse to the location in question. If the site
is on an ftp server or similar, you may have to map the drive using some
third-party software, you could check out webdrive from South River
Technologies www.webdrive.com
(this tool lets you map an FTP/WebDAV site as a drive).

Regards,

Harald Bjorøy
www.ulriken-consulting.no