9

This is kind of a usability question for using VS2005: I have different branches of the same Visual Studio 2005 solution checked out from version control. The solution and project files are also under version control. On my development workstation, I sometimes have multiple instances of Visual Studio opened on a different version or branch each. They all show up under the same name in the window title and the taskbar, which makes it hard to switch to the correct one etc. (The same goes for the list of recently opened projects in the startup page, but I rarely use that, anyway.)

I tried to find a way to only change the name displayed while not running into too much trouble with source control, but Visual Studio 2005 seems to take the solution name from the name of the SLN file itself, not from some attribute inside of it.

It would already help to have Visual Studio show the full path to the solution file in the title bar, but I haven't found a way to do that, either.

How do you handle different versions from the same solution?

js.
  • 1,787
  • 19
  • 22

4 Answers4

5

Use the (free) VSCommands plugin:

http://geekswithblogs.net/deadlydog/archive/2011/04/29/friendly-visual-studio-solution-names-for-branches.aspx

I guess it only works when using different folders for different branches (not SVN switching), but still, it's good stuff.

gliljas
  • 711
  • 8
  • 10
0

There's an ideal extension for your problem, but you must use at least VS 2010:

http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/f3f23845-5b1e-4811-882f-60b7181fa6d6

It changes the title bar, so must not rename solutions or files.

I know that is an old post, but perhaps you have now a newer VS version :-)

denyo85
  • 69
  • 5
0

Same issue here. VS has bad support for equally named solutions in different directories.

A somewhat hacky workaround: http://www.helixoft.com/blog/archives/32

kuno
  • 17
  • 1
-2

Why don't you rename the solution file on your branches, e.g. MySolution-branchXY.sln?

Update:

I'm not sure I understand your comment.

As soon as you have branched your solution, you have two independent versions of each file: one on the trunk (or source branch) and one on the new branch. The two files simply share a common history, but you are free to change them independently on both branches. So you can rename the solution in your branch.

M4N
  • 94,805
  • 45
  • 217
  • 260
  • I cannot rename it in source control, because for it, they are the same file, just different versions. I don't want to rename it locally, either, as to be able to update it from source control. I could try to create a junction (hard link) to the solution file locally, though. – js. Feb 07 '09 at 12:05
  • Thanks for the update, that makes sense. I was just trying to find a local solution because I am not sure that anybody else cares as much about the issue as I do. – js. Feb 07 '09 at 13:02
  • The hard link idea is probably the best. – R. Martinho Fernandes Feb 07 '09 at 14:20
  • This is a very annoying usability problem that persists even into VS2010. Anyone that has to work on multiple branches simultaneously runs into it. I wish there was a better solution. – Dave May 20 '10 at 15:11
  • I have not been able to make the hard link work with VS2008 in Windows 7. – Jørn Jensen Sep 28 '10 at 14:00
  • This is a **terrible** suggestion. Sure, the two can proceed into the future independently, but as soon as you need to merge changes between the two branches, then prepare for hell, you then have to merge the two differently-named files separately at best, or at worst, merge it improperly, and get BOTH files in the target branch after the merge, and still need to merge them. – FMM Jan 27 '14 at 16:08