Default and Custom Builds

Visual Studio .NET provides a platform for continuously testing and debugging applications as you build them. As each Visual Studio project is created, default project configurations are defined and default solution build configurations are assigned to provide context as they are built. Development teams can edit these default solution and project configurations as needed, and create new configurations by saving modified copies of the default ones.

In This Section

• Builds During Application Development
  Explains how Debug and Release builds are used, and introduces Build Configurations.
• Build Configurations
  Provides general background on how to prepare and use solution build configurations and project configurations.
• Preparing and Managing Builds
  Explains how to set the build order and save options, and build or rebuild a solution or project.
• Creating and Editing Configurations
  Explains how to use the Configuration Manager dialog box to create and manage solution build configurations and project configurations.
• Creating and Removing Project Dependencies
  Explains how to use the Project Dependencies dialog box to assign dependencies to projects and remove dependencies from projects.
• Adding and Removing Project References
  Explains how to add references to a project and remove references from a project.
• Editing Project Properties
  Explains how to use the <Projectname> Property Pages dialog box to edit the Common and Configuration properties of a project.

Related Sections

• Using Solution Explorer
  Describes how to access Solutions and Projects in Solution Explorer.
• Managing Solutions, Projects, and Files
  Explains how to manipulate project files in Solution Explorer.
• Configuration Manager Dialog Box
  Describes how to use the Configuration Manager dialog box to select and edit build configurations.
• Solution Property Pages Dialog Box
  Explains how to edit solution properties.
• Setting Startup Projects
  Explains how to set the startup project for a solution.
• Startup Project, Common Properties, Solution Property Pages Dialog Box
  Describes how to use the Startup Project property page for a solution.
• Project Properties
  Provides background on project properties.
• <Projectname> Property Pages Dialog Box
  Describes how to use the property page for a project.
• Editing Project Properties
  Explains how to edit project properties.
• Setting Visual C++ Project Properties
  Explains how to set the properties of a Visual C++ .NET project.
• Setting Visual Basic Project Properties
  Explains how to set the properties of a Visual Basic .NET project.
• Setting Visual C# Project Properties
  Explains how to set the properties of a Visual C# .NET project.
• Optimizations, Configuration Properties, <Projectname> Property Pages Dialog Box
  Describes how to use the Optimizations property page for a project.
• Add Reference Dialog Box
  Describes how to add references to projects.
• Add Web Reference Dialog Box
  Describes how to add references to Web projects.
• Project Dependencies Dialog Box
  Describes how to assign dependencies to projects
• Project Dependencies, Common Properties, Solution Property Pages Dialog Box
  Describes how to use the Project Dependencies dialog box.
• New Solution Configuration Dialog Box
  Describes how to create a new solution configuration.
• Edit Solution Configuration Dialog Box
  Describes how to edit or delete solution configurations.
• New Project Configuration Dialog Box
  Describes how to create a new project configuration.
• Edit Project Configurations Dialog Box
  Describes how to rename or delete project configurations.
• Batch Build Dialog Box
  Explains how to perform batch builds of projects.