Converting an existing web application to a class library

Blake Hollis

16y2.8k

Hello all -
Visual Studio 2008 - .NET 2.0
I have inherited two projects. First is a web application. Second is a windows application. The windows application references and uses a dll which was created from the web application. The dll has a date of 2007. The solution/project that builds the DLL is nowhere to be found (including the 2007 version of the source code). In the windows application the majority of the functionality comes from classes in the DLL. I need to make changes to these classes. The code bases that makes up the DLL has changed since 2007. I am concerned about the side affect of creating a new instance of the DLL and using it in the windows app - interfaces may have changed, etc.
I have tried to create a new DLL based on the web project. I am using the "create new from existing project" wizard. When I try to build the project I get namespace errors. It believes that everything has already been defined.
My main question at this point is how to build a current version of the DLL. The information I found on the internet dealt with creating class library projects from scratch. I need to understand the subtleties (sp?) of creating a class library from an existing web application.
Any comments on the situation in general are appreciated.
Thanks in advance,

Blake

4 Replies

Know the answer? Post it — somebody with the same question will find it here.

Blake Hollis16y ago
This is what happens when there are no best practices or process AT ALL.
Nah man - I am the only technical person at this company. Was just hoping to get some fast track help on the .NET aspect - I come from a UNIX / C++ background (15 years). Thanks for your attention.
Sam Hobbs16y ago
I think the moderators would prefer that you mark this thread as answered. In fact, as far as I understand how this forum software works, you are the only one that can do that.

So you seem to be suffering from the frustrations of inadequate documentation. Welcome to the world of maintenance programming; be prepared for a lot of this type of stuff. If an organization has software such as this, it klikely has more. I suggest that you somehow document for management how much time is spent dealing with the software without adequate documentation, and suggest what should be done for the future to document and develop systems.

Is there a QA group or at least a QA person?
Blake Hollis16y ago
Thanks for your response btw...

I DO NOT have the source code versions from 2007. Just a binary DLL file.
I DO have the source code version from 2010. (No version history in between - who needs version control right?)
The production windows application uses the 2007 web application DLL.
Introducing a 2010 version DLL can cause side affect which may not be caught at compile time - there may be runtime problems - worst being business logic problems.
However I have no choice but to attempt to create a 2010 DLL.
Apparently Visual Studio 2003 used to automatically create a DLL file when you built a web application. That functionality has disappeared. There are other tools that can be used to "roll your own" assembly from separate, individual assemblies:
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/people/mbarnett/ILMerge.aspx
OR
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb397866(VS.90).aspx
Admin can mark this answered btw. I figured out what I needed to move on.
Sam Hobbs16y ago
You say that the "solution/project that builds the DLL is nowhere to be found" yet you ask "how to build a current version of the DLL". It is not possible to build the DLL if you don't have the source for it.