VS 2010 sucks if you are not targetting .NET 4.0...

[chris128]

Is it just me or does VS 2010 seem to have been built with the theory that no one will ever actually use it to target older versions of the framework? I cant believe the amount of stupid problems I have trying to use it to make an app that should target 3.5 SP1...

The ones that stick in my mind are:
1. When changing the target framework of a project from 4.0 to 3.5 I often have to go in and change a load of lines in the designer / resx files to say 2.0.0.0 instead of 4.0.0.0.
2. Again when changing the target framework from 4.0 to 3.5 I often find that the app.config file gets screwed up and I have to recreate it and delete any XML files that it was using to store settings in my user profile.
3. When creating an installer for a project that targets 3.5 client profile, even though I went into the Prerequisites section of the installer project and selected 3.5 SP1 Client Profile, when I ran the installer it told me that I needed .NET 4.0. So I found another place in the installer project where it tells it to use .NET 4.0 (double click .NET Framework in the dependencies list) and changed that to 3.5 SP1 Client Profile as well. So now it installs... but then when I try and run the program I've installed it errors saying that 3.5 SP1 is required!? I then found that just changing the version of the .NET framework in the dependencies list doesnt actually change the URL it uses to download the framework... so it was still downloading 4.0. I changed that URL so it does now actually download 3.5 SP1 Client Profile but I still get this damn error saying that 3.5 SP1 is required to run my program (and yes all projects for this app are set to target the client profile not the full version of 3.5).
So anyway now I'm resorting to having the full 3.5 framework as a prerequisite instead of the client profile and we will see how that goes... but that's a rubbish solution because it means instead of the 30 MB download for the client profile my users could face the 200 MB download for the full framework

So the upshot is, I've now spent almost 2 hours trying to create an installer project which should have taken 5 minutes and I'm left wondering how the hell a program as big as VS makes it out of BETA stage with issues like this.

/RANT

[Shaggy Hiker]

Hmmm, never had an issue, but that may be because of one of these two reasons:

1) I wasn't paying attention and am using 4 when I meant to target 3.5.
2) I made the change early in the dev cycle.

[techgnome]

Here's how I got around that... when creating the project in the first place, select the framework version from the project type dialog... cuts out all those problems.

-tg

[chris128]

Here's how I got around that... when creating the project in the first place, select the framework version from the project type dialog... cuts out all those problems.

-tg

That doesnt get around all of the problems with the installer project though. If I create a new setup project, select 3.5 from the drop down list on the project type dialog, it is still set to download the 4.0 framework.

Also, I have to change the project to target 4.0 when I'm working on the project at work because it goes incredibly slow if I target 3.5 but then when I'm working on it at home I change it to 3.5 because that is what it is actually meant to target.

[Shaggy Hiker]

The project goes slow when targeting 3.5? I am sure I haven't seen that. I mostly target 3.5, and have not noticed any difference in speed, or any slow performance, regardless of where I am.

[chris128]

Yeah I know - that is not an issue with VS, that is an issue with my work PC. I'm guessing our company antivirus is probably set to scan the directories where the 3.5 assemblies live but not the 4.0 ones or something like that. I was just explaining though that that's my reason for not just setting the correct target framework version when I create the project and leaving it like that.

[Shaggy Hiker]

HA!! I just ran into what you created this post about. I had started a new project in 4.0, and had done a modest amount of work before I realized that it was in 4.0, when I had actually meant to target 3.5. I made the change...and had to edit a resx file, just like you stated.

That really is bizarre. I agree with your rant.

[chris128]

haha thank you I was going to log it on the MS Connect site but I figure its such a blatantly obvious issue that surely someone else has done it already... if I get a few mins tomorrow I might have a look on there though.

[techgnome]

If you do log it, or find it, post a link... I'll vote for it.

Does seem like something that's pretty basic.

-tg