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In Visual Studio, the context menu command for adding an element in a WinForms project is different by the one showed for a WPF project. In fact, I can see "Add->Windows Form" in the first and "Add->Window" in the second. By which parameter/configuration VisualStudio can differentiate which kind of project is currently opened? My first bet was the .csproj file but I can see nothing distinctive about the project type.

Aiguil Leblanc
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4 Answers4

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There is often a ProjectTypeGuids element in the project file that allows Visual Studio to determine what project type it is. It's also stated in the solution file, referencing the project.

<ProjectTypeGuids>{FAE04EC0-301F-11D3-BF4B-00C04F79EFBC}</ProjectTypeGuids>

as an example.

Here's a somewhat old link to a list of project guids, but most are still valid: http://onlinecoder.blogspot.se/2009/09/visual-studio-projects-project-type.html

And here's a blogpost, outlining what it's all about:

http://www.dzimchuk.net/blog/post/ProjectTypeGuids-node-in-VS-project-files.aspx

"On a regular class library project the ‘ProjectTypeGuids’ node was missing at all. It didn’t take long to find what those mysterious GUID’s are about: List of known project type Guids. So the first one says it’s a WPF project and the second one says it’s a C# project."

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J. Steen
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ProjectTypeGuids identify the type of project that Visual Studio recognizes. It is contained in the project file and solution file. A project can belong to multiple project types such as C# and VSTO.

WPF has a GUID of {60dc8134-eba5-43b8-bcc9-bb4bc16c2548} while WinForms has a GUID of {FAE04EC0-301F-11D3-BF4B-00C04F79EFBC} with OutputType WinExe.

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SliverNinja - MSFT
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It is actually a GUID in the .sln file that identifies the project type.

Project("{PROJECT-TYPE-GUID}") = "OurSolution.Tests.Integration", "OurSolution.Tests.Integration\OurSolution.Tests.Integration.csproj", "{04A96D9A-FF90-4FDC-9265-704CC8D496BE}"
Myrtle
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  • While, yes, it's in the solution file as well, it's originally in the proj-file if it's anything but a class library. Otherwise it'd be damned difficult to import a project into another solution. =) – J. Steen Jul 24 '12 at 12:55
  • @J. Steen Thank you, didn't know that. I wonder what receives priority when loading using a solution. – Myrtle Jul 24 '12 at 12:56
  • I'd assume the solution file, considering it loads first - but I'm far from certain - so I guess the _actual_ answer to the question "how does VS know" would be, as you've said: the solution file. ;) – J. Steen Jul 24 '12 at 12:57
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Almost right, it's in the solution file. Search for the property ProjectTypeGuids.

Here's a list of some GUID's for project types: http://www.mztools.com/articles/2008/mz2008017.aspx

Edit: see this post for answers as well: How do you tell the Visual Studio project type from an existing Visual Studio project

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Zenuka
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