How to: Reverse-Engineer Projects in Existing Solutions

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In Application Designer, you can reverse-engineer projects whose application types can be visualized on the application diagram. For more information, see Application Types and Prototypes for Defining Applications.

Note

The solution must first contain an application diagram. For more information, see How to: Add Application Diagrams to Solutions.

To reverse-engineer projects, add them to the solution. You can also reverse-engineer other items in an existing solution. For more information, see Considerations for Reverse-Engineering in Existing Solutions.

To add a Web site or Web service project to the solution

  • In Solution Explorer, right-click the solution node, point to Add, and choose one of the following:

    • New Web Site. In the Add New Web Site dialog box, select the type, language, and physical location of the Web site or Web service and click OK.

    • Existing Web Site. In the Add Existing Web Site dialog box, browse and select the Web site or Web service you want to add and click Open.

    In Solution Explorer, Visual Studio adds the Web site or Web service project to the solution. The Web site or Web service appears on the application diagram as an implemented ASP.NET Web application with any appropriate endpoints and connections.

    Note

    When adding Web projects from a remote site, the server must support FrontPage Server Extensions. For more information, see Remote IIS Web Sites.

To add a Windows or Office application project to the solution

  • In Solution Explorer, right-click the solution node, point to Add, and choose one of the following:

    • New Project. In the Add New Project dialog box, select the language and application type, enter the application name and location, and then click OK.

      Note

      You can reverse-engineer Windows and Office applications in Visual Basic and Visual C#.

    • Existing Project. In the Add Existing Project dialog box, browse and select the project file you want and click Open.

    In Solution Explorer, Visual Studio adds the project to the solution. The corresponding application type appears on the application diagram as an implemented application with any appropriate endpoints and connections.

See Also

Concepts

Overview of Application Designer

Other Resources

Defining Applications on Application Diagrams

Defining Communication Pathways on Application Diagrams

Designing Applications with Application Designer