Web.config transformation with SlowCheetah and ASP.NET Web site project

Question

I'm trying to use SlowCheetah XML Transforms with an ASP.NET Web site project (not an ASP.NET Web Application Project) in Visual Studio 2010.

When I right click on the Web.config file in my ASP.NET Web site project, I don't see "Add Transform" item in the contextual menu.

(Note: it works well when a try with an ASP.NET Web Application Project).

• Is it possible to use SlowCheetah with an ASP.NET Web site project ?
  Or it's impossible "by design" because this kind of project has limitations ?

May be there is a workaround merging the "*.targets" files of the "Web Deployment Project 2010" and SlowCheetah...

Thibaut

Aren't web site projects extinct? ;) – Ronen

Well, I like "compile-on-the-fly" functionality and the magic Profile class with ASP.NET Web Site Project ;-) – Thibaut

No website projects are not extinct. – Brook

Website projects ought to be extinct. – Zwick

There is some good news for Website projects: blogs.msdn.com/b/webdev/archive/2012/08/06/… – Thibaut

@SpaceBison website project is awesome, you are missing out – Brook

@Ubikuity here is the follow up post to the link you posted blogs.msdn.com/b/webdev/archive/2012/11/20/… – Brook

FYI see my answer below regarding how to vote for this feature for those interested. – Brook

Answer 1

SlowCheetah doesn't support website projects. What behavior were you envisioning here for website projects? For WAP projects they are kicked in during package/publish. For the Web deployment project suggestion I have created an issue to track that at https://github.com/sayedihashimi/slow-cheetah/issues/4, but I'm not sure how that would actually work. I'll have to think about that for a bit.

Update

Website project now has the same publishing support as Web application project, http://blogs.msdn.com/b/webdev/archive/2012/11/20/new-web-publish-updates.aspx, if you would like SlowCheetah to support transforming XML files please vote for it at: https://slowcheetah.uservoice.com/forums/185106-general/suggestions/3398137-support-for-website-project

Brook

Web Deployment Project allows replacements but not transformations of the Web.config (and I would like to avoid maintaining several *.config files). For the moment, I use XmlPreProcess xmlpreprocess.codeplex.com but I'm looking for an alternative. – Thibaut

Have you thought about using the TransformXml task from MSBuild? I have blogged about how to do this at sedodream.com/2010/11/18/…. – Brook

No, I didn't know this possibility (I'm new to MSBuild stuff). Thank you for the information. – Thibaut