How can I open a project without opening its associated solution in Visual Studio?

Question

I have a solution that contains few projects. The problem is that when I want to open just one of the projects by clicking on the specific .csproj file, it opens all the solution.

How can I open just one project?

Thanks.

Illuminating

Answer 1

You can create a new solution, and add this project to the solution. Then this project will have a solution of it's own.

Lines

Took me a few minutes to find out how to create a blank solution. For anyone else, in VS 2013 it's New Project -> Installed -> Other Project Types (expand rather than select) -> Visual Studio Solutions -> Blank Solution. – Mohur

If using the cli: dotnet new sln > dotnet sln add PROJECT_NAME – Edwardedwardian

Answer 2

It's a hack but rename the .sln file to some other extension temporarily, then double click the csproj. Visual Studio seems to have intellismarts about detecting solutions.

Stempson

No help me. VS2015 still open renamed solution. – Extradition

Worked for me in VS2015 by renaming the extension. In VS2015 I didn't see an obvious way to create a new solution with no projects. – Neely

This was perfect for me as I only wanted to temporarily open the project without its solution. – Declinature

Still works VS2019. I hate when software "tries to be smart" – Stonework

Answer 3

The only way I have been able to do this is to remove the project from the main solution and save it and close it.

You should now be able to open the solution and the project file independently.

Note: opening the csproj file will create a new solution for you.

Odoric

Answer 4

Why do I want to open a single project from a solution? I have a solution with 66 subprojects, so it is helpful if you can only edit a single project. I have already tried many possibilities, as described above. Today I mostly do it with the command "Scope to this" in the project explorer. So I have the focus only on one project. So I hope this tip was helpful for you :-)

Fribourg

Answer 5

Depending on your needs. I just want to open the project so I copied the projectfolder to a temp folder and then I just open the project. But I don't want it in version control and all edits will be lost unless overwrite to the original folder.

Semipalatinsk

Answer 6

You can't. The basic unit of Visual Studio is a solution.

Auvergne

You can have projects independent of solution files. I.e. no solution file at all. Yes, the "Solution Explorer" will still look like there is a solution whether you have a solution file or not, but it doesn't really mean anything with out the file. But you did not answer what Itay.B was asking. He was asking how to open a project separately from a solution it was already part of. – Carpel