Open Project Dialog Box

Use the Open Project dialog box to open an existing project or an existing solution (.sln file). When you open a project, you can open it in the active solution or you can close the active solution before you open the project. By choosing to open a project in the active solution, you add the project to the solution. (This is like adding a project to a solution by using the Add Existing Project dialog box.)

Note

When you add an existing project to an active solution, the project becomes available from at least two solutions. For more information about the effect of having projects in multiple solutions, see Introduction to Solutions, Projects, and Items.

When you open a solution, all projects and files associated with the solution are also opened. For a conceptual overview of solutions and projects, see Introduction to Solutions, Projects, and Items.

Security Note:
Before you open an existing project or component, determine the trustworthiness of the code before you open it in the Visual Studio designer. When a project or component is opened in the Visual Studio designer, code from that project or component automatically runs in the trusted process of devenv.exe on your computer.

To open the Open Project dialog box, point to Open on the File menu and then click Project/Solution.

• Look in
  Use to locate the folder that contains the project or solution. When a folder is selected, its contents are displayed in the pane underneath the Look in box.

My Places Bar

• Desktop
  Displays the files and folders located on the desktop.

• My Projects
  Displays the files and folders in the location specified in the General, Projects and Solutions, Options Dialog Box.

• My Computer
  Displays the contents of the floppy disk, hard disk, CD drive, or other drive connected to your computer.

• <Source Control Plug-in>
  Displays the contents of a source control database or repository. For more information, see How to: Open a Project or Solution from Source Control.

Folder List

• Object name
  Use this option to filter the files and folders that are displayed. Enter a full or partial file name on which to filter. You can use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard.

  Tip

  Navigate to Web and network locations by entering a URL or network path in the Object name box. For example, "http://mywebsite" displays the files available on the "mywebsite" Web site and "\\myserver\myshare" displays the files available in the "myshare" location on "myserver."

  Note

  If you try to open and build Visual C++ projects over a network, you will experience problems. Visual C++ does not perform any special operations to accommodate network drives and shares, and it is unaware whether the file it is reading or writing is on a network drive or a local drive. Use of Visual C++ in this manner is not supported. For more information, see Microsoft Help and Support, and then search for article 255252.

• Objects of type
  Use this option to look for a particular file type in the folder selected in the Look in box. Default filters for the most common file types are listed for each project.

  Note

  Visual Studio retains the location and filter parameters of the active project until Visual Studio is closed.

• Add to Solution
  Select this radio button to add the project to the active solution. The solution remains open in the integrated development environment (IDE). This option appears only when a solution is open.

  Note

  By choosing to open a project in the active solution, you add the project to the solution. (This is similar to adding a project to a solution by using the Add Existing Project dialog box.) When you add an existing project to an active solution, the project becomes available from at least two solutions. For more information on the effect of having projects in multiple solutions, see Introduction to Solutions, Projects, and Items.

• Close Solution
  Select this radio button to close the active solution before you open the selected project. Visual Studio 2008 prompts you to save any changes before the solution is closed. If Visual Studio 2008 cannot find the parent solution of the project, a new solution is created in an unsaved state. This option appears only when a solution is open.

If you want to open a project or solution that is in a Visual SourceSafe database, click My SourceSafe Stores on the My Places Bar to display the following columns in the folder list:

• Item
  Lists the Visual SourceSafe databases that you have opened previously and enables you to add a database to the list.

• Details
  Displays the location of each Visual SourceSafe database.

When you open a database, the following columns are displayed:

• Item
  Lists the files or subfolders in the current project folder.

• Destination Folder
  Displays the location of the working folder for each item. For more information, see How to: Open a Project or Solution from Source Control.

Toolbar

• Go To Last Folder Visited
  

  Returns the most recently viewed folder, drive, or Internet location.

• Up One Level
  

  Navigates to the next highest folder in the hierarchy.

• Create New Folder
  

  Displays the New Folder dialog box. Use this option to create a new subfolder under the folder selected in the Look in box.

• View Menu
  

  Changes the view of the items in the dialog box to one of the following:

  • Thumbnails: Displays thumbnail pictures of the items.

  • Tiles: Displays items as large icons.

  • Icons: Displays items as small icons.

  • List: Displays items in a list format.

  • Details: Displays the name, size, type, and last-modified date of items in a list format. To sort by one kind of detail, click its column header.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Create Solutions and Projects

Concepts

Introduction to Solutions, Projects, and Items

Solutions as Containers

Reference

General, Projects and Solutions, Options Dialog Box

Web Browser, Environment, Options Dialog Box

Other Resources

Managing Solutions, Projects, and Files

Projects, User Interface Elements