Project Set Manager [2017-2019]

Description

NOTE For Visual Studio 2022, use this extension instead.

The Project Set Manager allows saving and restoring which projects are currently loaded in the solution in named profiles. This makes it easier to work with very large solutions where you frequently find yourself unloading and loading different sets of projects to speed build and load times based on what you are currently working on.

This extension adds a context menu to the Solution item in the Solution Explorer called "Load/Unload projects" which per default allows you to load/unload all the projects in the current solution. It also contains a command called "Show Manager" which will display a tool window where you can define, edit and delete sets of which projects should be loaded or unloaded. Each such set can then be loaded or unloaded in one of the following ways:

• Load, simply loads all the projects that are included in the set.
• Load and Unload others, that is match its definition completely by loading all projects  included in the set, and unload all other projects in the solution.
• Unload, unloads all projects included in the set.
• Unload and Load others, unloads all projects included in the set and loads all other projects in the solution.

The four most recently used project sets can be accessed from the solution context menu. All sets can be managed from the tool window.

The tool window can also be displayed from the View->Other Windows->Project Set Manager menu.

By default the project sets defined are stored in the .suo file saved together with the solution. But this can be changed in the options to save it instead to a separate file which can then be checked in to source control if this is desired.

The name of the external file is the same as the solution name, but with the extension .projectSets.json.

Changelog

Version 13.12:

• Added support for VS2022.

Version 1.3.11:

• Fixed a bug where the project sets would not be loaded upon solution load in some circumstances.

Version 1.3.7:

• Added support for VS2019.

Version 1.3.4:

• When using an external file for storage, the file is no longer created unless at least one project set exists.

Version 1.3.3:

• Fixed a bug where the saved projectSets file occasionally was saved as empty.

Version 1.3.2:

• The file format and file name of the external file has been changed. It is now in a json-format, and the filename is <solution>.projectSets.json. If you previously had a .vspsm checked in to source control, this file can be removed and the .projectSets.json file checked in instead.
• The external file is now only saved and checked out if any changes is actually made to it. (Previously it was checked out every time you saved the solution, even though its contents had not changed).