GAT : Skeleton Pattern

Hello,

This entry describes another typical scenario where you can use GAT to automate certain VS Solution creation activities.

Driving forces
When developers in your organization want to create a new VS solution for an application , you want to help them in creating a typical structure of a multiple-project solution. You don’t want a describe everything in detail in a document but you want to automate as much as possible and make it available within the VS environment. You want also to add some possibility for customization of namespace and project naming.

Solution
Use the GAT to make a Guidance package that unfolds the “Skeleton” structure. Add some recipe wizards to collect initial information from the user. Install the Guidance Package on the developers machine to make the Guidance Package available in Visual Studio 2008. The developer can choose the “skeleton” from the Visual Studio 2008 new project–dialog to unfold the initial structure of the solution after entering initial values to create the skeleton.

Structure




Attention

• Guidance package ,GAT template for making Guidance Packages should be stripped to bare minimum before proceeding with own package creation
• References to assemblies, must exist on target machine (GAC or same folder : Hintpath !!!)
• Take care of parameter replacements ; In project files (references) and import statements in any code.
  
  
  

Alternatives

• Copy-paste a skeleton available in a source control system
• “Pure” VS2005 templates solution with parameter replacement and Wizard extension mechanism
  
  

Best regards,

Alexander