The Visual Micro menu called "File>Open>Arduino Project" will open existing arduino projects in the same solution.

The Visual Micro menu called "File>New>Arduino Project" will create a new arduino project and add it to the solution.

The two menu items are for new users like you.

A Visual Studio solution is a .sln file which is a text file. If you want to move a solution to organize the files into a better structure then use notepad to edit the paths in the .sln

The ideal file structure is

FolderTop\solution_my_projects.sln
   \Sub Folder: Project1
     project1.vcxproj (project)
     project2.ino
     .ino/.cpp/h
   \Sub Folder: Project2
     project2.vcxproj (project)
     project2.ino
     .ino/.cpp/h


If you use the Visual Micro menus they will make life easier. If you use the standard Visual Studio menus you should take time to study how Visual Studio works.

All Visual Studio config files are text/xml files so you can edit them or you can remove them and start again

You can use windows explorer sometimes it's easier

In Vs>

Empty Ide

"File>New>Project>Arduino" name Project1. Make sure the location points to FolderTop\Project1

This creates  project1. Click the solution in the solution explorer then click "File>Save As". Save the solution to FolderTop

"File>Add>Project>Arduino" name Project2. Make sure the location points to FolderTop\Project2

Make sense?

Okay maybe a little time working with single project solutions in standard ways would have allowed you to understand some things that would have helped

1) You can close the code tabs in visual studio. They open again when you click them in the solution explorer (when the project is open).

2) You need to use the standard "File>Add>New Project" wizard to create new projects in specific locations. The  "File>New>Arduino Project" MENU item is for novices and works the way the arduino IDE works by creating projects in the sketch book folder.

3) You should now close visual studio and use windows explorer to correct the arrangement of your files and folders.

You only need the following

TopLevel
  mySolution.sln
  \Project1
    Project1.ino
    Project1.vcxproj
  \Project2
    Project2.ino
    Project1.vcxproj
   

After you have this simple structure and you have deleted all your duplicate or failed attempts you can edit the .sln file in the topLevel with notepad and ensure that only the two projects are referenced in it. Then save the changes to the .sln in notepad.

Then open the .sln in Visual Studio

note: there are other ways to achieve this result but it's not the function of this forum to guide people about basic visual studio use because it is already documented by microsoft.

Thanks.

Your structure is still confused. It's much simpler than you think but you should make sure each project has a unique name otherwise the compiler cache won't be as effective.

Zip your top level folder and all sub folders into a single zip and attach here. It will be easier to see what you have.

The onedrive link isn't valid. you can email to info[at]visualmicro.com

It might be a great way to learn but I'd be charging a lot if I normally supported the dev environments as well as visual micro 

Attached is 3 projects below a solution called RF_Communications

Always open the RF_Communications.sln in the root. After you do this is will be on the File>Recent list and the recent list on the Start Page. 

notes: 

If you attempt to open a vcxproj or .ino from an empty IDE the IDE will create a new solution for you. The same project can be included in many different solutions but it gets confusing so stick to the RF_Communications.sln

If you open the RF_Communications.sln then you can Add Existing or Add New projects to the solution. You can also right click a project in the solution explorer to Remove them from the solution. I suggest you use test solutions to study how projects can be added and removed from solutions. I edited the .lsn, vcxproj and .vcxproj.filter files to correct/organize your existing solution. You could also delete the .sln, create a new solution in RF_Communications then right click the explorer and "add existing project" for each of your existing three projects.

You have three projects not five. I remove duplicates from below some of the projects. You should not allow projects to exist below projects but I suspect the "File>New>Project" wizard confused you because it attempts to create a solution folder with the project folder below that. Makes sense once you understand the system but it's alien speak for new users

Perhaps you would not have people like me taking up your time if VM included pseudocode precise instructions covering the things we are discussing in Creating a New Project at http://www.visualmicro.com/page/User-Guide.aspx?doc=Create-New-project.html or a similar page.  If I had found that, I wouldn't have started this thread.   

I know what you mean but consider this:-

The VS users want to know what an arduino project is, what arduino libraries are and why they can't use dlls on arduino
The arduino people want to know what a visual studio solution is and how to add/remove projects from a solution
The GDB debug users want to know how to use gdb
The Serial debug users want to know how to use GDB
Most users want to know what the Arduino sketch book folder is and how to install user libs
A lot of people want to know how to write or fix Arduino code.
Microsoft and Arduino both release new IDE's quite often and each brings a whole pile of differences.
and the list goes on ....

I do agree that new users would benefit from an overview of Visual Studio solutions and projects but it's standard stuff that is documented and blogged by many, it's relatively easy for users to find this information along with all the other Arduino or Visual Studio features. 

I want to produce and support a plugin for people that is mainly free. It's a big job and to provide anymore would mean stopping the free version.

Finally, did you create a single project and learn how it works before jumping in with multiple projects? That would probably have helped you understand the various components of a project and solution. New users would normally be very confused by documentation of a multiple project solution so it's also important not to confuse the docs with too much clutter.

Ok, I'm not at my machine but it will download if you grab the url that appears in the horrible white window when you click the link. It's just telling you the real location of the zip.

Thanks

Hi Tim

Boy, now I AM confused.  I thought I was already confused.   

1.  Your file structure is not that shown in the top illustration on the 'About Projects and Solutions' page at http://www.visualmicro.com/page/User-Guide.aspx?doc=Projects-and-Solutions.html.  That structure is three tiers, yours only two.

2.  You appear to have moved files from where VS put them (for me) to where you wanted them (the top-level SLN for example).  The thought terrifies me.     How does the SLN now know where the files are?

3.  You seem a bit choosy about which files and folders you keep.  I guess that if you wipe them out the VS will make them again if it needs them.

4.  I can't work out how you could have created this structure directly in VS.  You must have shifted things around using Windows Explorer.

5.  What happens if I now want to create an header file common to both working files (which is what my HLL programming instincts tell me to do, what my Arduino experience tells me is a no-no, and what I am not going to do in this project.  This question is rhetorical and can be comfortable ignored.)? 

Cheers

Thanks Tim.

I think this is a key
Quote:


Planning before production.  Look before you leap.