How to Write External Dependencies for an IT Project

Visual Studio automatically creates a dependency when you add a reference to a project.

Project dependency or coupling refers to IT projects that are linked together for the primary purpose of consuming code generated by earlier projects. A dependency is said to be external when using code from an external source in your solution or interacting with external applications or services. For example, your solution may rely on certain Web services to enable a specific type of browser or Web functionality. You can use an integrated development environment (IDE) such as Microsoft Visual Studio to write dependencies by creating references to other projects or external services.

Instructions

Reference another Project as an External Dependency

1. Select the IT project in the Solution Explorer window for which you would like to add an external dependency.

2. Right-click on the project and choose “Add Reference” from the drop-down menu that appears.

3. Select a project from the Project tab and click the “OK” button.

4. Right-click on the project and choose “Project Dependencies” to see the dependencies and project build order based on the dependencies you set. For example, if Project A depends on Project B, then the build order will ensure that Project B is created before Project A.

Referencing a Web Service as an External Dependency

1. Select the IT project in the Solution Explorer window for which you would like to add an external dependency.

2. Right-click on the project and choose “Add Web Reference” from the drop-down menu that appears.

3. Enter the URL for the Web service in the URL field. For example, the URL for Excel Web Services is written as "http://server name/_vti_bin/ExcelService.asmx?wsdl." "Server name" in this example refers to a SharePoint Server installation. You will see a list of services in the “Web services found at this URL” window.

4. Click “Add Reference” to add the Web reference to your Project.

Tips & Warnings

• The Project Dependencies dialog only works when you have multiple projects in a solution.

• You should be careful about adding too many external dependencies to your IT project. Having too many tightly coupled projects could cause your solution to fail quickly. A single project failure can start a negative chain reaction that results in other connected projects in your solution failing.

References

• Microsoft: How to: Create and Remove Project Dependencies
• eTutorials: 1.3 Solutions, Projects, and Dependencies
• Microsoft: Managing Dependencies
• Microsoft: Chapter 6 – Managing Source Control Dependencies in Visual Studio Team System