How can you access the Visual Studio solution level platform from a C# project's build event?

Question

We have a large VS 2010 solution that is mostly C# code but there are a few native DLLs that various C# projects depend upon (including our unit testing DLL). We\'re in the

Answer 1

I believe the solution's platform, unlike that of the projects is simply text.

What I have down in the past is:

1. Delete Win32 and "mixed platform" from solution (and keep doing so after adding projects).

2. Set all C# DLLs to build as AnyCPU in solution platforms AnyCPU, x86, x64. (Do not delete AnyCPU if you want to be able to open in Blend or if you have any pure managed applications in the solution.)

3. Set C# EXEs and unit tests to build in x86 in x86 solution platform and x64 in x64 solution platform and not to build at all in AnyCPU solution platform.

4. Set all natives to build in Win32 when solution is x86 and output to $(ProjectDir)\bin\x86\$(Configuration) and intermediate to same with obj in path instead of bin. x64 the same with x64 instead of x86 and Win32.

5. Set pre build events of C# EXEs and unit tests to copy native DLLs they are depended on from relative path with project's configuration name: $(Config)

6. Set unit tests' class initialize to copy entire contents of tests bin dir (correct platform and configuration, of course) to tests' out dir. Use if #DEBUG and unsafe sizeof(IntPtr) to tell where to look for tests' bin dir.

7. Manually (using Notepad) add relative reference path to .csproj files outside solution that use x86/x64 assemblies from solution's deployment location, so path will include $(Platform) and $(Configuration) and will not be per user.

Microsoft: Better 32/64 bit support in Visual Studio would be really in place.