Debug into asp.net mvc source code?

Question

Have you tried to debug into asp.net mvc source code?

I have a project and I want to link to asp.net mvc source code instead of the compiled dll in the GAC. I also have another validation library (xVal) which also uses the asp.net mvc dll. It seems that if I just replace my reference to asp.net mvc dll with the asp.net mvc project, the xVal will give me compiler error.

Do I need replace all those third party libraries with the source code project if I want to use the asp.net mvc source code?

Thanks,

Answer 1

If you just want to debug against the provided DLL, you can install the symbols for System.Web.Mvc.dll. You'll be able to set breakpoints in the code, get better stack traces, etc. To do so, enter debugging mode then in the Debug menu, select Windows > Modules. Right click on the DLL in the Modules tab, the Load Symbols > From Symbol Servers. That'll download and install the symbols, and off you go.

Answer 2

I believe you don't need to reference the ASP.NET MVC project at all.
All you need is:

1. Get the PDB files for the assemblies you need to reference (just compile them ASP.NET MVC in Debug Mode).
2. Drop them into the app bin directory.
3. If it does not pick them you can manually load them from Debug->Windows->Modules.

Answer 3

I've written an article on how to debug ASP.NET MVC using source code which you may find useful. It gives a more detailed explanation of how to add MVC v1.0 source code to a Visual Studio project, for debugging.