can i use visual studio 2008 for a regular asp project

Question

i have taken over an asp project from a friend and he was basically just using notepad++ to develop. I would like to use visual studio 2008 but there is no project file or solution file at this point, just a bunch of asp pages and some images, css

the other trick is that he will still be developing for a bit but doesn't want to use VS.

what is the best way to "upgrade" this so i can use VS ide features and he can still use notepad++ without any issue?

EDIT: Thanks for the responses. One additional request. We will ultimately be looking at migrating this to an ASP.net mvc site. Would that change any of the answers below or should i start from scratch when that happens in terms of vs projects solutions?

Answer 1

Just create a blank solution (New Project > Other Project Types > Blank Solution) and then include all of the .asp files and any other relevant files.

Answer 2

You can just do File > Open > Web Site... and point VS at the folder containing the files. That should let you just edit the files. I say should as I don't have a classic ASP site to test this on.

Answer 3

Yes. We are currently using it that way to support a legacy .asp application. We have a project in one of the solutions for the .asp pages.

edit:

In response to your edit I wouldn't see a need to change anything when migrating to MVC. You'll be adding new project(s) to your solution containing the .asp code. If anything, having it all in one place might make your life a little easier during the transition. Our ASP.net site(s) are in the same solution as the .asp project.

edit (part deux): Using Notepad++ should present no issues. The edits would be to the .asp files (and .css, etc), not to the VS .proj file. I often use UE to edit the .asp files if I don't need to open the IDE. Assuming you're using a source repository of some sort...

Answer 4

When you start the MVC app, I'd start that one from scratch with a new project and then use your existing asp pages as starting points for your views.