I know there are other questions regarding this subject, and I've looked at this question, but I'd like to see a little bit more discussion and information on both sides of this - is it a better practice to add a project to a solution and reference the project, or to add a reference to the .dll?
A:
Well, project references are helpful when you are building and testing in both debug and release mode. If you directly add a DLL then you are locked into whatever that particular DLL was built as. The project reference allows this to be a build time decision.
Taylor Leese
2010-06-15 18:07:21
+1
A:
It's not much of a choice. If you have a solution with both projects then there's no point in not using a project reference. If your solution doesn't have the project then you have to use an assembly reference.
So the real question should probably be: do I create a solution with both projects? Yes, as long as the project is still in the debug stage and liable to require bug fixes.
Hans Passant
2010-06-15 18:37:43
+1
A:
If you only have the dll then your stuck with a dll reference (obviously).
If you have the source then it's usually better to use a project reference. There might be cases where you have a utility library that's never going to change, but if there's the slightest chance of you needing a bug fix then having a project reference is going to make debugging a lot easier.
ChrisF
2010-06-15 18:41:04