Using the same App_Code classes across websites

Question

Let's say you have a solution with two website projects, Website A and Website B. Now inside Website A's App_Code folder, there is a Class X defined in a ClassX.cs file. What do you do if Website B also needs access to ClassX.cs?

Is there any way to share this file across App_Code folders? Assume that moving the file to a common library is out of the question.

Answer 1

Please please don't use these unholy website projects. Use Web Application projects instead, pack your shared classes into a library project and reference it from all your Web Applications.

Answer 2

Pack your shared classes into a Library (a DLL) and from each site right-click on add reference and select the library that you have created.

Answer 3

I don't believe that there is a way without moving ClassX into a new code library project. .NET requires all an assembly's dependencies to exist in the same folder as the assembly itself, or in the GAC, to be automatically detected.

You could try loading the assembly manually via the Reflection classes, although it's a bit hacky.

The best solution, if you have the time available and the inclination to undertake it, would be to go with JRoppert's solution of moving it to a web application project. You could then use web references (which work about as nicely as regular references inside VS) to refer to ClassX.

HTH

Answer 4

With the restriction of "Assume that moving the file to a common library is out of the question." the only way you could do this is to use NTFS junction points to essentially create a symlink to have the same .cs file in both folders.

This is a terrible option though (for versioning reasons)...moving it to a common library is the best option.

Here's the Wikipedia entry on NTFS junction points http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFS_junction_point

and here's a tool for creating them http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896768.aspx