How ASP.NET compiles its assemblies generally confuses me. It seems that I cannot program against anything outside the *App_Code* folder. In the application I am working on I have several server side controls and a few user controls. The user controls are outside the *App_Code* folder and I cannot refer to them from the *App_Code* folder. It is a "Web Site" project.
How can I refer to the UserControls from the *App_Code* directory? Is this a compilation issue?
Thanks in advance.
The way that I have gotten around the app_code issue is by putting all of my classes into a separate project and include the dll from that project as a reference in the web project. That also allows me to reuse the classes in other applications. I believe this is a common practice for business logic and data access when building an application using an n-tier environment.
Yes, it is a compilation issue, read a bit more about this same question at
Whilst I'm sure suggesting you convert the web site to a web application is something you have considered doing and rejected, it may be the way forward if accessing your user controls is something you're looking to do frequently.
Are you sure you're referencing the namespace which contains the user controls?