References Folder

The References folder contains a list of all classes available for the project. You can add a reference for a project by right-clicking the References Folder and selecting Add Reference. For more information, see Add Project References. The base references included in all Studio projects are:

OpenSpan – OpenSpan.dll in the program's installation folder
OpenSpan.Runtime – OpenSpan.Runtime.dll in the program installation folder
OpenSpan.Automation (for projects containing an automation) – OpenSpan.Automation.dll in the program's installation folder
System – System.dll in the Microsoft.Net\Framework version folder
System.Data – System.Data.dll in the Microsoft.Net\Framework version folder
System.Drawing – System.Drawing.dll in the Microsoft.Net\Framework version folder
System.xml – System.Xml.dll in the Microsoft.Net\Framework version folder

As project items are added, the corresponding required resource assembly files display under the References folder in Solution Explorer. For example, adding a Windows application adapter to a project adds the OpenSpan.Adapters and OpenSpan.Adapters.Windows references.

Note: During the build process, the compiler builds the project assembly and uses the references listed in the project. If the project cannot be built due to missing references, errors are generated and displayed in the error list. If this occurs, return to the project and use the Add Reference option to add the missing assemblies. You can identify missing references before in the image's corner and will have an empty Path property value in the Properties window.

Right-clicking a reference provides the following options.

Option

Description

Remove

Removes the reference from the project. Use this function after you have deleted a component or project item that has an associated assembly that is no longer needed for the project. Studio does not automatically remove any references even for deleted components, you must do this manually using the Remove function.

Properties

Selecting this option displays the file properties in the Properties window:

Name – Shows the default name of the reference.
Copy Local – Not used for Studio projects.
Path – Shows the location of the reference.
Type – Displays either Assembly or Project (for references added from Studio projects).