A simple macro to change the Target Framework for a project from .NET 2.0 to .NET 3.5, hacked together in a few minutes. This will fail for C++/CLI projects, and possibly VB.NET projects (haven't checked). Works fine for regular C# projects, as well as web projects:

For Each proj As Project In DTE.Solution.Projects
   Try
       proj.Properties.Item("TargetFramework").Value = 196613
       Debug.Print("Upgraded {0} to 3.5", proj.Name)
   Catch ex As Exception
       Debug.Print("Failed to upgrade {0} to 3.5", proj.Name)
   End Try

Next proj

Why 196613, you ask? Well, when I see such a number my first instinct is to feed it into calc.exe and switch it to hexadecimal. And I was right: 196613 in decimal converts to 0x00030005 - You can see the framework version hiding in there. Major version in the high word, minor in the low word. The previous TargetFramework number was 131072 - 0x00020000, or 2.0.

(Nitpickers might point out that I could simply set it to &30005 rather than messing with the obscure decimal number. They would be correct - but I got to this number through the debugger, so that's how it will stay)

2 Comments

• anas said Sunday, May 25, 2008 5:31:24 PM

  where i can write that ? in the .net 2. project ? can i write a another one that reverse the operation ?

• Avner Kashtan said Sunday, May 25, 2008 9:58:57 PM

  Write it as a macro in Visual Studio 2008 (Tools -> Macro). Then simply run it with F5 from the Macro editing environment, while your solution is open. To reverse the operation, just replace the number with the one for .NET 2.0 (&20000).