Migrating Web Application VS 2003 - VS 2005

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• Right click Solution in Solution Explorer and select "Covert to Web Applications"

Manual Project Migration Steps

The migration wizard does most of the migration activity for converting VS 2003 project to VS 2005. At this point if we view the "Error List" windows in the VS 2005 IDE, we can see many error and warnings. All these error/warning needs to be rectified manually. Most of the error/warning is due to the referencing, obsolete class etc.

Following is the list of the error/warning and their resolution steps:

Assembly Referencing: As we migrate the application, few of the assembly reference needs to be reconfigured. We can get list to the missing reference assembly by right clicking Solution Name ->Properties. In the properties window, select the Reference tab.

The Reference tab will list all the assemblies referenced by the application. Along with these assembly list, we can find the few assemblies with the Path specified as <The system cannot fine the referenced specified>. These are the assemblies whose reference is missing. We need to reconfigure the reference for these assemblies.

Action:

• Not down the assemblies whose path is missing
• Remove all these assemblies whose path is missing.
• Add the assembly reference for all the missing assemblies by selecting the correct path.

After adding the missing referenced assemblies, re-build the solution. The error count would be reduced after completion.

Unused Local Variable: During the course of development, we declare variables which are never used within the code. All such variables would be marked as "unused variables" by the VS 2005 IDE. We can get the list of unused variables in the warning tab of Error List window.

Action:

• Remove all unused variables.
• After removing all unused variables.
• Save the solution.

Variable Used before value assignment: During the course of development, we declare the variables/objects, but do not initialize them, and thus this is a potential for exception - NullValueException. To eliminate such exception, we need to initiate the variables/object before they are used.

Action:

• Get the variables which are not initialized from the warning tab of Error list.
• Initialize the variables wherever it is declared.

Member Variable Name: As per the CLS-complaint, no class or class member name can start with underscore (-). Thus all the member which start with underscore (-) needs to be changed.

Action:

• Locate the warning(s) "Name '_%MemberName%' is not CLS-compliant."
• Rename the variable by removing the underscore (-).

Shared Member Access: VS 2003 allowed a class objects to access the shared members of its class. But VS 2005 disqualifies reference to shared members of a class through its object. Instead we are supposed to access the shared members using the class name.

Action:

• Locate the warning(s) "Access of shared member, constant member, enum member or nested type through an instance; qualifying expression will not be evaluated."
• Access the shared member of a class using the class name instead of the object.

Function Not Returning Value: VS 2003 allowed defining functions which does not return value. Such function is marked as warning in VS 2005.

Action:

• Find the warning(s) " Function '%%Function Name%%' doesn't return a value on all code paths. A null reference exception could occur at run time when the result is used."
• If the function is not suppose to return value
  • Change it from Function to Sub
• If the function suppose to return value
  • Return the value from all the code path.

Obsolete Components/Function: Few VS 2003 .NET Library components have been marked as obsolete and newer components have been provided in VS 2005. All these obsolete components need to be replaced with the newer components.

Following is the list of the components which are marked obsolete:

System.Configuration.ConfigurationSettings:

This component is marked as obsolete and thus needs to be replaced with System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager

Action:

• Add reference to System.Configuration.dll .
  • Note: The System namespace does have the System.Configuration namespace. But its does not include the ConfigurationManager class. In order to reference this class we need to add the reference to System.Configuration.dll
• Change System.Configuration.ConfigurationSettings with System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager
  • E.g.
    • VS 2003 : System.Configuration.ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings.Item("SiteScope")
    • VS 2005 : System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.AppSettings.Item("SiteScope")
• Replace the above change through out the application, wherever System.Configuration.ConfigurationSettings is used.
• Save the solution.

System.Data.SQLClient.SQLParameter.Add(parameterName As String, value As Object) :

The method System.Data.SQLClient.SQLParameter.Add(parameterName As String, value As Object) is deprecated in VS 2005 and thus need to be changed with System.Data.SQLClient.SQLParameter.AddWithValue(parameterName As String, value As Object)

Action:

• Locate the warning(s) "Public Function Add(parameterName As String, value As Object) As System.Data.SqlClient.SqlParameter' is obsolete: 'Add(String parameterName, Object value) has been deprecated. Use AddWithValue(String parameterName, Object value)."
• Change System.Data.SQLClient.SQLParameter.Add(parameterName As String, value As Object) with System.Data.SQLClient.SQLParameter.AddWithValue(parameterName As String, value As Object)
  • VS 2003 : System.Data.SQLClient.SQLParameter.Add(parameterName As String, value As Object)
  • VS 2005 : System.Data.SQLClient.SQLParameter.AddWithValue(parameterName As String, value As Object)
• Save the Solution.

SystemSystem.Web.UI.Page.Title:

The System.Web.UI.Page.Title property is marked as overridable. Thus if is any of the web forms which is inherited from System.Web.UI.Page is using Title as its public property, then it needs to be marked as "overloads".

Action:

• Locate the warning(s) "property 'Title' shadows an overloadable member declared in the base class 'Page'. If you want to overload the base method, this method must be declared 'Overloads'."
• Mark the Property as "Overloads"
• Save the solution.

Page.IsClientScriptBlockRegistered:

The method Page.IsClientScriptBlockRegistered(key as String) is marked as obsolete in VS 2005 and thus need to be changed with ClienScript.IsClientScriptBlockRegistered(key as String).

Action:

• Locate the Page.IsClientScriptBlockRegistered(...) and replace it with ClientScript.IsClientScriptBlockRegistered(...)
• Save the Solution.

Page.RegisterStartupScript():

The method Page.RegisterStartupScript(...) is marked as obsolete in VS 2005 and thus need to be changed with ClienScript.RegisterStartupScript( Type , key as String, script As String).

Action:

• Locate the Page.RegisterStartupScript(...) and replace it with ClientScript.RegisterStartupScript(GetType(%%ClassName%%>, %%key%%, %%script%% )
• Save the Solution.

Page.RegisterOnSubmitStatement():

The method Page.RegisterOnSubmitStatement(...) is marked as obsolete in VS 2005 and thus need to be changed with ClienScript.RegisterOnSubmitStatement(...).

Action:

• Locate the Page.RegisterOnSubmitStatement(...) and replace it with ClientScript.RegisterOnSubmitStatement(...)
• Save the Solution.

Page.RegisterClientScriptBlock():

The method Page.RegisterClientScriptBlock(...) is marked as obsolete in VS 2005 and thus need to be changed with ClienScript.RegisterClientScriptBlock(...).

Action:

• Locate the Page.RegisterClientScriptBlock(...) and replace it with ClientScript.RegisterClientScriptBlock(GetType(%%ClassName%%>, %%key%%, %%script%% )
• Save the Solution.

Note: If the above scripting functions is used in UserControls then, we needs to reference these scripting functions as : Me.Page.ClientScript.%%ScriptingFunction%%

System.Web.Mail:

The System.Web.Mail class have been marked as obsolete in VS 2005, instead we need to use System.Net.Mail. Along with the namespace change, there are few new objects been introduced in the System.Net.Mail class:

System.Web.Mail.MailMessage:

The System.Web.Mail.MailMessage is marked as obsolete in VS 2005; instead we need to use System.Net.Mail.MailMessage.

Action:

• Locate warning System.Web.Mail.MailMessage' is obsolete: 'The recommended alternative is System.Net.Mail.MailMessage.
• Change the Import statment as following:
  • VS 2003 : Imports System.Web.Mail
  • VS 2005 : Imports System.Net.Mail

MailAddress:

The MailMessage class is used to send the mail. The mail properties like From, To, CC, BCC are string variable in VS 2003. But in VS 2005, these properties are of type 'MailAddress'. The 'MailAddress' is a new class introduced in VS 2005. This class is used to store the email address.

Action:

• Locate the error: Value of type 'String' cannot be converted to 'System.Net.Mail.MailAddress'
• Change the setting of email address for From, To, CC, BCC properties of System.Net.Mail.MailMessage object.
  • Property To :
    • VS 2003 : .To = %%String%%
    • VS 2005 : .To.Add(New MailAddress(%%String%%))
  • Property From :
    • VS 2003 : .From = %%String%%
    • VS 2005 : .From = New MailAddress(%%String%%)

SmtpMail:

For sending the mail using the SMTP, SMTPMail object is used in VS 2003. This class has been marked as obsolete, instead we need to use System.Net.Mail.SmtpClient class.

Action:

• Locate warning : System.Web.Mail.SmtpMail' is obsolete: 'The recommended alternative is System.Net.Mail.SmtpClient
• Declare a variable of type SMTPClient
  • Dim clientMail AS SmtpClient
• Remove the following lines from the code, which were used to send the mail
  SmtpMail.SmtpServer = ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings("SMTPServer")
  SmtpMail.Send(MailMessage)
• Add the following lines to the code for sending the mail
  clientMail = New SmtpClient
  clientMail.Send(MailMessaage)
• In step -3 above, we have removed the line which was reading the SMTPServer address from the config file and setting it to the SMTPMail class. We still need to configure the SMTPServer address for sending the mail. In VS 2005, the SMTPServer is configured in config file, but in a seperate XML tag

<System.Net>
    <system.net>
        <mailSettings>
            <smtp deliveryMethod="Network">
                <network
                host="MailServer"
                port="25"
                defaultCredentials="true"
                />
            </smtp>
        </mailSettings>
    </system.net>
</System.Net>

Compile/Run Application

The above process should eliminate most of the error/warnings from the application. If there are any other errors/warnings which are not mentioned above, please let me know, so that I can update the document accordingly.

After successfully resolution of errors/warnings, run the application and check each and every page for correct functioning.