/slnconverter

A tool to convert Visual Studio Solution files (sln) into/out of xml, to aid in reconciling differences and merges

Primary LanguageC#

Sln Converter

A tool (still in alpha!) to convert Visual Studio Solution files (sln) into/out of xml, to aid in reconciling differences and merges.

I built this tool to enable safe and reliable diffing of complex VS solution files. The converter translates the solution file into a structured format - it is not just a map from SLN format to XML.

Main features are:

  • SLN -> XML / XML -> SLN bidrection lossless conversion
  • Structured XML to clearly document the Solution's Folder structure
  • Minimised or eliminated GUIDs where possible
  • Provides a sample powershell script to automatically convert 2 files to XML, and pass them to Beyond Compare

NOTE: With a little configuration, it is possible to make the last point automatic within Beyond Compare. This can be acheived by configuring a new file format for *.sln, and defining a conversion tool for loading and saving.

Loading: "path\to\SlnCompare\Laan.SolutionConverter.exe" -i %s -o %t -m xml

Saving: "path\to\SlnCompare\Laan.SolutionConverter.exe" -i %s -o %t -m sln

If the SLN file format is defined as a clone of XML then you get colour highlighting as well!

Enjoy!