
NET Framework target of the project to one that includes the reference.įor more information about assembly references, see Resolve assemblies at design time. If you want to enable such a reference, reset the. NET Framework version.) References that belong to a framework version that's higher than the targeted version won't resolve, and controls that depend on such a reference can't be added. NET Framework version so that they can't be inadvertently added to a project. NET Framework projects, the Add Reference dialog box disables system assemblies that don't pertain to the target. You can download developer packs for different versions of. NET version, you must first install the appropriate assembly references. Resolve system and user assembly references It filters menu options to omit options that aren't available in the targeted version.įor builds, it uses the version of the compiler and the compiler options that are appropriate for the targeted version.ĭepending on the target framework, it can be represented in the following ways in the project file: It filters properties in the Properties window to omit those that aren't available in the targeted version. It filters IntelliSense to omit language features that aren't available in the targeted version. It filters custom controls in the Toolbox to remove those that aren't available in the targeted version and to show only the most up-to-date controls when multiple controls are available. It filters items in the Add New Item dialog box, the Add New Reference dialog box, and the Add Service Reference dialog box to omit choices that aren't available in the targeted version. When you work on a project that targets an earlier framework version, Visual Studio dynamically changes the development environment, as follows:

NET that a project targets, Visual Studio makes any required changes to references and configuration files. NET in each of several projects in the same solution. You can target multiple frameworks in a single project. NET Framework project, you can specify the version of the.

When you open a project that targets an earlier framework version, Visual Studio can automatically upgrade the project or leave the target as-is.

Framework targeting featuresįramework targeting includes the following features:

For more information, see Multitargeting. You can also target applications for different platforms.
