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Recent Solutions

Quickly access and reopen recently used .NET solutions.

Overview​

The Recent Solutions feature maintains a history of solutions you've worked with, allowing you to quickly reopen them without navigating the file system.

Accessing Recent Solutions​

From Solution Explorer​

  1. Open the Solution Explorer
  2. Look for the "Recent Solutions" section or dropdown
  3. View your recently opened solutions
  4. Click to reopen a solution

From Command Palette​

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P
  2. Type "C# Solution Explorer: Open Recent Solution"
  3. Select from the list of recent solutions
  4. The solution opens immediately

Recent Solutions List​

The list shows:

  • Solution Name: Display name of the solution
  • Path: Full path to the solution file
  • Last Opened: When you last worked with the solution
  • Workspace: Workspace folder if in multi-root workspace

Features​

Quick Reopen​

  • One-click access to recent solutions
  • Faster than browsing file system
  • No need to remember file paths
  • Organized by recency

Automatic Tracking​

Solutions are automatically added when:

  • Opening a solution file
  • Loading a workspace with a solution
  • Creating a new solution
  • Switching between solutions

List Management​

The recent solutions list:

  • Maintains order by last access time
  • Automatically removes deleted solutions
  • Limits to a configurable number of entries
  • Persists across VS Code sessions

Clearing Recent Solutions​

Clear Single Entry​

  1. Hover over a recent solution entry
  2. Click the "Remove" icon (X)
  3. Entry is removed from the list

Clear All Recent Solutions​

  1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
  2. Type "C# Solution Explorer: Clear Recent Solutions"
  3. Confirm the action
  4. All recent solutions are cleared

Configuration​

Configure recent solutions behavior:

  1. Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,)
  2. Search for "csharp-dev-tools.recentSolutions"
  3. Adjust settings:
    • Maximum number of recent solutions
    • Auto-remove deleted solutions
    • Sort order preference

Settings​

Maximum Recent Solutions​

csharp-dev-tools.recentSolutions.maxCount

  • Default: 10
  • Range: 1-50
  • Controls how many solutions to remember

Auto-Remove Invalid​

csharp-dev-tools.recentSolutions.autoRemoveInvalid

  • Default: true
  • Automatically removes solutions that no longer exist

Use Cases​

Project Switching​

Quickly switch between multiple active projects:

  1. Work on Project A
  2. Switch to Project B via recent solutions
  3. Return to Project A later
  4. No file browsing needed

Client Projects​

Manage multiple client solutions:

  • Each client has their own solution
  • Quick access to any client project
  • Easy context switching
  • Maintain work history

Learning and Experimentation​

Jump between tutorial solutions:

  • Multiple practice projects
  • Sample code repositories
  • Proof of concept solutions
  • Quick access for reference

Integration​

Recent solutions integrate with:

  • Solution Explorer tree view
  • File > Open Recent menu
  • Workspace management
  • Multi-root workspaces

Best Practices​

Organization​

  • Use descriptive solution names
  • Keep solutions in organized folders
  • Group related solutions together
  • Clean up old entries periodically

Performance​

  • Limit maximum recent solutions
  • Remove invalid entries
  • Use for frequently accessed solutions
  • Archive old projects

Team Collaboration​

  • Solutions in shared network locations appear
  • Team members see their own recent list
  • No conflicts with version control
  • Workspace-relative paths work better

Troubleshooting​

Solution Not Appearing​

If a solution doesn't appear in recent list:

  1. Ensure solution was actually opened
  2. Check it wasn't removed
  3. Verify solution file still exists
  4. Try opening the solution again

Wrong Solution Opens​

If wrong solution opens:

  1. Check solution path in the list
  2. Verify file hasn't been moved
  3. Remove stale entry
  4. Add correct solution again

List Not Persisting​

If recent solutions don't persist:

  1. Check VS Code workspace storage
  2. Verify extension is activated
  3. Check for storage permissions
  4. Try clearing and rebuilding list

Too Many Entries​

If list is too long:

  1. Reduce maximum count in settings
  2. Clear old entries manually
  3. Remove unused solutions
  4. Set auto-remove invalid to true