To import Net Express projects into the Visual Studio IDE

To use the Net Express Project Import Wizard:

1. Ensure that your Net Express project and all relevant files are available and in the same location.
2. Ensure any file extensions that are not traditionally associated with COBOL will be recognized as COBOL programs or copybooks.

   Read To associate file extensions with COBOL and To specify that a file extension is a copybook for details.

3. Start the Net Express Project Import Wizard to convert the Net Express project file:
   1. In Windows Explorer, locate and double-click the Net Express .app file or, in Visual Studio, click File > Open > Project/Solution.
   2. In the Open Project dialog box, set the file type filter to Net Express Project Files (*.app) and browse to the location of the Net Express project.
   3. Select the Net Express .app file to convert and click Open.

      This starts the Visual Studio Conversion Wizard.

   4. Click Finish to skip the Visual Studio Conversion Wizard and start the Net Express Project Import Wizard.
4. Select the Net Express project you want to convert and click Continue.

   During this first stage, the wizard analyzes the Net Express project and displays the information about the build configurations, copybook paths, the components to which the project compiles and the directives that are set on the source files. Based on these, the wizard will then create a solution with one or more projects be used in the Visual Studio project.

5. On the Summary tab check Generate Conversion Report if you wish to create and review the details of the conversion.
6. Click Finish to start the conversion.
7. If your Net Express project compiled to .int or .gnt code, the wizard opens the Int/Gnt upgrade questions dialog box prompting you to set your preferences for a Visual Studio project in your solution that will contain the files that compiled to .int or .gnt. Specify your preferences and click Continue.

   The wizard creates a Visual Studio solution with one or more projects for the COBOL code and creates a conversion report file.

8. Review the report to double check that the project has converted as you expected.
9. Review the files in Solution Explorer. You should see:
   • One solution representing your Net Express project
   • One or more native COBOL projects within the solution, where each project builds output files of the same output file type
   • Any files that were in the original project, such as COBOL source files and copybooks
10. Review the project properties, by right-clicking the project in Solution Explorer and clicking Properties. Notice the following properties:
    • Application - these properties show the type of application that is built, such as a console application or a library
    • Copybook Paths - the paths for copybooks that aren't in known locations, which are the solution folder tree, links from the solution, and the cpylib folder in the Studio Enterprise Edition installation
    • COBOL - the Directives and Build Settings specify the settings that were in the original Net Express project
    • Debug - these properties define how the application starts, such as any command line arguments
11. You can also check the individual file properties, by right-clicking a COBOL source file in Solution Explorer and clicking Properties.