Structuring Visual Studio solutions

The entire solution will be under a root folder, that may differ depending on the developer’s preferences, the branch they’re checking out etc.

Branch structure

Folder Name	Function	Comments
Main	Trunk / main branch
Branches
Branches\Development	Contains development branches
Branches\Releases	Contains live, maintenance branches
General	Non branch-specific resources	E.g. Build server configuration, general documentation etc

Folder Name	Function	Comments
Bin	Build drop location	Drop location for binaries, making it easy to get to, and easy to reference from projects in separate solutions.
Code	Contains all projects	Groups the code together instead of cluttering the root folder.
Commons	Contains shared project resources and non code	Contains things such as build scripts, documentation, shared include files, strong name key, versioning scripts etc.
Commons\Libraries	Flat directory of binary libraries	Contains managed and native assemblies referenced by any of the projects. Flat structure so that it’s easy to add references for, and use as a Reference Path.
Tests\UnitTests	Contains Unit Test projects	Tests that can and should be run regularly when developing, and added to increasingly through approaches such as TDD.
Tests\IntegrationTests	Integration tests	Integration tests that may require environment setup or more time, and won’t be run regularly during coding sessions, most regularly by continuous integration server.
Tests\Harnesses	Test Harnesses	Test harnesses to be used manually to test functions.
<Solution>.sln	Solution File	The solution file exists in the root, where it’s easily accessible and can reach any and all contained folders and files.