Solution Explorer files no longer load automatically

[TommyCee]

After things were for a long time working swimmingly, something must have "slipped".  Suddenly, without warning, when I open an IVF Solution (*.sln), the IDE comes up and the f90 source file names appear in the Solution Explorer panel (upper right-hand corner).  But they no longer load automatically.  I have to individually click them one at a time to load them into the main pane. Earlier, they'd load automatically when the SLN was opened.

What toggle did I accidentally hit?

[andrew_4619]

That sounds like a problem I have had periodically. If you look at at the <solution name>.suo file is it getting large (few megabytes?). What I have found is that it is including bookmarks for the edit files over and over many hundred/thousands of times. After a while the solution load gets slower and then it starts giving problems like  you describe. 

I can't remember exactly how I fixed this but there are some threads around that describe it. From recall I deleted the SUO file but is gets remade from a VS text based settings file. I think one solution was to edit this settings file to delete a zillion bookmarks or the was a 'reset' type option. I will look for a thread and post it. 

[andrew_4619]

google "Visual Studio 2010 does not reload open files" there is a thread on stackoverflow.com

[TommyCee]

Thanks for your remarks, app4619.

Firstly, *.sou file (mine is now 732KB) is binary and alas cannot be edited as you describe.

I went to the link you posted and gleaned a few ideas.  What "worked" was the following:

• I loaded the *.SLN and went to Tools | Import & Export Settings | Reset all settings (choosing the backup option to write out the old settings).

• I closed VS2010 and deleted the *.sou file.

When *,SLN was relaunched, the Source Files loaded into the main editing pain automatically and I noted that the new *.sou file was a scant 13KB.

THE BAD NEWS:

All my hard-fought dashboard customizations are LOST !!!!  BooHoo!

This "slippage" has to be a serious problem with VS.  Given what I know now, I'd rather go back to what I had and simply reload my source files one at a time each session, as PITA as that is.  At least then I'd keep my customizations.

[TommyCee]

And yes, I forgot to mention - another symptom was that my solution space has been taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R to load (slower with each passing month).  This is consistent w/ app4619's remarks.  For the  longest time, I had been wondering what was up w/ this.   Now we know it's coupled with the failure-to-automatically-load problem ...

There has to be a robust fix for this.

[andrew_4619]

I don't think this is a fortran issue it is a VS issue that can occur whatever language is being used. It has not struck me for a while. 

I did not edit the suo file I edited the vs setting file which is used to re-create the suo. The reset blows away the vs settings file with a new one

Also when you have the settings you want you can make a backup copy of the vs settings text file to use when/if  you next have a problem..

[TommyCee]

I completely agree that it's not a Fortran issue (never implied that it was).  In fact, I emphasized VS in my notes.

Sorry if I misunderstood about editing the *.sou file.  Do you have a name for the editible "VS settings file"?

[Steven_L_Intel1]

As others have noted, the hidden .sou file is where VS remembers things such as which files were open when you last closed VS, debugger breakpoints, etc. It is not user-editable - it's a binary file. If it becomes corrupted, then deleting it is really the only thing you can do.

[andrew_4619]

From memory I think  I did something like::

exported the settings.

closed vs and deleted the suo file

edit the exported file  to get rid of a zillion repeated bookmarks

Open Vs and import the edited settings (there my have been a blow away existing settings (reset) before that last step

I can't be certain it was a year or so back.....