Using service factory modelling edition recently I managed to get a new service project into a position where it would not generate code with no indication as to why.  I knew it was my fault as I had deleted, moved and renamed projects a few times - it was one of those situations where I wanted to get the name right, but had an indecisive few minutes changed it, then eventually settled on the first name.  The self inflicted mess I managed to end up with was two projects in the project mapping table, and obviously by sheer luck I had chosen the one that referenced the deleted projects!

I resolves it by opening the ProjectMapping.xml and finding the ProjectMappingTable element that contained the correct projects references - basically this meant finding by project Id those projects that still exist in the solution file.

I have been using the Service Factory Modelling Edition a lot lately, whilst they do produce a lot of projects and may appear unwieldy at first glance, the consistency of implementation alone is worth it in some of the larger implementations.

The issue I have was a need to migrate a Service Factory project into another pre-existing solution (I am a tidy freak).  The best way I found was to manually copy and edit the sln file; all you need to do is copy the ProjectMapping.xml file along with the folders containing the implementations and the models into the new solution folder, then start to edit the new sln file!  As a word of caution remember to make copies of everything before you start, as editing the sln file can lead to splinters...

In the project section for Solution Items add the ProjectMapping.xml file:

Project("{2150E333-8FDC-42A3-9474-1A3956D46DE8}") = "Solution Items", "Solution Items", "{A47C9E2B-340A-4E76-AA04-EE0B0A053637}"
            ProjectSection(SolutionItems) = preProject
                        ProjectMapping.xml = ProjectMapping.xml
            EndProjectSection
EndProject

If there is no Solution Items section just add a file to the root of the new solution in the IDE then close and start again.

The copy all of the Project sections relating the the folders and projects for the Service Factory from the original solution into the new solution, they are quite nicely grouped together, so this should be easy.  Just be wary to ensure that any other projects added to the original solution are not copied across.

Finally (to make sure you get all the solution folders setup correctly) copy all of the relevant nesting from the section:

GlobalSection(NestedProjects) = preSolution

This is usually at the end of the sln file, to the same location in the new sln.  If you have done everything correctly (some luck required) the new solution should open and build correctly in the IDE!  If the solution won't build and moans about project references, the most likely cause is the NestedProjects section. This section is sensitive to non existent projects, which is easy to do if If you are moving the project from a solution that contains more than just the Service Factory. Check each identifier in the section exists in the solution file, removing all those that don't.