Convert Project Dependencies to MSBuild Project references

ConvertProjDepToProjRef is a tool to convert project dependencies in a Visual Studio solution file (.sln) into MSBuild project references (ProjectReference) in project files. It will do 95% of the work.
Project dependencies in an .sln file are an older method to define build dependencies and are slower because MSBuild must first create meta projects files.

Features

• .NET 10.0 App.

Build Instructions

Open a console windows and execute the following commands:

git clone https://github.com/vbaderks/ConvertProjDepToProjRef.git

cd ConvertProjDepToProjRef

dotnet build -c Release

Usage Instructions

• Run the tool on a solution file: ConvertProjDepToProjRef.exe MySolution.sln
• Update C++ projects that only perform custom builds as ConfigurationType “Utility”
• Remove the RuntimeIdentifier element for C# projects that only perform custom builds
• Use a text editor to remove the ProjectSection(ProjectDependencies) = postProject sections from the .sln file.

Prebuild Executable

As convenience a prebuilt executable for Windows x64 is available. Go to the releases page and click on Assets at the bottom to show the files available in a release. Download the binary file ConvertProjDepToProjRef.exe.

Note

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen may show a warning about an unrecognized app when running the executable for the first time. Click on "More Info" + "Run anyway" to continue.
The executable is signed, but Defender SmartScreen requires an Extended Validation (EV) code signing certificate, which is only available to commercial organizations, for direct full trust.