How to: Add Application Diagrams to Solutions
In Visual Studio Team System Architecture Edition, you can begin defining applications in an existing solution by adding an application diagram to your solution.
Tip
To create a solution containing a blank application diagram, see How to: Create Application Diagrams.
From the diagram, you can visually define applications, configure communication pathways between them, and specify application and endpoint settings and constraints. You can later design application systems by composing them from applications defined on the application diagram. For more information, see Overview of Applications on Application Diagrams.
Note
The solution can contain only one application diagram. You cannot add an application diagram to a single project. You must first have a parent solution before you can add the application diagram. To create a parent solution, add another project. The application diagram appears in the solution outside of any projects in the solution.
You can add an application diagram in the following ways:
Add a blank application diagram.
Note
Adding a system diagram to a solution that does not contain an application diagram adds a blank application diagram. For more information, see How to: Add System Diagrams to Solutions.
Add an existing application diagram from another solution.
Tip
If the solution contains an application diagram, you can add a different one by removing the current one. However, removing an application diagram might affect other items in the solution. For more information, see Troubleshooting System Diagrams.
To add a blank application diagram to a solution
In Solution Explorer, click the top-level solution node.
On the Project menu, click Add New Distributed System Diagram.
The Add New Item - Solution Items dialog box appears. Under Categories, the Distributed System Diagrams node appears selected.
Under Templates, click Application Diagram.
Name the diagram and click Add.
Application Designer displays an empty application diagram. In Solution Explorer, the diagram appears with an .ad extension in the Solution Items folder. The document tab at the top of the diagram displays the diagram name and an abbreviation ([AD]) representing the designer.
Tip
You can also select the solution node in Solution Explorer, and on the Project menu, choose Add New Distributed System Diagram.
To begin defining applications, see How to: Define Applications on Application Diagrams.
Note
Adding an application diagram to a solution also reverse-engineers any projects that you can visualize as applications on the diagram. For example, adding an application diagram to a solution that contains Microsoft Windows application projects displays the corresponding application shapes on the diagram. For more information, see Considerations for Reverse-Engineering in Existing Solutions.
To add an existing application diagram to the solution
On the Project menu, choose Add Existing Item.
The Add Existing Item - Solution Items dialog box appears.
Browse for and select an application diagram (.ad) file.
Application Designer displays the diagram you selected.
To continue editing and defining applications, see the following topics:
See Also
Tasks
Walkthrough: Defining Applications on Application Diagrams
Concepts
Overview of Application Designer