Adding Existing Files to a Project

If a file had already been created and exists on a separate folder, drive, directory or project, you can import it and add it to your application. When you decide to add an existing file to a project, because Microsoft Visual Studio allows you a great level of flexibility on the types of files you can add, it is your responsibility to check that the file is valid.

If you copy a file from somewhere and paste it in the folder that contains your project, the file is still not considered as part of the project. You must explicitly add it. Before adding an existing file to your project:

• On the main menu, you can click File -> Add Existing Itemﾃδ｢ﾃ｢窶堋ｬﾃつｦ
• On the main menu, you can also click Project -> Add Existing Itemﾃδ｢ﾃ｢窶堋ｬﾃつｦ
• In the Solution Explorer, you can right-click the name of the project, position your mouse on Add and click Add Existing Itemﾃδ｢ﾃ｢窶堋ｬﾃつｦ

Any of these actions would open the Add Existing Item dialog box. This requires you to locate the item and select it. Once the item is ready, to add it to the project, click the Open button. If you want to open it first, click the arrow of the Open button and specify how you want to open the file.