PRB: Cannot Create Visual InterDev Project When Local Files Are in a UNC Share (278946)

SYMPTOMS

When you create a new Web project in Visual InterDev, you can set the path to the local project files as a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path to a remote share. However, when you reach step 2 of 4 in the Web project creation wizard and click Finish, you may receive one of the following error messages:

Cannot create a disk-based Web application in '<path>'. '<path>' is a UNC path. You must map a drive letter to this network share to access the web on it using FrontPage.

-or-

Server error: You cannot convert a virtual directory into a subweb remotely. Ask your web server administrator or ISP to do this for you.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because, by design, Visual InterDev project files are kept on the developer's local workstation. When Visual InterDev creates a new project, it saves the information that will be used to dynamically create a virtual directory when the pages are viewed or debugged in local mode.

Although Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) can create a virtual directory that points to Web files on a remote share, it must use a UNC path to do so. However, Visual InterDev requires that you use a mapped drive to store local project files on a remote share. Because of this discrepancy, Visual InterDev generates the above-mentioned error message any time Visual InterDev passes the mapped drive path of the local project files to IIS to create the virtual directory or launch or debug a page in local mode.

When you do use a mapped drive to create the local project files in Visual InterDev on a remote share, you receive subsequent errors and erratic behavior when you work in local mode, particularly when you interact with IIS.

REFERENCES

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

191965 PRB: Cannot Create Disk-Based Web Application in InetPub\WWWRoot

228996 Cannot Convert Virtual Directory to Subweb Remotely

251990 XADM: FrontPage Cannot Create Subweb on IFS Virtual Directory

278950 PRB: Visual InterDev Cannot Debug in Local Mode When Project Files Are on Remote Share

For more information on local mode, see the following articles on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN):

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/devprods/vs6/vinterdev/vidref/vimsglocalmode.htm

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/devprods/vs6/vinterdev/vidref/viconprojectarchitecture.htm#vimsctheprojectwebapplications

PRB: Cannot Create Visual InterDev Project When Local Files Are in a UNC Share (278946)

SYMPTOMS

CAUSE

RESOLUTION

REFERENCES