How can I change the default build output directory in Visual Studio?

Question

In Visual Studio 2010 through 2013, by default (eg. When I create a new Console Application) new solutions output their compiled executable into Solution name/Project name/bin/Debug/. I want them to be output into Solution name/Debug/, and likewise for all other build configurations like "Release".

I can do this by manually going into properties of each project, going to the Build tab, changing Output path from bin\Debug to ..\Debug. I must repeat this for every project and every build configuration.

After dozens of solutions, I'm a bit sick of doing this tedious task by hand every time. Is there a way to change the default output path?

A solution that works for Visual Studio 2013 is sufficient.

Answer 1

This property is defined in each Visual Studio Project Template

So, for example, the C# Console Application template is located in

\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\Common7\IDE\ProjectTemplates\CSharp\Windows\1033\ConsoleApplication\consoleapplication.csproj

The csproj is an XML file that you can edit at your will. The build output directory is define like this (for each configuration):

...
<OutputPath>bin\Debug\</OutputPath>
...
<OutputPath>bin\Release\</OutputPath>
...

If you change this file, it will change all your future new C# Console Application projects. You could also write a utility program that list all csproj in \Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\Common7\IDE\ProjectTemplates and update them accordingly.

Answer 2

This is not necessary.

One of the projects in your solution is marked as the Startup project, shown in bold in the Solution Explorer window. An EXE project, like your console mode app. You used Project + Add Reference to add references to other projects in the solution so you can use the class libraries that those projects generate in your console mode app.

Those references will have the Copy Local property set to True.

When you build your project, MSBuild will automatically copy the assemblies from their respective bin\Debug directory into the bin\Debug directory of your console mode app, thanks to that Copy Local setting. And it is smart enough to also look at the dependencies of those class libraries and copy them as well.

So after the build is complete, the bin\Debug directory won't just have your console mode project's EXE file but also all the DLLs it needs to execute properly.

There are a few ways that this can go wrong and MSBuild cannot figure out that such a dependency actually exists. Pretty uncommon, you'd for example have to use Reflection in your code to load assemblies (Assembly.Load() and friends). The workaround for that is to explicitly copy the dependency in a post-build event. You didn't leave enough bread-crumbs in your question to judge whether that's the real problem.

What you ask for is certainly possible, the IDE just doesn't make it easy because it wasn't designed to assume this was necessary at all. You'd have to replace the Build + Output Path setting to, say, ..\Debug instead. You can create your own project template with that setting already preset. Create a new class library project, change the setting and use File + Export Template to create the template. You'll have it available the next time you create a project.

But, really, find out first why the default Copy Local machinery isn't working for you.