How do I create a Shared Code project (.shproj)

Question

How I add a .shproj to my Visual Studio solution and reference it from other projects?

I know that Visual Studio 2013 Update 2 added a new project type for "Shared Code." This type of project does not produce a dll itself. Instead the files from the Shared project are included as source files in the assemblies that reference it.

I know it exists because I have seen one in an open source project. However, looking through the project templates in Visual Studio I could not find a "Shared" project type.

Answer 1

Edit: According to the Visual Studio 2015 Preview documentation, VS 2015 adds templates for shared projects and a UI for managing the references, so the below should no longer be necessary after upgrading.

There does not seem to be a way to create one directly. It appears currently that Shared Code projects are automatically created when you create a Universal App project as shown in this introduction to creating a Universal App.

Therefore, to create one in your solution: Add a new project type "Blank App (Universal App)." Delete the Windows 8 and Windows Phone projects it created leaving only the Shared project.