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c#visual-studiodllcsc

Microsoft C# command line compiler not finding .dll in external directory

I would like to compile a C# program from the command line in a Linux terminal. My csc.exe is added to my Path and works correctly. The directory layout is as follows:

|-- Program.cs
|-- Otherfiles.cs
|-- bin
|    |-- Debug
|    |    |-- Newtonsoft.Json.dll

From the top directory, I use the following command to compile:

csc *.cs /r:./bin/Debug/Newtonsoft.Json.dll
--> error CS2001: Source file 'r:bin/Debug/Newtonsoft.Json.dll' could not be found

Is there a better way to do what I'm trying to do here, or will I just have to copy the .dll files I want into the same directory as Program.cs, as is done in this question?

Solution

  • The /reference argument is only used to indicate the name of the assembly.

    To specify additional directories to search for assembly files use the /lib argument:

    csc *.cs /r:Newtonsoft.Json.dll /lib:"./dir with spaces/need quotes", ./bin/Debug

    Use /lib to specify the directory in which one or more of your assembly references is located. The /lib topic also discusses the directories in which the compiler searches for assemblies.