DLL reference not copying into project bin

Question

Project A references Project B, and Project B references an external DDL (restored using NuGet)

Answer 1

When I ran into this problem it was because I changed a project's name, but did not change the assembly name - it was identical to the assembly name of another project in the solution.

Answer 2

I've added some dummy (unused) code on Project B, making reference to the DLL needed.

Thus, the compiler will guess that it must copy the DLL into project A output.

Answer 3

The options that I found were to:

• Add a reference to PostSharp in Project A.
• Add dummy code in Project B so that the compiler would detect that the reference is being used.
• Add a build event to force copy the DLL.

I don't like any of the above solutions. They are hacks in my opinion and will only make for a more unmaintainable solution in the long run.

I have fixed the problem by using a common output directory. This seems to be a recommended solution by many. I have also experienced much faster build times. See this Stackoverflow post.