Visualstudio-docs: Unclear when I should be substituting template parameters

Created on 10 Nov 2020 · 2Comments · Source: MicrosoftDocs/visualstudio-docs

I've got the feeling that very few people use the option of creating project or item templates from Visual Studio. It is a pity because we could really use project templates where I work.

We have one main project writen about five years ago, currently in TFS 2015. From that project we've branched it into empty folders in other projects, thus creating new projects based upon that original project. The weird thing is we perform the branch with no intention of ever merging that branch back into the original TFS project. We've done this at least a half times that I can remember. Now we're considering other options for source control, involving Git. I don't want us to repeat the new project creation practice we've done in the past of branching into some other project, with no intention of ever merging them back again. And from what I understand of Git, it isn't going to work anyway.

So, this brings up the problem I have now. I don't know at what point I should try to introduce the template parameters this Microsoft Doc page talks about. Do I try to do it before I issue the Export Template Wizard, or afterwards? And if afterwards, do I unzip all necessary files, make the necessary changes to the file, then put them back into the .zip file?