I've been working through the tutorial on Web Application Projects (http://webproject.scottgu.com/) but I've run into problems in the section on User Controls (http://webproject.scottgu.com/VisualBasic/usercontrols/usercontrols.aspx).

First of all, in the section where you are instructed to add a command to the pre-build compile event the code to use is shown as:
    copy $(SourceDir)\MyUserControl\Library\*.ascx $(ProjDir)\UserControls\

At least in my system (WinXPro/SP2), the resulting command has two backslashes in a row following the value substituded for the symbolic directories (e.g. copy C:\Documents and Settings\Wayne\My Documents\Visual Studio 2005\Projects\\MyUserControlLibrary\*.ascx).... It appears that when the system substitutes a path for a symbolic directory it always adds a trailing backslash?

Even after removing the extra backslash, I always get an error code 1. When I copy/paste the generated command string to the command line it fails with "file not found"

After fighting that for a while I decided to manually copy the ascx file to that directory and see if I could get on with the tutorial - no joy! After manually copying that file to the UserControls folder if I then add the code shown

    <scottgu:Calculator ID="calc" runat="server"></scottgu:Calculator>

The "Calculator" is flagged with an error that it is not a known element (even in the tutorial it is flagged)

Has anyone figured out how to resolve these problems?

I am having the same problems on a WinXP SP2 system. I also observed the double slashes, and could not get the pre-build event to work after removing a slash in the command line, or even copying in the full, explicit paths starting with  C:\...  I then tried manually copying the .ascx file into the usercontrols directory as you did, and I saw the same "unknown element" error.

After extensive fiddling around (rebuilding, deleteing and then re-adding the reference, etc.) the control suddenly started to appear in design view. I narrowed it down to this sequence of actions that got it to come up:

1)  I included the SampleControl.ascx file in the project

2)  I  deleted the Src property of the @ Register directive, then re-added it by typing "src=" and using the "Pick Url..." context menu to browse to the file and select it

3)  I switched to design view and could then see the control on the page

4)  I removed SampleControl.ascx from the project

Once I could see the control in design view, I could build and run the app with no problem. It still works even if I close and re-open Visual Studio.

Sorry it's not an answer as to why this is happening or how to fix it the RIGHT way, but perhaps it will help the forum moderators with troubleshooting....

Thanks for that information. I had tried using the "Pick URL" but in my case, it doesn't list the ascx file as being in that directory (even though Solution Explorer shows it?)

Still stuck.

I put the following as my pre-build command:

copy "c:\documents and settings\davince\my documents\visual studio 2005\projects\myusercontrollibrary\myusercontrollibrary\*.ascx" "$(projectdir)usercontrols\"

I couldn't find a macro that would equate to the Visual Studio 2005\Projects\ directory - that would have been helpful.  Also the quotes were needed to make it work.

Any body know how to make this work with relative refrerences?

-->DaVince