Research .sln git merge error

a24vinla commented

2026-04-10 06:35:59 +00:00

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We currently get a merge error due to conflict in the solution file, sometimes. We need to know why this happens and how to avoid it. Do we need to add the file to the .gitignore or is there another "solution"?

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2026-04-10 06:35:59 +00:00

a24noabe was assigned by a24vinla

2026-04-10 06:47:20 +00:00

a24noabe commented

2026-04-10 06:51:33 +00:00

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There exists a new solution file-type: slnx, which is xml-based and much lighter than sln. To generate an slnx file you run dotnet sln migrate in the folder with the sln-file. This should hopefully reduce merge conflicts.

There exists a new solution file-type: slnx, which is xml-based and much lighter than sln. To generate an slnx file you run `dotnet sln migrate` in the folder with the sln-file. This should hopefully reduce merge conflicts.

b24idalu was assigned by c24elipe

2026-04-10 07:50:09 +00:00

b24idalu commented

2026-04-10 08:42:30 +00:00

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What is a solution: A solution is a structure for organizing projects in Visual Studio. The solution maintains the state information for projects in two files: .sln (text) and .suo (binary).

The .sln file: Contains information to find and load project data and packages. It is split into three parts; preSolution, project and postSolution.

Why error: It is sensitive to changes. If there are two versions of the same .sln file, it will not work to merge. Could also depend on different VS versions formatting.

Avoidance: Fix by manually merging project entries or regenerating the file. .slnx is also mentioned above, it is a more modern solution to the .sln file that is made to solve the issues from .sln. Requires Visual Studio 2022 17.13 or later, depending on how old this project is, it could cause problems (should be fine though).

.gitignore: Works fine to add the file here for VSCode users, but if anyone uses VS they are screwed since that relies on the .sln file.

What is a solution: A solution is a structure for organizing projects in Visual Studio. The solution maintains the state information for projects in two files: .sln (text) and .suo (binary). The .sln file: Contains information to find and load project data and packages. It is split into three parts; preSolution, project and postSolution. Why error: It is sensitive to changes. If there are two versions of the same .sln file, it will not work to merge. Could also depend on different VS versions formatting. Avoidance: Fix by manually merging project entries or regenerating the file. .slnx is also mentioned above, it is a more modern solution to the .sln file that is made to solve the issues from .sln. Requires Visual Studio 2022 17.13 or later, depending on how old this project is, it could cause problems (should be fine though). .gitignore: Works fine to add the file here for VSCode users, but if anyone uses VS they are screwed since that relies on the .sln file.

b24idalu added the

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2026-04-10 09:08:32 +00:00

c24danli was assigned by a24vinla

2026-04-13 11:03:08 +00:00

c24danli was unassigned by a24vinla

2026-04-13 11:03:46 +00:00

a24timsv self-assigned this

2026-04-13 11:04:28 +00:00

a24timsv commented

2026-04-13 11:14:15 +00:00

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As far as I understand it slnx is made for this exact issue (conflicting solution files) and I think that it can be worth a try. We have already tested to remove the solution file to see if we can work without it but VSC will complain, the same will probably happen if a module is missing from the solution file as well, so adding it to the .gitignore will probably not work.

During the weekly merge we will migrate to slnx and see if this fixes our workflow or causes more problems.

As far as I understand it slnx is made for this exact issue (conflicting solution files) and I think that it can be worth a try. We have already tested to remove the solution file to see if we can work without it but VSC will complain, the same will probably happen if a module is missing from the solution file as well, so adding it to the .gitignore will probably not work. During the weekly merge we will migrate to slnx and see if this fixes our workflow or causes more problems.

a24timsv commented

2026-04-15 15:14:06 +00:00

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The project after the merge now has a .slnx file. If it turns out that this doesn't really work we will create another issue and link that here.

a24timsv closed this issue

2026-04-15 15:14:06 +00:00

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Research .sln git merge error #214