Question

Basically, this program I want to have a common backend, but have it so I can compile it with a different GUI to control the program. I know that I can make multiple forms, but is there a way to tell the solution to compile, and say that Form1 is the GUI, and then later, compile it and tell it that Form2 is the GUI (and to not include Form1 in the compiled program).

Form1 will be more for an administrator with more features, while the Form2 will be for a normal user with far less capabilities than the Form1. Is this possible, or do I just have to make a new solution?

Answer 1

Yes, you can use conditional compilation and exclude code from the compile entirely. So you can do something similar to:

#if USER_GUI

public class BasicForm : Form
{
  // ...
}

#endif

and

#if ADMIN_GUI

public class AdvancedForm : Form
{
  // ...
}

#endif

then have a similar #ifdef when starting the GUI to call the approriate constructor

public static void Main(string[] args)
{
    // ...

    #if USER_GUI
    var form = new UserForm()
    #endif

    #if ADMIN_GUI
    var form = new AdvancedForm()
    #endif

    Application.Run(form);
}

When you compile, you can set the project properties with the appropriate variable in Project -> Properties -> Build -> Conditional compilation symbols, and add either USER_GUI or ADMIN_GUI