Building for Specific Versions of the .NET Framework

You can target a specific version of the .NET Framework in your build if, for example, your users are running an earlier version of the .NET Framework. The following topics describe how to achieve this result in Visual Studio.

• Registering Extensions of the .NET Framework
  Explains how to register third party software extensions that are targeted for a specific version of the .NET Framework so that they appear in the Visual Studio Add References dialog.

• Building for Multiple Processors
  Presents information to consider when you build projects on multiple-processor or multiple-core systems.

• MSBuild Multitargeting Overview
  Explains how to compile an application to run on any one of several versions of the .NET Framework. For example, you can compile an application to run on the .NET Framework 2.0 on a 32-bit platform, and you can compile the same application to run on the .NET Framework 4.5 on a 64-bit platform.

• Standard and Custom Toolset Configurations
  Introduces the concept of toolsets and explains the differences between standard and custom toolsets.

• Overriding ToolsVersion Settings
  Explains how to build a project by using a different ToolsVersion from the one for the solution.

• Resolving Assemblies at Design Time
  Explains how assemblies are resolved at design time.

• MSBuild Concepts
  Explains the concepts behind properties, tasks, targets, and other MSBuild components.