Visual Studio Design View - form is blank
Your project file has become invalid.
A valid project entry for a form looks like this:
<Compile Include="Form1.cs">
<SubType>Form</SubType>
</Compile>
<Compile Include="Form1.Designer.cs">
<DependentUpon>Form1.cs</DependentUpon>
</Compile>
Yours though is missing the DependentUpon line - which is why the code and designer files appear separately in the project, instead of being connected:
<Compile Include="mainForm.cs">
<SubType>Form</SubType>
</Compile>
<Compile Include="mainForm.Designer.cs" />
If you add in the missing line, the form displays correctly in design mode:
<Compile Include="mainForm.cs">
<SubType>Form</SubType>
</Compile>
<Compile Include="mainForm.Designer.cs">
<DependentUpon>mainForm.cs</DependentUpon>
</Compile>
And to tidy up the resource file:
<EmbeddedResource Include="mainForm.resx">
<DependentUpon>mainform.cs</DependentUpon>
</EmbeddedResource>
In order to fix this, you can just edit the csproj in an editor, or to do it in Visual Studio:
- Back up the files
- Right-click the project and choose "Unload Project"
- Right-click the unloaded project and choose "Edit [ProjectName].csproj"
- Make your changes, and close the file.
- Right-click the unloaded project and choose "Reload Project"
I solved the problem by removing all files associated with that form
- File -> Right-click -> Exclude from Project
and adding the files manually back to the project
- Project -> Add -> Existing Item...