VB.NET - Errors After Upgrading SftTree/NET 2.0

The designer cannot process the code at line nn. Me.xxxx.Contents = ....
or
Could not load file or assembly "C:\Windows\Assembly\GAC_MSIL........" or one of its dependencies.

After upgrading from SftTree/NET 2.0.14 or any earlier version, you may receive the above error message(s) when opening a form containing SftTree/NET 2.0. This is caused by a configuration error that was introduced in earlier versions of the product. Fortunately, the steps to correct the problem are very simple and take just a minute for each project where you use SftTree/NET 2.0.

This page describes the necessary steps for VB.NET. If you are using C#, please see this page instead.

Open your project (make sure to close any open forms that may show error messages caused by SftTree/NET 2.0).

Using the menu command Project, Properties access the References tab (click on the image to see a more detailed view of the image). Then click on the entry "Softelvdm.Controls" listed among the References to display the properties for the file reference as shown in the following image. If the properties are not shown, use the View, Properties Window menu command.

Visual Studio

In the Property Window, change the Specific Version to True. The Path should now be cleared automatically.

Then set the Specific Version back to False (which was the original value). The Path has now automatically been updated to point to the new, updated version of the Softelvdm.Controls assembly, part of SftTree/NET 2.0, as shown in the following image.

Visual Studio

Now repeat the same step for the assembly reference Softelvdm.SftTreeNET:

In Solution Explorer, click on the entry "Softelvdm.SftTreeNET" listed among the References to display the properties for the file reference as shown in the following image. If the properties are not shown, use the View, Properties Window menu command.

Visual Studio

In the Property Window, change the Specific Version to True. The Path should now be cleared automatically.

Then set the Specific Version back to False (which was the original value). The Path has now automatically been updated to point to the new, updated version of the Softelvdm.SftTreeNET assembly, as shown in the following image.

Visual Studio

The problem has been corrected and you should be able to successfully open all forms containing SftTree/NET controls.

For future upgrades, these steps are no longer required. These steps only apply to projects that are upgraded to SftTree/NET from version 2.0.14 or earlier.