How would you suggest one approaches the following scenarios?:

1) A developer has created a non-GAT based solution. The developer requires an extra project to be created and added to their solution with via a GAT package. [the need for the project was not predicted at the time of the solution creation]

2) A developer requires a solution to contain 2 or more projects which are to be created from separate GAT packages.

The solution centric GAT seems to require the creation of a new VS solution for each package instance [see quote 1 below]. This is not scalable. Only small, single user solutions would be suited to this.

GAT packages need to be enabled and operate at the VS Project template level as well as the VS solution level.

Please tell me if I am wrong. Please rectify it if not.

Many thanks. 

GAT Help, Quote 1

“Launching a Solution Template from the Add New Project Dialog Box

Solution templates that are part of a Guidance Package always start a new solution and enable their Guidance Package, regardless of whether an existing solution is already open.

Launching a Project Template from Within an Existing Solution

A project template never enables its Guidance Package, so it can be unfolded only if the package has been enabled using Guidance Package Manager, or if the solution is started from a solution template. In turn, this enables the Guidance Package. Project templates are shown in context menus and the Add-New Project dialog box only if the template is associated with a specific target (solution root or solution folder), by a bound or unbound template reference.�/font>

I would like to add to Oscar's comment. GAT is designed to bring guidance packages into a solution (enable them) and remove them from the solution (disable them). If you don't have a solution and a solution template belongs to a guidance package, of course we need to enable that package. But this is really a side-effect, not a principle.

-- Wojtek

Thanks for putting me right.

I see that it is possible to create a GAT based project, in a non-GAT solution.

However, from the developer’s perspective it seems unintuitive to have to go to Tools|Guidance Package Manager and to enable the GAT package.

Why should a developer care if the project they are creating is GAT based or a normal VS template based? If they want a new project, they will look in the ‘Add New Project�dialog.

Project templates need to be capable of ‘enabling�GAT packages. Would this be possible for a future GAT release?

Thanks again.