title: VB.NET Add Reference vs Reference Paths (why Reference Paths?)
body: <p>In my previous C# work referencing other assemblies was either done by adding the project for the assembly to your own solution, or referencing .dlls directly in a common build output folder if you didn't want to make your solution too big. Assemblies were written to this output folder by running a build script or building a core solution that built all of the common .dlls.</p>
  
  <p>Where I work now with VB.NET the team takes the second option (though they check the common .dlls into source control rather than build into the output folder...thats one for another day).</p>
  
  <p>When they reference these .dlls in the reference folder, however, they dont usually do it via the Add Reference option in Visual Studio (2008 here), instead they in the project dialog they select References->Reference Paths and add this common reference folder in there. This reference folder is written to the .user file: it is not part of the project and so each time you get the code clean from source control you have to reset it on each project.</p>
  
  <p>Now, no one can explain to me why this is done...its just the way they have always done it. It seems pretty dumb to me, but maybe there is some reason for doing this? Why is this option available and why would anyone choose to add Reference Paths like this?</p>
  
  <p>Thanks!</p>