NCrunch fails to build solution with deeply nested linked file

Hello!

It seems that NCrunch fails to build a project that contains a linked file that is either more than a certain number or directories deep or located on a path that exceeds a certain length. I put several near-copies of the same file in various places to determine where the failure point is. For a sufficiently long path, I get an error in the build status window like:

CSC (0)#0: Source file '..\..\..\..\..\..\..\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\dummy\Class9.cs' could not be found

However, it will build referencing a class located less deeply. Visual Studio is able to build the project in either case.

===Mike

Hi Mike -

Thanks for sharing this issue.

The problem is caused by a structural limit in the file system that prevents file paths being longer than a fixed length. There is no way for NCrunch to automatically work around this as it needs to space files relative to their parent project in the workspace.

If this issue is preventing you from building a project in your solution, try moving the relative dependencies of this project closer to the project file. Setting the workspace base path closer to the root of your hard disk will also give the workspace manager more breathing room and may allow you to avoid the problem entirely.


Cheers,

Remco