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2016-09-03T04:12:02Z

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IceChat 9 is written in C#, and edited and built with Microsoft Visual Studio 2008.
==Get Visual Studio==
A free version of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Visual_Studio Visual Studio] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_development_environment IDE] is available for download from [https://www.visualstudio.com/ Microsoft]. At the time of writing, the available free version is Visual Studio Community 2015.

Since IceChat 9 is written in C#, the installed VS must include the C# language.

==Get IceChat Source==
Download the zipped source of IceChat 9 from its [https://github.com/icechat/IceChat Github] home, and extract it into any folder, for example, a dedicated <code>c:\IcechatCode</code>. 
As explained in [[Build from source code]], It is best not to use the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environment_variable#Default_values %CommonProgramFiles%], because of permissions possible limitations.

==IceChat Source Tree==
The source tree has two sub-folders in its root folder, build (see [[Build from source code]] for more info) and src, where the actual code and resources are located. 
The src folder also has sub-folders:
<dl>
<dt>IceChat</dt><dd>where the main client code is located</dd>
<dt>Plugins</dt><dd>where the [[Plugins]] code is located</dd>
<dt>Updater</dt><dd>where the IceChat Automatic Updater code is located</dd>
</dl>

Inside the IceChat folder there are several solutions (in the format of IceChat9x.sln):
<dl>
<dt><code>IceChat9.sln</code></dt><dd>The standard edition. It uses .NET 3.5, and should be used by XP users</dd>
<dt><code>IceChat9-x86.sln</code></dt><dd>A special edition for x86 computers. It too uses .NET 3.5, and can be used by XP users</dd>
<dt><code>IceChat9-VS2010.sln</code></dt><dd>A variant adapted for the Visual Studio (VS) 2010 environment. In features it is similar to the main <code>IceChat9.sln </code> </dd>
<dt><code>IceChat9-45-VS2015.sln</code></dt><dd>A .NET 4.5 edition adapted for the VS 2015 environment. It is the recommended edition because it uses newer SSL/TLS versions.</dd>
<dt><code>IceChat9-45-VS2015-x86.sln</code></dt><dd>A special .NET 4.5 edition for x86 computers, adapted for the VS 2015 environment. It can be used by XP users who experience problems connecting to servers with SSL.</dd>
</dl>

==How to open the IceChat source==

In the opened VS IDE, choose Open Project on the left pane of the screen.
Find the <code>IceChat9-45-VS2015.sln</code> with the opened file browser and select it.
The solution projects are listed on a side panel, titled Solution Explorer 
[[File:Vs2015-solution-explorer-smaller.jpg|200]]
==How to build from IceChat source==
Below the main menu, set the configuration to Build (see image).
From the Build menu entry on the main menu, select the first option Build Solution. 
After a short while the build results are displayed in the Output window on the lower part of the solution area. 
[[File:Vs2015-solution-main-smaller.jpg|400px]]

The built results are located under the original src folder: <code>src\IceChat\bin\Debug</code>. There should be several files:
<ul>
<li><code>IceChat2009.exe</code></li>
<li><code>IPluginIceChat.dll</code></li>
<li><code>IRCConnection.dll</code></li>
<li><code>IThemeIceChat.dll</code></li>
</ul>

The *.pdb can be ignored as they are used for debugging, and are not necessary to run the program.

[[Category:IceChat 9]]
[[Category:Advance Usage]]

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