Error profiling ASP.NET Web application

[Jon Sagara]

Hello,

I just downloaded the trial, and I am unable to start profiling an ASP.NET Web application.

Here are my particulars:
* OS: Windows Server 2008 SP2
* Visual Studio 2008 SP1 (.NET Framework 3.5 SP1)

My application uses a Web site that is defined in IIS7. The URL (myurl.example.com) is defined in my HOSTS file, and is not a DNS entry.

So what happens is this: in Visual Studio, I select ANTS 5 -> Profile Performance, and I get the following error message:

[Brian Donahue]

Hi Jon,

This is a well-known issue with the Profiler add-in. When you use the add-in, it checks the debugging settings for the current project to determine which URL to launch in the web server. If you put a valid url in by right-clicking the project in VS, then selecting properties, and on start options, enter a valid URL in the "use custom server" textbox.

ANTS Profiler will only profile websites running on the local computer, so any URL that you enter here (or in the regular ANTS Profiler UI) has to be resolved to the local computer by hosts, DNS, and IIS itself.
_________________
Brian Donahue
Technical Support
Red Gate Software Ltd.
44 (0)870 160 0037 ext 8521
US and CAN 1-866-RED GATE ext 8521

[bbirney]

This seems like a good candidate for a fix. As a prospective user, I was very discouraged when my first experience with the software was an unhandled exception, followed by 45 minutes of monkeying around with VS and IIS, trying to get past the first step of the tutorial.

I am attempting to work around this limitation - it appears that you cannot use ANTS with the development web server, since providing this value in "Use Custom Server" precludes the possibility of selecting "Use Visual Studio Development Server". Have any other users found a way to use ANTS with the VS development server? I am attempting to install my site onto my local machine's stand-alone IIS and run it that way, but that breaks the normal workflow for developing in Visual Studio.

[bbirney]

Here are two screenshots: One illustrating the issue, and the other with my current project settings for the web app in question. As you can see in the second screenshot, I have set a valid URL in the "Use Custom Server" text box. The error occurs regardless of whether the radio button for Use Custom Server or the radio button for Use Visual Studio Development Server is selected.

Please assist.

[bbirney]

I spoke with Nick at Red Gate, and he directed me to a solution. Here it is:

1) Download this file: ftp://support.red-gate.com/patches/ants_profiler/RedGate.Profiler.Five.AddIn.dll

2) Put it in your ANTS install directory, replacing a file with the same name.

3) Restart Visual Studio.