Working with .remoteRODL Files

When you connect a project to a server, Remoting SDK adds a .remoteRODL file to it, named after the server's library. You can think of it as a shortcut to the RODL provided by the live server: it simply stores the server's URL (or the path to a local .RODL file), so the IDE always knows where your server is. The file is not linked into your executable and is not needed at runtime – it exists purely to improve the Visual Studio experience. The full XML format is described in the .remoteRODL reference.

Keeping your client in sync with the server

The main reason the .remoteRODL file exists is to let you update your generated _Intf file whenever the service contract on the server changes – for example after you add a new service method, or change a parameter or a custom type.

To do so, right-click the .remoteRODL file in the Solution Explorer and choose "Update Interface File(s)" (the same command is also available under the Extensions → Remoting SDK & Data Abstract menu). Remoting SDK will re-fetch the RODL from the location stored in the file and regenerate the _Intf file, in your project's default language, to match.

Only the generated _Intf file is overwritten. Files that are meant to be yours – such as the _ServerAccess helper – are left untouched, so you can safely update at any time without losing your own code.

Pointing the project at a different server

Because the .remoteRODL is a small, plain XML file, you can also edit it directly – for instance to switch from a development server to a production one. Open it, change the <ServerUri> to the new address, then update the _Intf as described above. See the .remoteRODL reference for the exact file layout.

See Also