Visual Studio 2010 Web Developer Express Tools.Attach to Process is not exists

Question

I have loaded Web Site from HDD. Now trying attach it to process WebDev.WebServer.EXE. But in Visual Studio 2010 Web Developer Express edition of VS not exist tool Attach To Process . Is it normal? if yes, how can add this tool or solve my needs?

Answer 1

Attach To Process is not available in the Expressor the Web Developer Editions . You will need to purchase a full version. See here .

Answer 2

Here is how to use Attach To Process on IIS process, when using Visual Studio Express for Web as your dev IDE:

• Open your web site project in Visual Studio Express 2012 for Web,
  and browse your dev website in a browser - You can do it by Ctrl+F5 in VS (start without debugging) - this will run w3wp.exe (ISS Application Pool Process - this process will run when your project Web Location is HTTP)
• Open Visual Studio express 2012 for windows desktop . yes. for "windows desktop" - here will come the trick (-:
• In the VS for desktop - press Ctrl+O (Open File) - and browse to file in website that you want to debug - [root]/Default.aspx.cs for example.
  Now in the Default.aspx.cs code, set a Breakpoint - for example in Page_Load event code
• In the VS for desktop - go to Debug menu and select Attach To Process...
  In the Attach To Process dialog - in the Available Process list select your IIS process: w3wp.exe
  Now press Attach button
• Go to your browser and run the /Default.aspx page

Result: The website run in IIS process, will stop in the breakpoint in the VS for desktop, and you can debug it.

Notes:

• This will work only if your website project Web Location is HTTP (this configured when creating the website project in the VS. Google for instructions )
• I did it on 2012 version, and it may work on other versions as well.