What is a dll.refresh file in ASP.Net?

In our ASP.Net web project we seem to have some .refresh files associated with some of the 3rd party Dlls we're using. Any idea what they are and how/when they are created?

Solution 1:

These files give the path to the DLL in question to tell Visual Studio where to find it (you can check this if you open them in a text editor). They will be created each time you add a new reference to the project.

They normally appear when you are using a project type that does not create a standard Visual Studio project file, as normally paths to referenced DLLs would go in there.

Solution 2:

From here:

In an ASP.NET project, adding a file-based reference will add a .refresh file in the Bin folder. When the project is under source control, this file is then added to source control. *.dll.refresh files that litter the bin directory. Every time you add an external reference, you'll find a dll.refresh file right next to it. These dll.refresh files are an exception to the rule, and they should go into source control. Its the only way your web project will know where its references live.