# FrameworkReference required for c++/cli project on .Net Core

**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/frameworkreference-required-for-c-cli-project-on-net-core/8212
**Category:** Usage
**Tags:** os:windows
**Created:** [May 25, 2023, 8:59am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/frameworkreference-required-for-c-cli-project-on-net-core/8212 "2023-05-25T08:59:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Yann\_Cudennec](https://discourse.cmake.org/user_avatar/discourse.cmake.org/yann_cudennec/32/3477_2.png) [@Yann\_Cudennec](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/Yann_Cudennec)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2023, 8:59am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/frameworkreference-required-for-c-cli-project-on-net-core/8212/1 "2023-05-25T08:59:16Z")

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In order to build a c++/cli project on dot net core I must have a vcxproj that includes  
\<ItemGroup\>  
\<FrameworkReference Include=“Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App” /\>  
\</ItemGroup\>

My build system is using CMake and I can’t find a way to configure it to include these lines in the generated project.  
Thanks for helping

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![ben.boeckel](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@ben.boeckel](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/ben.boeckel)
#### Post date: [May 29, 2023, 1:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/frameworkreference-required-for-c-cli-project-on-net-core/8212/2 "2023-05-29T13:07:04Z")

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Can this appear in a custom [`VS_USER_PROPS`](https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/prop_tgt/VS_USER_PROPS.html) file?

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Brian\_Whitman](https://discourse.cmake.org/user_avatar/discourse.cmake.org/brian_whitman/32/3888_2.png) [@Brian\_Whitman](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/Brian_Whitman)
#### Post date: [October 2, 2023, 7:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/frameworkreference-required-for-c-cli-project-on-net-core/8212/3 "2023-10-02T19:07:09Z")

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I managed to make this work using a custom props file and the target property VS\_PROJECT\_IMPORT.

The props file is just:

```auto
<Project ToolsVersion="17.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
  <ItemGroup>
	<FrameworkReference Include="Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App"/>
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

```