Could not load file or assembly Microsoft.Dynamics.Framework.UI.WinForms.Controls or one of its dependencies

By Steve Endow

While working in Visual Studio, there are few things worse than being unable to open a WinForm and seeing an error like this:

I was working on a VS Tools AddIn and when I attempted to open a form, this screen was displayed.  It had this error message.

Could not load file or assembly Microsoft.Dynamics.Framework.UI.WinForms.Controls or one of its dependencies


I hate this error window in Visual Studio, because most of the time I have no idea what the problem is or how to resolve it.  I can deduce that there is some problem with the form, but that's about it.

Fortunately, in this case, the error was specific enough that I knew it had to do with some GP WinForm components.  And even more fortunately, a Google search turned up a forum post where someone else had experienced the same error.

Thankfully, that user had solved the problem and was nice enough to post the solution:  Reinstall VS Tools.

I nervously reinstalled VS Tools for GP 2013, and behold, I could open my form in Designer mode in Visual Studio again.

Whew.  Crisis averted.

Steve Endow is a Microsoft MVP for Dynamics GP and a Dynamics GP Certified IT Professional in Los Angeles.  He is the owner of Precipio Services, which provides Dynamics GP integrations, customizations, and automation solutions.

You can also find him on Google+ and Twitter

http://www.precipioservices.com