f# .net framework 4.0 and typeproviders

Question

Well my third question on stack and again about same topic :-)

So I decided to upload my application built in websharper on appharbor but of course there is a problem. After trying to use visual studio 2012 and .net framework 4.5 and getting strange errors which were unsolvable for me (I didn't want to google all day) I decided to use vstudio 2010 and .NET framework 4.0. Everything went fine (I copied typeproviders.dll) but there is compile error on appharbore. Here is a log. http://pastebin.com/r9MtegHH and if you are too lazy to click here is a problem line:

D:\temp\ovuxcbrh.4p1\input\borkfork\borkfork\Website\borkData.fs(19,102): error FS0010: Unexpected symbol '=' in type arguments. Expected ',', '>' or other token. [D:\temp\ovuxcbrh.4p1\input\borkfork\borkfork\Website\Website.fsproj]

It works fine on my vstudio 2010. And line of code is:

    type  internal dbSchema = Microsoft.FSharp.Data.TypeProviders.SqlDataConnection<ConnectionString = @"Data Source=IRON;Initial Catalog=borkdorkfork;Integrated Security=True">

Maybe there is a problem because I didn't yet configure database overthere but it looks like something else. Well I am going to configure db overthere and see.

Answer 1

Code that uses type providers will run on .NET 4.0, providing that code has been compiled with the F# 3.0 compiler (targeting .NET 4.0) and references FSharp.Core and FSharp.Data.TypeProviders 4.3.0.0 with Copy Local set to True.

The problem in this case is that AppHarbor builds your code for you. Since they haven't updated to .NET 4.5 yet, your code is being compiled with the F# 2.0 compiler, which doesn't understand type providers.

If AppHarbor had a way for you to compile your own binaries and deploy those, that would work.

Edit:

I think this compiles for you on VS 2010 because .NET 4.5 is an in-place replacement for .NET 4.0. It must be replacing the F# compiler that VS 2010 uses, as well.

Answer 2

Type providers requires .NET 4.5. The error is the standard syntax error, because it expects you to close the triangle brackets, which it thinks are not type provider parameters, but generic parameters - the only use for triangle brackets in F# 2.0.