Setting up your development environment
Before you can start developing an application for RavenDB, you must first set up your development environment. This setup involves installing the following software packages on your development computer:
- Visual Studio 2012 (required)
- RavenDB Client (required)
- NuGet Package Manager (optional)
You may download and install the latest Visual Studio version from the Microsoft website: http://msdn.microsoft.com/En-us/library/vstudio/e2h7fzkw.aspx
In order to use RavenDB in your own .NET application, you have to add a reference to the Raven.Client.Lightweight.dll and the Raven.Abstractions.dll files, (which you can find in the ~\Client folder of the distribution package) into your Visual Studio project.
The easiest way to add a reference to these DLLs is by using the NuGet Package Manager, which you may use to add the RavenDB.Client package.
Note
NuGet Package Manager is a Visual Studio extension that makes it easy to add, remove, and update libraries and tools in Visual Studio projects that use the .NET framework.
You can find more information on the NuGet Package Manager extension by visiting the official website at http://nuget.org/.