Asp – Can the compiler check methods on the .aspx files

If you open the .aspx file and switch between design view and html view and back it will prompt VS to check the controls and add any that are missing to the designer file.

In VS2013-15 there is a Convert to Web Application command under the Project menu. Prior to VS2013 this option was available in the right-click context menu for as(c/p)x files. When this is done you should see that you now have a *.Designer.cs file available and your controls within the Design HTML will be available for your control.

PS: This should not be done in debug mode, as not everything is "recompiled" when debugging.

Some people have also reported success by (making a backup copy of your .designer.cs file and then) deleting the .designer.cs file. Re-create an empty file with the same name.

There are many comments to this answer that add tips on how best to re-create the designer.cs file.

I discovered it by myself. It is much easier than I thought (IIS 6.0):

In Internet Information Manager go to the property page of the site, then chose the tab "Home Directory" and click on the button "Configuration...".

Click "Edit..." for the .aspx ISAPI extension and uncheck "Verify that file exists". At this point, no aspx file is needed anymore.

Update

One important thing: I had to create an empty "default.aspx" file in the root of the application in order to allow the default document for requests like "http://www.example.com/" (without calling an aspx).

Update 2

Another very important thing: if you're using ASP.NET Ajax PageMethods, then you have to keep the aspx placeholder of that page. If you're omitting the file, a javascript 'PageMethods is undefined' error will be thrown on the browser.