Is it possible to embed a ClickOnce Application in an other Application?
I think there will be problems because a ClickOnce Application is not installed to the same folder every Installation. Is there a solution to embed a ClickOnce Application anyway (So an other Application can run it)?
I managed to find a solution for this problem.
My solution was to create an installer which copies some files to a custom location, the user chooses, on the first run after an update. So the application files will always be in the same direction and can be embedded in other Applications.
Be sure the main Application knows the direction of the ClickOnce Installer Application and checks for updates every Start.
Related
Goal:
I am trying to make a setup file for my app. Futhermore the app must be able to be updated from a server or OneDrive.
Solution:
I am using windows application packaging project for this.
The issue:
The installer works fine when the installer location is on my local harddrive. But when i try to change the installer location to my online file manager or a public OneDrive folder I am unable to download and install the update or App for that matter.
My question:
Has anyone been able to use windows application packaging project where the app downloads updates from a server / OneDrive by uploading the installation file to a server / OneDrive and entering the path to the location, or am I on the wrong track?
Alternatives
The alternativ is of course to use Setup Project and perhaps AutoUpdaterDotNET (from NuGet) which works fine, but now I am interested in a solution which does not require several different third-party programs, and windows application packaging project seems to be the solution.
Have you tried creating an .appinstaller file? This XML file (which you can write in any code editor - you don't need VS or Advanced Installer to generate it, although that way is easier) should allow the OS to cache all the necessary information to auto-update the app accordingly.
I have an application written in C# using VisualStudio 2015 and I want to publish it (eg give an exe or installer to somebody to use it on its PC). From VisualStudio there is possibility to click "publish" in solution explorer. The result files are:
-Application files (File folder)
-project.application (Application manifest)
-setup.exe (Application)
As far as I know "manifest" file should be some metadata, but I can execute that file and it gives me an installer (the same as setup.exe). After installing it runs an application (just like setup.exe). It makes me confused - what exactly project.application is? Can I delete it and use only setup.exe? What is the correct way of publishing an app? One last thing: why does the installer run installation on first execution and run an application on any other? I would expect to run installation any time (just like other software).
Thanks
It sounds like a ClickOnce application. See the following link for more information:
ClickOnce security and deployment
In a nutshell:
The installer copies the files to the users AppData and then runs the application.
There are also other options such as checking for updates from a network location or web address. Then when you run the application it checks for updates and uses the manifest to do an incremental update of the application files.
I've built a Winforms Application, and I want to publish it. I'd like to have a link on a website https://sites.google.com/site/satsavvyboardgame/home where I can have the user download the application and have it install on their computer. So far, I haven't found any way to wrap everything up in one package, or successfully publish to the web. What are the specifications for the URL to publish to the web?
Is there any way to package everything into one item (the site won't allow me to upload/download folders), so that the user could download one item, then run that or something in it?
Is there another way to do this that I haven't seen?
I'm using C# Visual Studio 2010 Express, and my application has the code and a couple of XML files that I need to run. All are part of the project, and run fine when I install from a file using the CD publish settings.
I've never published an application before, so any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!
You have 2 general options:
use "ClickOnce" which will enable automatic updates each time the user click to install and have several other benefits such as less problems with priviliges.
Use "Windows-Installer", which allows you more control of how to do and what to do during the installtion phase. However, shamefully, Package & Deployment project types do not exist anymore in vs2012. there are several 3rd party packages you can work with to create your setup-project.
The ClickOnce is preferable if what the user download is a just a simple standalone game application for example.. the MSI is for the more "rich" applications that should make extensive usage in the machine registry and etc..
The table in this link will give you the data you need to make a decision:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/142dbbz4(v=vs.80).aspx
I have a Windows Setup project that installs 2 windows services, copies over a bunch of executables and driver files, and then installs a driver. I want to add a WPF project to my solution, and then deploy it with the same behavior as ClickOnce -- I want an entry in the Add/Remove Programs list, with an option to Uninstall. I know that I won't be able to update this program without updating and redeploying the MSI, unlike ClickOnce which has automatic updates.
I have tried adding the project output to the custom actions, file system, programs folder, and desktop. This only copies the final .exe for my wpf application to these areas, but it does not register the application as part of the system apps.
The actual setup project has a row created in Add/Remove Programs, so I can uninstall all my services and remove the copied files from the system, but I also want another row in Add/Remove Programs for the WPF application.
Please let me know if there is a way to install the WPF application as part of my windows setup installer, and also a way to uninstall if the setup project is being uninstalled or rolled back.
Thanks,
Misha
Can I ask the user WHERE to install the application during install time?
Most setups prompt the user where to install the application, I'm sure you are familiar with it. How can I do this with the visual studio publisher? (If it cannot be done from the VS publisher could you reccommend a program that can do it? Or do I have to do it manually?
As per this MSDN post: "ClickOnce application are installed per user in the user application cache. These applications are managed by the ClickOnce service. If you want to install to a user specifed location such a Program Files... you should use MSI or some other installer technology."
The other deployment methodologies supported by Visual Studio are discussed here
No, you can't. ClickOnce install the application in a user's AppData folder it's not installed like a traditional application. If you want to have more control over stuff like this you need to write your own installer.
Not sure if it is changed, but ClickOnce applications are installed per user in the user application cache. You cant change that location. This means that if 2 different user share the same machine there are 2 different copies of your application.