I have created a application which connects and performs function to a database. However when I compile and publish the application my clients report a error message while trying to open the file about a missing file.
So they need to have the connector installed before they can use my application, how can I fix this?
Create an installer that ensures this dependency is met. WiX is the normal route here. The WiX tools do not depend on VS, although the VS tools make things a little easier for you.
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In VS, open the references section of your project, find the reference to MySql.Data, go to properties and set "Copy Local" to true and rebuild. Now the .dll will be copied to your bin folder, ready for redistribution as you see fit.
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I've just finished my Windows Forms App project in Visual Studio using C#. I know I need to release it. To do so I need to go from Debug mode to Release above in VS and then just click on F6. After that I have a folder with an exe file in it. But in my project I use a dll library which was copied on my PC and registered by regsvr32.exe in cmd. Next in VS I went to Solution Explorer and added the library in References by writing the path to it. I also use two packages which were installed by NuGet Package Manager.
My program is developed to use it by my coworkers so I have to distribute it to them. The problem is that I don't know how to prepare my app for it.
I'm reading lots of different articles about the release step but I'm getting more confused. People usually write that I can just copy the exe file in the release folder and use it in another PC after installing .Net there. But in my project there are also the three libraries and without them my program won't work in another PC. I can copy and register the first library on other computers but what about the last two? How to set up them correctly?
About the first library, I put it in a folder created by me manually in the C directory of my computer. The release folder is in another place. And when registering this library in cmd and then adding it to References, I specified the path to it. It means if the path has been changed, it won't be possible to use the library in the project. I tried some times. It's not convenient and when placing the app in another PC without VS where I can specify the path, my program won't probably work. So it would be very convenient to place this library next to the release folder and after putting it in another PC, the path to the library wouldn't cause any problems.
To sum up, I'm looking for the way to easily and conveniently distribute my program to users. Of course, I want to put my app and the libraries together in a PC, not to set up them separately and then tune them separately to make the program work there. Might there a way to release it as an app with all the libraries connected to it?
I feel it must be easy but I'm not so experienced. I'm sorry for that.
It is recommended that you use ClickOnce deployment:
ClickOnce deployment is a Microsoft technology that allows you to easily deploy your Windows Forms App along with all its dependencies. With ClickOnce deployment, you can publish your application to a web server or a file share and users can install it by simply clicking on a link. ClickOnce will automatically download and install all the required DLLs and packages on the user's computer.
Of course, there are some third-party packaging software that I can't recommend. If ClickOnce doesn't help you, I'll think of other ways.
I have made a WinForms application that uses DevExpress (trial) but some of my friends can open it but some others can't. You can find the source here: https://github.com/JujharSingh/Exploit-Studio
I have also made sure that I didn't delete any DLL files while packaging.
Make sure you right click on all the required files in solution explorer and include them so when you publish your project, they're deployed with the project.
Also make sure you've the following option configured correctly:
You wouldn't have to worry about .Net framework version as the published setup automatically installs missing .Net files.
Finally, goto your project Properties -> Publish -> Application Files and mark the required files as required and include them:
And on the same page, tick the required prerequisites:
Finally, make sure you're giving them the published version, not the copied executable file. Hope this helps
I have a WPF app that works with local SQLite and Entity Framework Core. I want to distribute my app using ClickOnce.
Everything works fine when I run it using Visual Studio 2017. But app had a crash on a start when I used ClickOnce. The crash was so early so I couldn't even log the exception. After some time I found that in publish folder some dlls were missed. For example System.Runtime. All references are NuGet packages. Then I found that despite of I have a reference to the dlls in my project ClickOnce application files list doesn't contains it.
The only solution I have found for now is to add missed dlls as files in root of my project and set build action to Content. In ClickOnce application file dialog I set publish status to Include.
It works now but it looks like not the best way to do it. The question is why they are missed in the first place. More likely I missed something or I am not understand the root of the problem.
UPD:
You can find an example code here.
It works from Visual Studio but crashes on a start when you try to install it as ClickOnce application.
UPD: The problem was fixed in Visual Studio Professional version 15.6.1
There are two ways solving solve this.
At first, you have to go Properties → Publish → Application Files, and at this place, make your DLL files include in your project
But if it does not work, go to References and make the DLL file CopyLocal = False. You add a DLL file like Existing Item in your project and make them Copy Always.
It will work correctly.
But for your sample I watch this and I solved it. Look at this image:
You have four DLL files. You need do this for them:
System.Diagnostics.Tracing.dll
System.Reflection.dll
System.Runtime.dll
System.Runtime.Extensions.dll
At first go to your reference and make them Copy Local False:
Then go to the path of each DLL file and add them like Existing Item, and then make all of them Copy To Output Directory CopyAlways
Then Publish it and run it like in this picture. I run it from publish file and it works.
Even if you set the dll to copy local, the dll will not get copied over unless you actually use the dll in your code. You might try adding System.Runtime in your code somewhere like this maybe?
var dummytest = System.Runtime.GCSettings.IsServerGC;
Based on Issue 9 on https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/bclteam/p/asynctargetingpackkb/ I was able to do the following:
Symptom
ClickOnce applications targeting .NET Framework 4.0 that reference the Microsoft.Bcl or Microsoft.Bcl.Async packages may experience a TypeLoadException or other errors after being installed.
Resolution
This occurs because ClickOnce fails to deploy certain required assemblies. As a workaround, do the following:
Right-click on the project and choose Add Existing Item
Browse to the folder where the System.Runtime.dll lives
In the File name text box paste in the path of the file
Click the down-arrow next to the Add button and choose Add as Link
In Solution Explorer, holding CTRL select System.Runtime.dll
Right-click the selection, choose Properties and change Copy to Output Directory to Copy always
Republish
I have a large solution currently under VS2010, with lots of projects and dependencies. Some of them are installed to the GAC, some of them are just included from a "lib" folder. I need to build one of my projects (specifically a WinForms app) to able to run on any, non-development computers without any installation process (except for the .NET runtime of course), just as portable apps do.
For this to work, I need to have all of the referenced DLLs and their whole dependency tree in the output folder of my EXE. I can do it for exemple by marking the dependencies to "Copy local" in the properties window, but that works only for the direct references of the EXE project, so it's far not enough. Another way is to make a setup project, but my client and also I want to avoid that (in the final version I'm gonna use ClickOnce). Of course I can always do it purely by hand, gathering all the DLLs manually, but that's quite a nightmare.
Is there some tool, msbuild trick, command-line option, whatever hack to force Visual Studio to gather the whole dependency tree of my EXE during build, and copy them to the output folder? So that I could just ZIP everything together and send to my client.
I actually chose a somewhat "middle" solution, the following way.
I created a "dummy" setup project, not caring about setting anything but adding the project outputs (primary output, localized resources, contents, etc.). It was a 2 minute task this way.
I built the setup project, and got the MSI file as the output.
I've extracted the contents of the MSI file to a specific folder, called "MyAppPortable" for example. I found the solution here. The command-line command is
msiexec /a "absolute_path_to_my_MSI_output" /qb TARGETDIR="absolute_path_to_my_desired_output_folder"
I got the full application with all of its resolved dependencies (except for late-binding dependencies, but I took care of them manually, by adding them as references to my projects). I could ZIP the whole folder, put it on another computer, and voila, everything worked fine.
Basically, using Visual Studio, you can set all of your Solution's Projects to build into the same Output folder and use this folder as your Windows Form application folder (where the application EXE will reside).
By doing this, you will coordinate all of the possible assemblies references that your app is depend on.
In VS 2012, right-click on a Project => Properties => Select Build (left pane) => Set your Output path:
I would select a a solution-level folder as the Output path.
And if it's prohibited to perform such a modification at your workplace so I would suggest you to use dependency analysis tools like the following in order to interrogate and gather the appropriate assemblies that your app is depend on and will require at run-time:
Dependency Walker
NDepend
Red-Gate Reflector
Update:
Using the above mentioned tools will not yields assemblies references which are late-bounded (at run-time), for this case you may use: Fusion (the Assembly Binding Log Viewer)
Check out the Fody/Costura recommendation from this question:
Embedding DLLs in a compiled executable
It's great! I just tried it out for a similar need and in less then a few minutes I had a completely portable (except the .Net framework) exe that I could easily give to co-workers.
I've been creating winforms application for a while now, but i've never really published one to other people before.
Recently I started doing this but every time I publish my build, the user requires to de-install his current installation and install the new one.
Is there any way to remove this, so I'll only have to send a .exe file which they can use without any form of installing?
I've attempted to send the .exe file in the bin/debug/ but this only seems to work on computers where Visual Studio is installed.
Go to your solution and set the CopyLocal to true for all projects, this will ensure that the ..\Bin folder contains all the necessary assemblies for your program. Then just zip up the ..\Bin folder, get it onto the client machine, and then unzip it.
Hope this helps!
1) Change from Debug to Release in Solution Configurations
2) Right click on your project and click rebuild
3) Go to your bin=>Release=> app.publish for your exe version
4) Copy over any required .dll files,any .config files and any other resource/image files you need from bin=>Release to bin=>Release=> app.publish.
Your app.publish folder should now contain all the files required to run your form, and can be copied or zipped up and send to anyone who needs to use it !
You can try using ClickOnce as an installation method. It even has a built-in auto-update, so you can publish your application to a web server, and all existing installations will download latests version automatically.
To configure ClickOnce go to corresponding tab in your project settings.