I have created a winforms project, and created an installer for it.
When installed i can run the exe from the install location, however if i create an entry in my install package to add the project output (the exe) to the users programmes menu or desktop then it fails
Does anyone know why this might be?
Thanks for your time
If this is a VS Deployment project, you don't add the project output directly, you create a shortcut from within the File System Viewer pointing to the primary output (which you will probably find in the 'Application Folder' in the shortcut dialog). You can then assign the shortcut a name and icon etc.
You need both the EXE and the MSI.
Related
I have created single layer windows form application and added one Visual Studio Install Setup Project to create the installation wizard using Visual Studio 2013.
So my application contains one .exe file and number of .dll files (SQLite, EntitiyFramework, etc) and other publish items. I am trying to Obfuscate my code using ConfuserEx.
For that, first I have created the publish build using my Visual Studio 2013.
Using ConfuserEx, obfuscated my publish .exe file. This step was working fine. I tried to decompile the obfuscated .exe file and got the unreadable code files. So that means, the process works fine.
Then I have replaced the obfuscated exe file with release exe file (..\bin\Release\appName.exe).
Then, rebuilt the installer setup project to generate the setup.exe file.
Then I have installed the software using setup.exe. Installation was success.
Decompiled the installed application exe using .NET Reflector 9
Decompiler shows the exact source of my project. So that means something is wrong in the obfuscation process.
Anyone know how to fix this issue?
I find the issue.
I was replacing the ..bin\Release\AppName.exe file instead of ..obj\Release\Appname.exe
Now it is working fine.
Thanks.
I have tried your way, it worked for one time only. I found better and easier way to solve this issue as such:
In the VS installer choose the primary output folder, right click.
Choose exclude filter. form exclude filter window, Choose add
filter.
Write down your program.exe.
Now select your VS installer project, right click.
Choose add File.. Browse toward your confused exe.
After building this, the confused exe will be installed.
It work well with me
I have tried your way, it worked for one time only. I found better and easier way to solve this issue as such:
In the VS installer choose the primary output folder, right click.
Choose exclude filter.
form exclude filter window, Choose add filter.
Write down your program.exe.
Now select your VS installer project, right click.
Choose add File..
Browse toward your confused exe.
After building this, the confused exe will be installed.
Tried and tested all above ways, Failed -> Now look at this way: (A Smaller one)
In the VS installer choose the primary output folder, double click.
Choose your program.exe and remove it. (YES remove it)
Now select your VS installer project, right click.
Choose add File..
Browse toward your confused/obfuscated exe. -> Select it.
After building this, the confused/obfuscated exe will be installed.
the issue in above similar solutions is:
When you exclude the exe it will not include the executable file at all.
So you simply need to remove the exe generated from the project output and replace it with your obfuscated exe.
Thanks.
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.
So I made a C# program, and its great and all (its a Windows Form Application). The issue with it, is I don't know how to use it outside of the debug mode form. How do I publish it? My target goal is to create a two folders, put a shortcut to the application in one, along with the other folder which will contain the application and all outside programs (some of the buttons link to batch files). Then I'd want to be able to put it in a RAR compressed file, and upload it online for others to download it.
How do I publish it so that happens? How do I take it out of debug mode?
Go into your project folder, then navigate to /bin/Release. If there's an EXE file with the title of your project in there, copy it somewhere (along with any DLLs that you may have linked) and there's your program. If it's not there, first try Build -> Compile Solution in Visual Studio. If it's still not there, navigate instead to /bin/Debug and do the same thing. Then, copy all your batch files into another folder, put them into the same folder, and RAR it.
P.S. Try not to use RAR, few people can extract them. Use ZIP or SEA (self-extracting archive) if at all possible.
First off, you need to build your application in Release mode, in Visual Studio simply change the drop down near the top of the window to "Release." This will create a bin/Release directory where your sources are located. The folder will contain an EXE for your application and DLLs you need to include. It could (and probably will) include some debugging *.PDB files that you do not want to include -- as those include debugging information.
Copy the contents of that directory somewhere and RAR it up.
Building in x86 Mode
(You should only do this if you have a specific reason to)
If your application uses 3rd party DLLs that are not 64-bit compatible, you may need to do a release build in x86 mode. To do that, click the "Any CPU" drop down and click "New Configuration" (or something like that) and follow the steps to add x86. Then build with the x86 -- Release setting. That will output x86 binaries to a bin/x86/Release folder where your sources are located.
The Preferred Soltuion
Most users are going to prefer some form of automatic installer instead of a simple RAR or ZIP. Visual Studio (Standard/Pro) can create self installing MSIs that do all the work for you. A basic overview is here. You can add shortcuts/etc using the wizards Visual Studio provides.
If you need an even more robust installer you could check out solutions such as InnoSetup or NSIS
To build your application in Release mode instead of Debug, go to the Build menu and select Configuration Manager.
Change the Active soluction configuration to Release. Now, when you build your solution, it will put the executable in the /bin/Release folder.
If you need to automatically perform certain actions once the solution is built, like packaging into a RAR or ZIP archive and copying the distributable to another folder, then check out post-build actions.
After Visual Studio 2010 , Microsoft remove Make setup utility facility from the visual studio and,we have to downlorad that plugin seperatly from
Get InstallShield Limited Edition for Visual Studio
You Have to fill the application
After intalation, goto
Visual Studio-->New Project-->Other Project type-->Setup and Development
You will see follwing screen
Now you can goto InstallShield setup utility and change the things as you requirement.
add all file in debug folder of your project in follwing interface and build solution,
Final setup will locate in your setup folder-->Express\CD_ROM\DiskImages\DISK1**
hope this will help you
In Project Properties under Publishing in Options there is a tab called "File Associations". I have entered there .mpg|MyDesc|MyDescID|myIco.ico. I have hoped that the mpg ext will be automatically associated after I start program. However it did not happen. Even when I choose open with and set the app as default it does not have the icon I have chosen.
How to use it?
I believe I have to create a published version, but I would rather not do it(since I change the app a lot). Is there any way to create the associations without creating an installer?
I believe this has to do with ClickOnce deployment, and is related to file associations when a user decides to install the ClickOnce bundle for your app.
When you say "start" the program - are you referring to F5 or Ctrl+F5? If you "Publish" your ClickOnce bundle and then install from there, I believe your file associations should work.
HI,
I have a windows application in C#. I created and added a set up project to this solution. Then, built the solution. I refered to this link http://www.codeproject.com/KB/install/SetupAndDeployment.aspx. I even added the shortcut of "Primary output of my application" to "User's Desktop" folder. But I am not able to find the installer file in Desktop, so that I can "double click" this installer file and install my Windows application.
KINDLY HELP ME WITH THE PROCEDURE THAT NEEDS TO BE FOLLOWED AFTER CREATING A SET UP PROJECT, ADDING IT TO A SOLUTION AND BUILDING THE SOLUTION. WHERE AND HOW TO FIND THE INSTALLER FILE. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT I AM MISSING.
The installer file should be located in the bin folder of your installer project. Right click on the project in the project tree, and select "Open folder in windows explorer", and you'll find the bin directory.
The link on the desktop will only be present once the installer file has been run.
Whether this is 100% applicaple I don't know but it's something I'd think is worth a try which is if u know what the installer file is called why not do a search for that file to see if it's been stored somewhere else?
I apologise If I am stating the obvious to you, I have probably misunderstood your question if i am.
When you make a setup project the built setup files are in the Debug or Release folder of the setup project depending on your build settings
-setup.msi
-setup.exe for example
clicking setup.exe will run the install the application
You copy them to the user's desktop and click to install your application?