My problem is that DLLs needed by my ClickOnce app are cluttering my project folder and I would like to move them to a bin folder but don't know a simple way to do so and still get the files to distribute.
To explain:
I'm distributing a C# app with ClickOnce. It has the following components:
One C# application
One CLR DLL
Umpteen C++ DLLs
All of these build to a tidy little bin folder.
Now the CLR DLL is referenced from the C# project, so it copies and deploys fine.
But I also want to distribute the C++ DLLs as part of the ClickOnce project, so I've done the thing that people say to do, which is add them to the C# project (drag ... drop), and in Properties, set Build Action to Content and Copy to Output Directory to Copy if Newer.
ClickOnce seems to deploy these files quite nicely.
The problem, though, is that now I have a bunch of binaries dumped into my C# project folder (and appearing in the project root in the IDE), which mixes executable files with source files in a way that is extremely obnoxious.
Can anyone clue me in to a simple way to keep all my DLLs in the output folder where they belong, and also have them distributed by ClickOnce?
Move you C++ DLLs somewhere sensible then when you add them to the project choose to add them as a Link instead of the standard Add which copies the files to the project folder.
To do this follow these steps:
Right click the project file and choose add existing file.
Navigate to the location of the file(s).
Click the down arrow next to the Add button and select Add as Link
Related
I wrote a fairly simple application with C#/.NET and can't figure out a good way to publish it. It's a sort of a "tool" that users would only run once, or run every few months. Because of this, I'm hoping that there is a way I could deploy it where it wouldn't need installing to run (it could just be run by double-clicking an EXE file straight after downloading).
However, it still needs (somehow) to include the correct version of .NET, libraries, etc. so it will run correctly. I know this is included when using ClickOnce, but that still installs the application onto the user's computer.
Is there a way this can be done?
EDIT - \bin\Debug
myAppName.application
myAppName.exe
myAppName.exe.config
myAppName.exe.manifest
myAppName.pdb
myAppName.vshost.application
myAppName.vshost.exe
myAppName.vshost.exe.config
myAppName.vshost.exe.manifest
extraLibrary.dll
as well as two folders
app.publish
Resources
It is possible and is deceptively easy:
"Publish" the application (to, say, some folder on drive C), either from menu Build or from the project's properties → Publish. This will create an installer for a ClickOnce application.
But instead of using the produced installer, find the produced files (the EXE file and the .config, .manifest, and .application files, along with any DLL files, etc.) - they are all in the same folder and typically in the bin\Debug folder below the project file (.csproj).
Zip that folder (leave out any *.vhost.* files and the app.publish folder (they are not needed), and the .pdb files unless you foresee debugging directly on your user's system (for example, by remote control)), and provide it to the users.
An added advantage is that, as a ClickOnce application, it does not require administrative privileges to run (if your application follows the normal guidelines for which folders to use for application data, etc.).
As for .NET, you can check for the minimum required version of .NET being installed (or at all) in the application (most users will already have it installed) and present a dialog with a link to the download page on the Microsoft website (or point to one of your pages that could redirect to the Microsoft page - this makes it more robust if the Microsoft URL change). As it is a small utility, you could target .NET 2.0 to reduce a user's probability to install .NET.
It works. We use this method during development and test to avoid constantly uninstalling and installing the application and still being quite close to how the final application will run.
First, you need to publish the file by:
BUILD -> PUBLISH or by right clicking project on Solution Explorer -> properties -> publish or select project in Solution Explorer and press Alt + Enter
NOTE: if you are using Visual Studio 2013 then in properties you have to go to BUILD and then you have to disable define DEBUG constant and define TRACE constant and you are ready to go.
Save your file to a particular folder.
Find the produced files (the EXE file and the .config, .manifest, and .application files, along with any DLL files, etc.) - they are all in the same folder and type in the bin\Debug folder below the project file (.csproj).
In Visual Studio they are in the Application Files folder and inside that, you just need the .exe and dll files.
(You have to delete ClickOnce and other files and then make this folder a zip file and distribute it.)
NOTE: The ClickOnce application does install the project to the system, but it has one advantage. You DO NOT require administrative privileges here to run (if your application follows the normal guidelines for which folders to use for application data, etc.).
I create my first TFS (2013 Express) project and added my solution (MVC5) to that project.
I then checked everything in and deleted it and restored from TFS to ensure that I have a working copy.
It was at this point I realized that I have a "DLL Reference" folder that sits outside of my solution.
What is the proper way for storing 3rd party dll referenced like this in TFS so that I can ensure I have a working solution?
EDIT:
This is not dll's from Nuget. These are 3rd party dll's that I am referencing from a folder.
Create a folder in TFS at solution level, call it dependencies, binaries or give any name you prefer. Add 3rd party files to this folder. Remove and add references to your project from this folder.
The easy-though-not-so-clean way is to create a dummy project, with no source files and a single folder (you could use the assemblies folder you already have) containing your dependencies. You can then add the dummy project to your solution and it will be synchronized by TFS.
There is an alternative solution, without including a dummy project.
From within Visual Studio, you can use Source Control Explorer to add files to TFS even if they are not in a project of your solution.
You can also do this from Windows Explorer. As long as you are in a folder that is part of a configured Workspace, you should be able see a "Team Foundation Server" drop-down menu when you right-click the folder.
The downside to this is that when someone needs to download your solution files to a new machine, they will have to manually download that folder too (via Source Control Explorer or Windows Explorer).
I know I'm a bit late to the party, but for anyone having a similar problem, you can create a folder in your project called "ExternalDLLs" and add the DLLs you need in there. Add references to these DLLs in your Project. Then include this folder in your Source Control and Push it up.
By default, Source Controls, ignore files with certain extensions (e.g. dll). Ensure that you add this folder to the Source Control, you can usually do it from your IDE or there may be a .gitignore file (or similar)
If you are trying to Push the bin folder with the DLLs up to your Source Control, the bin folder contents become Read-Only. That is why, this separate folder needs to be created.
I always recommend against committing binaries to source control. One way you can maintain these dependencies is to create your own nuget package, and host it internally on your own nuget server.
I have a click once deployment project that has been working fine for a long time now. I added some new dll's to a project that is referenced by it. The dll's can't be referenced in references, so I added them as files to the project.
Build Action is Content, copy to output directory is copy always.
when I build the application, the dll's appear in the bin\debug directory. The program uses them just fine too on my computer. When I deploy the application, the dll's don't make it to the other computer.
Under Publish in application properties I went to application files. the dll's I need are not listed there to be included in the deployment.
I would love some help, I feel like I'm missing something really simple.
I have a feeling if I put the dll's in the main project, it would work. I don't really want to do this, I would like to keep them all located in the project they are actually used in.
When I deploy the application, the dll's don't make it to the other computer.
...
Under Publish in application properties I went to application files. the dll's I need are not listed there to be included in the deployment.
You need to set them to download with the application. Click the DLL in the project properties, then press F4. Set the Build Action to Content, and the Copy to Output Directory to something like 'Copy if newer'
For information - it is likely if you download the DLLs for referencing by a built exe (for example) you may need to configure a manifest file for the executable as well to get it to pick up the DLLS correctly
I finished a project.I am trying create a setup .
My Problem is that :after I create setup project dll files that I used in project added to same folder with my .exe file like
ApplicationFolder(Folder)
Devexpress.Data.dll
Devexpress.Util..dll
.
.
project.exe
but I want to get it different folder.
like
ApplicationFolder(Folder)
MYDLLFILES(Folder)
project.exe(exe file)
how can I make this? Thanks a lot
This is not only a problem of setup. unless you are already handling this in the app.config and/or with appdomain.assemblyresolve event your application will not work at all on the user's machines once those required references will not be available in the same folder if the .exe file.
Surely you could isolate every single file and tell the setup project where to put it but your program has to be modifief to then look for those files in those other locations.
I accidentally faced this problem today, I want to add some separate dll files into the setup package (I have to do this because I can't add reference of these dll files into my C# program , these dll files are of 3rd-party software).
I did as following:
Right click on Setup Project > Add > Assembly and then browse to dll which I need, then press OK button.
These dll files will be included into Setup project, and will be packaged into setup file also.
Hth.
The problem is that Visual Studio setup projects will automatically include referenced DLLs for you so you won't be able to customize their location with these setup projects.
See also the following articles by DevExpress:
How to deploy WinForms applications on client machines
How to distribute applications which use Developer Express .NET Windows Forms controls
The second article explains how to register DLLs copied to a different location.
By the way we're also also deploying a big app using these VS setup projects and our base installation folder is full of DevExpress and other DLLs. I agree that it looks totally ugly and I'd also prefer a clean structure with a lib subfolder, but nobody cares about that. Customers don't start our application from the installation folder, they use the shortcuts.
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