If you create a class library that uses things from other assemblies, is it possible to embed those other assemblies inside the class library as some kind of resource?
I.e. instead of having MyAssembly.dll, SomeAssembly1.dll and SomeAssembly2.dll sitting on the file system, those other two files get bundled in to MyAssembly.dll and are usable in its code.
I'm also a little confused about why .NET assemblies are .dll files. Didn't this format exist before .NET? Are all .NET assemblies DLLs, but not all DLLs are .NET assemblies? Why do they use the same file format and/or file extension?
ILMerge does merge assemblies, which is nice, but sometimes not quite what you want. For example, when the assembly in question is a strongly-named assembly, and you don't have the key for it, then you cannot do ILMerge without breaking that signature. Which means you have to deploy multiple assemblies.
As an alternative to ilmerge, you can embed one or more assemblies as resources into your exe or DLL. Then, at runtime, when the assemblies are being loaded, you can extract the embedded assembly programmatically, and load and run it. It sounds tricky but there's just a little bit of boilerplate code.
To do it, embed an assembly, just as you would embed any other resource (image, translation file, data, etc). Then, set up an AssemblyResolver that gets called at runtime. It should be set up in the static constructor of the startup class. The code is very simple.
static NameOfStartupClassHere()
{
AppDomain.CurrentDomain.AssemblyResolve += new ResolveEventHandler(Resolver);
}
static System.Reflection.Assembly Resolver(object sender, ResolveEventArgs args)
{
Assembly a1 = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly();
Stream s = a1.GetManifestResourceStream(args.Name);
byte[] block = new byte[s.Length];
s.Read(block, 0, block.Length);
Assembly a2 = Assembly.Load(block);
return a2;
}
The Name property on the ResolveEventArgs parameter is the name of the assembly to be resolved. This name refers to the resource, not to the filename. If you embed the file named "MyAssembly.dll", and call the embedded resource "Foo", then the name you want here is "Foo". But that would be confusing, so I suggest using the filename of the assembly for the name of the resource. If you have embedded and named your assembly properly, you can just call GetManifestResourceStream() with the assembly name and load the assembly that way. Very simple.
This works with multiple assemblies, just as nicely as with a single embedded assembly.
In a real app you're gonna want better error handling in that routine - like what if there is no stream by the given name? What happens if the Read fails? etc. But that's left for you to do.
In the rest of the application code, you use types from the assembly as normal.
When you build the app, you need to add a reference to the assembly in question, as you would normally. If you use the command-line tools, use the /r option in csc.exe; if you use Visual Studio, you'll need to "Add Reference..." in the popup menu on the project.
At runtime, assembly version-checking and verification works as usual.
The only difference is in distribution. When you deploy or distribute your app, you need not distribute the DLL for the embedded (and referenced) assembly. Just deploy the main assembly; there's no need to distribute the other assemblies because they're embedded into the main DLL or EXE.
Take a look at ILMerge for merging assemblies.
I'm also a little confused about why .NET assemblies are .dll files. Didn't this format exist before .NET?
Yes.
Are all .NET assemblies DLLs,
Either DLLs or EXE normally - but can also be netmodule.
but not all DLLs are .NET assemblies?
Correct.
Why do they use the same file format and/or file extension?
Why should it be any different - it serves the same purpose!
You can embed an assembly (or any file, actually) as a resource (and then use the ResourceManager class to access them), but if you just want to combine assemblies, you're better off using a tool like ILMerge.
EXE and DLL files are Windows portable executables, which are generic enough to accomodate future types of code, including any .NET code (they can also run in DOS but only display a message saying that they're not supposed to run in DOS). They include instructions to fire up the .NET runtime if it isn't already running. It's also possible for a single assembly to span across multiple files, though this is hardly ever the case.
Note ILMerge doesn't work with embedded resources like XAML, so WPF apps etc will need to use Cheeso's method.
There's also the mkbundle utility offered by the Mono project
Why do they use the same file format and/or file extension?
Why should it be any different - it serves the same purpose!
My 2ยข bit of clarification here: DLL is Dynamic Link Library. Both the old style .dll (C-code) and .net style .dll are by definition "dynamic link" libraries. So .dll is a proper description for both.
With respect to Cheeso's answer of embedding the assemblies as resources and loading them dynamically using the Load(byte[]) overload using an AssemblyResolve event handler, you need to modify the resolver to check the AppDomain for an existing instance of the Assembly to load and return the existing assembly instance if it's already loaded.
Assemblies loaded using that overload do not have a context, which can cause the framework to try and reload the assembly multiple times. Without returning an already loaded instance, you can end up with multiple instances of the same assembly code and types that should be equal but won't be, because the framework considers them to be from two different assemblies.
At least one way that multiple AssemblyResolve events will be made for the same assembly loaded into the "No context" is when you have references to types it exposes from multiple assemblies loaded into your AppDomain, as code executes that needs those types resolved.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd153782%28v=vs.110%29.aspx
A couple of salient points from the link:
"Other assemblies cannot bind to assemblies that are loaded without context, unless you handle the AppDomain.AssemblyResolve event"
"Loading multiple assemblies with the same identity without context can cause type identity problems similar to those caused by loading assemblies with the same identity into multiple contexts. See Avoid Loading an Assembly into Multiple Contexts."
I would suggest you to try Costura.Fody. Just don't forget to Install-Package Fody before Costura.Fody (in order to get the newest Fody!)
Related
I'm working on a .net project, which is using third party .net DLLs. Some of this DLLs are using common DLLs (e.g. Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Logging). Now we want to use the same common DLLs in a newer version. We are not allowed to use the GAC (politics).
We have separated the parts in different directories.
Third party \ Third party.dll
old common (Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Logging.dll)
Our libs \ our lib.dll
new common (Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Logging.dll)
Surprise, Surprise, it did not work. In our dll an error is thrown saying, some option is not valid. Yes, I did not find it in the old common, but in the new. So, I guess, the wrong executable was taken.
In Visual Studio (2015) we have enabled the "Spezific Version" in the reference, and in the Debug / module windows, both DLLs are loaded.
Edit: All Dlls have strong names.
How do I determine which DLL was executed (stepping with F11 just jump to the catch block)? How do I force using the correct DLL?
(The architecture loads first the third party DLL, then our own dll. This is not changeable without a few years rewriting...)
You can use assembly binding redirects and hope the universe doesn't break (there's no guarantee the newer DLL is backward compatible) or you can strong name the dlls.
Why? .NET generally does not allow you to load the "same" assembly more than once in the same AppDomain, unless it is strong-named. What's strong naming? It is a form of identity and digital signing that consists of:
Assembly filename
Assembly version
Assembly culture
Assembly public key
When it's strong-named, both dlls run side-by-side in the same AppDomain within the same process with perfect backward compatibility.
Alternatively if you don't want to use strong-naming (because many files may require signing) or binding redirects, you can always create additional AppDomains and load a version of the dlls into each domain.
Though it gets around the problem of fiddling with files, it does require considerable rework of the rest of the app making it an arguably bad choice at this point in your development.
EDIT: I see now you are using strong names on both.
How do I force using the correct DLL
To distinguish between the two types in the exact same namespace, you might have to create an alias for the newer assembly in your dll reference. Tell me more...
How can I use different dll's (other Version) with the same name in one directory?
For Example, LibA (ExternalLib.dll) has Version 1 and LibB (ExternalLib.dll) has Version 2.
I'm deploying all my programs to the same directory (this is our companys standard and I can't change this fact). The problem is if ProgramB which is using the LibB is deployed in the directory where ProgramA is using the LibA then ProgrammA would not longer work.
For my own Libs I use a Major-Version-Number (.01, .02) if there are big changes. But the Lib I'm using is an external Lib and each version of it requires different licensing-keys (which are handled by the programs itself).
I tried to rename the external libs from "ExternalLib.dll" to "ExternalLib.v1.dll" and "ExternalLib.v2.dll", but when I run my fresh compiled programm it throws an exception that says "ExternalLib.dll could not be found". The reference in my project is set to "ExternalLib.v1.dll" and compilation works fine.
Any ideas / suggestions to handle different assembly versions in the same directory?
Unfortunately, the filename of the DLL file has very little do do with how .Net is loading these types. The actual name is written into the meta data of the assembly as part of the compilation process. So at runtime, it will be probing for ExternalLib.dll regardless of what you renamed the file to. The usual way to fix this is to install to the GAC and use Strong Naming to reference the specific version.
Given you may not be able to do this, there are 4 things you could try:
Ask the vendor to produce version specific DLL's for you. They could compile such that the version name is part of the filename and included in the assembly manifest. This would be the simplest solution for you.
Handle the AssemblyResolve event and manually try and use Assembly.Load to point at the file you want such that you can specify specifically which dll to use. See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/837908 for more information, but effectively you'll be using Assembly.LoadFrom(specific_path) to choose the file where the code will load from.
If possible, you might also be able to use ildasm.exe to decompile the dll's to Intermediate Language (IL), then use ilasm.exe to recompile it to a new dll name. You would then reference this new DLL name in your project.
If the assembly is not signed, then you may be able to edit the manifest yourself; you can either use a compatible binary editor or possibly MT.exe.
Our code uses a "Plugin" model, that remotely loads dll's conforming to a predefined structure IPluginModel that is defined in the main program. The main program itself has several localized forms where the text and placement of the labels in the UI are all changed based on the different localization Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture.
One thing that we noticed is that any forms or reports from the remotely loaded dll's will never be properly localized. It does not seem to matter where the localization dll's containing the different resources for the plugin are located, either next to the main form, next to the plugin dll, or anywhere else. How would one cause the Assembly to correctly locate its localized resources when the assembly itself is loaded during RunTime of the main program?
I do have code that rather resembles the method used Here, but dont want to have to manually implement the resx against the form itself if at all possible. The code I have is located directly inside the plugin itself and is called whenever the CurrentUICulture is NOT "en-US".
Ideally speaking, what Im looking for is a way to load the pluginName.resources.dll which is directly associated with the plugin I just loaded. I do see the different folders in my main projects bin folder, the es folder contains a main.resources.dll, but simply placing the plugin dll's in that folder did not seem to work last time I tried it, although in theory that could have changed...or I may have done it wrong at the time...
Loading the assembly [code snippet]
private void LoadPlugin(string filePath)
{
bool isValidPlugin = false;
Assembly asm = null;
try
{
asm = Assembly.LoadFrom(Path.Combine(Environment.CurrentDirectory, filePath));
//Do some type checking to make certain this is in fact one of OUR plugins
var p = (IFTLPlugin)Activator.CreateInstance(types[x]);
_plugins.Add(p.Prefix, p);
}
}
Edit: More thoughts on the subject
Is there some way to intercept the loading structure that attempts to resolve the satellite assemblies, an event that I can implement or a function I can override, where I can manually point the code to the correct resource assembly?. I found some things about assembly resolution, but that was for direct loading, not for satellite resources.
As you know perfectly well already, the runtime loads localized resources using a convention, by looking for satellite assemblies (e.g. fr/pluginName.resources.dll).
I think you may be right to think that this issue may be due to a failure to find those satellite assemblies . You could try confirming this using the .NET Framework diagnostics tool fuslogvw.exe. You can also try to deploy your satellite assemblies to the Global Assembly Cache (GAC) as a quick fix (see Installing a Satellite Assembly in the Global Assembly Cache on this page).
If that works, and to help figure out other suitable locations (other than the GAC), the locations inspected by the runtime to look for satellite assemblies are documented as the fallback process here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/sb6a8618%28v=vs.71%29.aspx
The .NET system, when loading resource assemblies, uses the Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture, as you pointed out in your question background.
The problem is that each new thread defaults to CultureInfo.InstalledCulture until it is told otherwise.
Have your main code pass the desired culture to the library in your initialization call.
Then have the library set its Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture (and .CurrentCulture if appropriate) before you load any resources. That would be before any call to InitializeComponent() or TryFindResource(), for example.
This gets the library's thread's cultures aligned with the main program's thread's cultures, regardless of what the OS's ideas about it are.
today I'd like to know how do you configure your projects in C# WPF which references additional assemblies in a chain. By the "in a chain" I mean something like this:
we have application which refers to assembly Plugin
Plugin assembly refers Resources where resources used by Plugin are located, eg. images
main application does not refers to Resource in any way.
The following image illustrates what I've just said:
The problem is that Resources is not copied to the bin folder of the application, causing Plugin (Ctrl on the image) resources it requires finding failure.
Workaround
There are workarounds for it which are simply to include Resources to references of the main application or use a post-build step and manually copy required files in that step.
Conclusion
Concluding, I'd like to ask how do you deal with that problem. Are the any other solutions besides those I mentioned in workaround section? Am I missing something in the projects' configuration?
Make sure that the output directory in the Plugin project properties is same as the output directory of your application. Otherwise you have to copy files yourself as you do.
Second option would be using embedded resources.
If you load the plugin dynamically from a different folder than the EXE, you can also copy its dependencies to the same folder as the plugin and load those assemblies dynamically, as well. You then need to handle AssemblyResolve so that the already-loaded assemblies will be resolved instead of trying to find new assemblies:
AppDomain.CurrentDomain.AssemblyResolve += CurrentDomain_AssemblyResolve;
private Assembly CurrentDomain_AssemblyResolve(object sender, ResolveEventArgs args)
{
var domain = (AppDomain)sender;
var assemblies = domain.GetAssemblies();
return assemblies.FirstOrDefault(assembly => assembly.GetName().Name == args.Name.Split(',')[0]);
}
The code above does a version and strong-naming insensitive match; you can implement your own policy here if you want something stricter.
I have a C# .Net 2.0CF application where I would like to load a .NET 'plug-in' DLL at runtime.
As I understand it, I should be able to use the System.Reflection.Assembly.LoadFrom() to load the DLL to an Assembly. Then use Assembly.GetTypes() to get the list of types within the plugin to match them to my expected interfaces.
The problem is that when I call GetTypes(), I get a System.TypeLoadException(). Based on the exception message, I assume this is because this particular plugin references some other assembly that this program knows nothing about. But, that's part of the point of it being a plugin! I don't want my application to have to know anything about these other assemblies.
How can I load this plug-in DLL without having my application reference every assembly used in the plugin?
Thanks,
PaulH
The situation is not that your app should reference every assembly that a plug-in uses. The plug-in references another DLL, not your app, and the plug-in should be "installed" (maybe simply put in a directory) along with everything it needs. This is unavoidable.