(I am using Visual Studio 2017.)
I started a small console application. A Discord C# bot. So I always launched this program with Visual Studio. After finishing it, I wanted to put the .exe file on a server, to keep this bot stay online all day long.
In the directory, there isn't any .exe file.
So I started the application again and saw this console is opened from a different path:
"C:\Program Files\dotnet" and this .exe is called "dotnet.exe"
When I want to start this .exe file manually, it closes instantly (maybe because of the missing line of code Console.ReadLine(); I don't know).
What should I change in Visual Studios settings to have an .exe file in my correct directory for my console application?
The attached picture shows my bin directory, where the .exe file should normally be. There is a .dll file, but I need the .exe file...
Updated answer:
When this answer was written, back in 2017, .NET Core only output dll files, this has since changed. This can now be achieved with this property in the application's csproj:
<OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
There are also additional deployment methods like the single-file deployment.
Original answer:
There is no exe file because you created a .NET Core application.
You have two options:
If you want an EXE, you need to target the .NET Framework.
If you don't want to change your code, then you need to install .NET Core on the server and run dotnet pathToDll on a command line
Related
I did the following steps to create a Windows Setup project:
Create a Windows Forms Application using Visual Studio
Install "Microsoft Visual Studio Installer Projects plugin"
Add a "Setup Project" to the solution
In the "Application Folder", add project output
(Steps 5 and 6 are optional)
By right clicking the Setup project and opening "Properties", select "Prerequisites"
Select "Download prerequisites from the same location as my application"
Build the solution.
After all these steps, I see many files (Setup.exe, Setup.msi, NETFX472 folder) in the Release folder. But I only want one simple self-contained setup file. So, users can run the setup file and install the application easily.
How can I make a simple and self-contained Setup file for my project?
I know it's possible, but I am looking for an easier and more efficient way to do it.
I know I can create another Windows Forms app called Setup which copies the project outputs to user's Program Files directory and copy the output files one-by-one. But I don't think that solution is elegant.
EDIT:
After more tries, I learned that Setup.exe is for installing dependencies (only .NET Framework 4.7.2 for my case) and then running Setup.msi. So, without Setup.msi file, Setup.exe is nothing and vice-versa.
Also, I want my program should work 100% offline (including setup). So, installer should include offline .NET Framework 4.7.2 installer.
What I don't want here is Setup.exe to only install dependencies. It should also install my program. So, it should do also whatever Setup.msi file does. Second thing I don't want is dependency installer as separate file (offline .NET Framework 4.7.2 installer in this case). It should also be embedded into Setup.exe.
I am trying to install the Discord SDK for my C # console project for the sake of a test, but I am failing.
I have very little interaction with Visual Studio, with which I write the code, so please help with installing the SDK. I try to do everything according to what was said below, but perhaps I do not fully understand the sequence:
Open up that SDK zip that you downloaded.
Create a folder in your project directory called DiscordGameSDK and
copy the contents of the csharp/ folder to it
Build your solution then place the .dll in the directory of the .exe
(either x86 or x86_64 version depending on your compile platform).
If you compile for Any CPU you may need to perform additional
wrapping around DLL importing (like setting the DLL directory
dynamically) to make sure you load the correct DLL.
https://discord.com/developers/docs/game-sdk/sdk-starter-guide
I don't quite understand the third line of actions related to the solution, dll and exe files
Thanks in advance!
Since I'm writing in VS Code, I created a Discord Game SDK folder in my console project and moved all the files from the csharp folder to the DiscordGameSDK folder. After that, I compiled the project and transferred all the files from the lib folder to the bin/Debug/net6.0 folder
Visual Studio should work the same way. (Not sure)
enter image description here
This is my first time trying to make a deployable program. After creating a nice little WPF XAML app that runs (i.e. I can run the executable in the bin folder), I am trying to wrap it in a setup program.
After following multiple directions online for both WiX and "Microsoft Visual Studio Installer Projects". Both make installer packages, but they are only targeting the dll file from the WPF XAML output when I as for the "Primary Output". It seems this is stemming from the build of the WPF project.
How do I adjust the primary output of the build process so it is included in the setup program?
Screenshot of build output specifying the dll as the output file:
To add more details:
This could be one wpf(.net core) application instead of one wpf(.net framework). See the Output window in Elton's screenshot we can find the output is xx.dll instead of xx.exe.
If we create a Installer project in this solution, right-click the Installer project=>Add=>Project Output=>Primary output to contain the WPF's output in installer project, only the xx.dll is considered as wpf's output, but not xx.exe.
So after building the Installer project in VS, double-click the setup.exe(installer project's output), the wpf.exe is not well installed.
On top of Lance answer. You can add the publish items to your outputs near your main Primary Output.
1- Right-click on project and select Add => Project Output.
2- Choose your target project and select Publish Items from the list with your configuration.
3- Now you have another Output in your Application Folder.
Done. with every Batch Build you have your publish directory copied to application folder.
My Visual Studio 2019 WPF app is setting a dll as the output when it
should be an exe.
I'm sure you're using a WPF(.net core) project cause yesterday I happened to reproduce same situation in my machine. As for the cause of the issue, if you're interested in it, you may get some help from this issue. For .net core 2.2 and earlier, if we build a console(.net core) project, we'll get a xx.dll as output by default(Use dotnet xx.dll to run that).
But for .net core 3.0, I found this situation changes. Now if we build a Console(.net core) or WPF(.net core), apart from the xx.dll, we'll also get an xx.exe now. And I checked the Updated date of Installer Project and the Release date of WPF(.net core), the latest update of the Installer project is much earlier than the release of WPF(.net core), I guess maybe this is the cause? I'm not certainly sure how Installer Project recognize the output of one WPF project, but I suggest you can post this issue in DC forum , if it gets enough votes, the team will consider a fix.
Here're my workarounds which may help:
1.Use Add=>File instead of Add=>Primary Output:
Build the WPF project in release mode, navigate to the output path and copy that path. Then right-click Installer project=>Add=>Files to enter that path. Choose all files in output folder and click open:
Right-click the assembly file and choose Find in Editor:
Right-click the xx.exe=>Create a shortcut. Then move the shortcut to User's Desktop folder and set the AlwaysCreate property to be true.
After that, build the installer project and install that xx.msi or setup.exe in my machine, I'll get a shortcut in desktop, double-click it will run the wpf(core) application.
2.See this blog, we can use command like dotnet publish -r xxx -p:PublishSingleFile=true to get a single-file executable which is self-extracting and contains all dependencies (including native) that are required to run your app. In this situation, you don't need a Installer project to deploy your project. The single executable is enough. Hint from Lex Li in this issue.
Hope it helps :-)
I have completed my program and would like to send that program in its compiled state to other pc's.
I understand that in the Debug folder there is the programName.exe file, which when I open it on the PC I created it with - it opens.
But if I send that .exe file to other pc's, it crashes or simply doesnt run!
Is there a way for others to see and use my program without installing visual studio?
I have asked this question before on another programming website with not much help, this is the link that they showed me, which i then followed:
http://www.dreamincode.net/forums/topic/58021-deploying-a-c%23-application-visual-studio-setup-project/#-application-visual-studio-setup-project/
The installer installs the program, but there is no files with it to open!
Other machines won't need to have Visual Studio installed - but they will need the appropriate version of .NET, depending on what you built against. If you target the "client" profile, the .NET distribution is fairly small.
You could build a setup project which kicks off the .NET framework installation if necessary, but it's likely to be quite a lot of work - in many cases it's probably simpler just to tell people what they need to install first, particularly if this is for personal use or friends/family.
There are most likely other DLLs that your project is dependent on that do not get copied over when only transporting that .exe file. You COULD just copy those over as well.
However, the best practice is to add a new Project under Setup for a Installer. It should detect those dependencies. Then the other users will just have to run the setup.exe that gets created (but you have to include the other folders and files that get generated). Open up the File System Editor tab of the Installer project. Then inside the Application Folder, I right click on "Primary output from [Main Project] (Active)", then select "Create Shortcut to ..." and drop the Shortcut into the Program Files and User Desktop folders on the left.
For something simple, the other DLLs should be fine.
Create the MSI Installer project for your application.
Copy your project output as input of MSI Installer.
.Exe is depends on .msi file, so when you click the .exe must verify the msi file existed in same directory.
Verify the .Net framework and Installation 3.0 before run the .exe or .Msi file.
The easiest approach would be:
1: Right click on your Solution Explorer and add a new project. The new project would be a Setup project, which would be under Other Projects -> Setup and Deployment -> Visual Studio installer and then choose Setup Project from the right side.
2: Add all your bin folder files to Application folder and then build your solution.
3: It will create a file with .msi extension. You can distribute that to anyone you want and they wouldn't need any VS.
I programmed an hour-sheet application and now I would like to publish it so people can install and run it.
I've tried the publish function of visual studio 2008 but this gives me a clickOnce application/installer that's really confusing, but it works when I run it, but when I export the installer to another pc it installs it crashes at the end of the install.
so I tried just coping the installed files but then the program crashes at startup.
Is there a simple way to compile the application to a simple standalone executable or maybe containing a separate folder containing the resources (images/classes)?
You can copy the executable from bin\Release and it should work.
If it uses any DLLs that are not part of the .Net framework itself, you'll also need to copy those. (Set Copy Local to true in the properties for each reference)
If it uses any other files, you'll need to copy them to the right place or embed them in the EXE or a DLL.
I would add Setup Project to your solution which will create a setup.exe.
Here's some of the links:
http://www.dreamincode.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=58021
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms235317.aspx
This will make sure that the dlls and assemblies are deployed to appropriate place when you install your software. It will also make sure that it gets rids of files when you uninstall it.
you can find your .exe here Projectpath\bin\Debug you have to give .config file too