In my C# application i have a help button. When it's pressed I would like for the application to open up a PDF file in the systems default PDF reader, something I can do with a command like Process.Start("pathToPDF").
The problem is that I would like to include the PDF as a resource instead of calling an external file. I do not wish to copy the PDF to the users computer and do not want to host it online or on a NAS.
Right click on your project in the Solution Explorer, then add existing file and choose your pdf (if you cannot find it, make sure you are showing all files and not just .cs files etc.).
Click on the newly added item once in the solution explorer and in the properties window, you set Copy to Output Directory to Copy Always or Copy if newer.
Now you can open the pdf file as expected using Process.Start(filename.pdf);
The only Secure way to show a PDF without providing a file is to include your own Viewer Component (Ex. http://www.o2sol.com/pdfview4net/overview.htm)
Some components allow to load a PDF from Memory (as in a embedded Resource) directly into your Viewer Component, another way would be to create an encrypted binary file to ship with your application and encrypt/load when necessary.
As soon you want to show the PDF in an external viewer ,be aware that the User will have the ability to save the PDF anyway.
Maybe you can explain your reasons to not want to include the file, so we can suggest other solutions to you?
Update:
As noted in your comment, the goal is to have a clean installation.
It would be possible to embed the File as a resource, but then you would
have the problem that if you extract the file temporarily to display it, you can't really control the clean-up of that file, because it's locked by the PDF Reader Application.
So you would end up with the PDF File anyway ;)
What you can do to keep your Application Folder cleaner, is to not install the PDF under that Application Folder but under the "Common Documents" Directory.
For Example: Path.Combine(Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.CommonDocuments), "MySoftware", "Help.pdf")
Which normally targets: C:\Users\Public\Documents\MySoftware\Help.pdf
Related
i'm trying to open a pdf file from my winform application, while the pdf file is in the directory of the application. I want to pack this app latter so I can open them dynamically even if the app is installed in another machine. I'm using Process.Start(".\file.extension") but I'm getting the error: The system cannot find the file specified. I heard that I need to send it in System32 folder but when I pack it I have no idea how to send it there. Hope you understood and can come with a solution for this problem. Thanks in advance.
If the pdf file is inside the project itself, You can simply do this:
Your PDF File as seen from the solution explorer > Right Click > Properties
Copy to Output Directory > Copy Always
After this, each time you build your project or when you deploy it, The PDF file will always be included in the project output folder.
Try this...
string commandexec = string.format("{0}\{1}",AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory,filename);
Process.Start(commandexec);
After installing my application on a clients machine, How can I securely hide files used by my program from the user? Such as pdf's and video files. I am using C# and windows forms in Visual Studio 2013.
Another option would be using a ZIP Package (see MSDN).
You can store your files in the package with CompressionOption.SuperFast or even CompressionOption.NotCompressed to maximize performance. All your files will be located in that package, and you will be able to modify and save them back.
Unfortunately, there is no option to encrypt nor password protect the package, and the user will be able to "open" your package in a ZIP tool (or even via Explorer), if he or she knows the file name and does understand that file extension doesn't matter.
As Matt commented, Embedded Resources is a way. Just remember that if you're currently navigating to your files (e.g. c:\MyApp\MyFile.pdf), you will not be able to do that anymore if you change these files to Embedded Resources.
Have a look at this Question.
You may also consider creating a Resource file (.resx) and adding your pdf's and videos into the resource file.
Managed to do it by converting all files to shock wave flash files and encrypting them. Then I could decrypt the files into a memory stream and display straight into a flash player.
That will be super idiot question, but I don't usually write in Visual studio and C#...
The question is:
how do i save files while making the gui applications in "windows form application" ? I mean, how to save it and send it to someone and he will be able to open it and the code & designer thing will be visible?
Normally, when did the console applications it was no problem - just saving the .cs... But now - when i save it, i get milion of files, and none of them shows me the designer thing, but only the code...?
All you need to do is zip up the source files with the .sln. He unzips on his side, double clicks the .sln file and all done.
In the above image you can see, a solution file along with the projects in their respective folders. You just zip up the folders with the .sln (solution file) and all done.
Is it possible to install a right-click extension when in windows file browser, coded in C#?
I will take Winrar as an example:
When in the file browser, you can right click a file and Winrar will be in the list, giving a few options like "Unrar" "extract here" etc.
Is it possible to code the same thing, but when the user right clicks a file, to show my own app in the list, giving two options:
Open with -Myapphere-
Open with -Myapphere- text editor
The first option should start-up my application, and then run the file, being instructioned by the contents IN the file (start, pause etc)
The second option should open the file in my app's editor, DISPLAYING the contents of the file.
I already know how I am going to run / edit it, but how would I let my app now that it has to edit / run the file?
How would I install the right-click extension using the c# installer?
And then how would I open my app and the file with it, when clicked in the explorer?
And how would I make my program notice it is launched from a browser file?
I have written some code for saving an image to a folder in asp.net. My problem is that the image in the folder is white and is not the same as images added manually to the folder.
I used a simple asp.net fileupload control to save the file to the correct path. But the images dont display on the page and this is how the file icons look in visual studio.
Anybody know why this is?
Try Right-clicking the images and select "include in project"
edit
If you want to do that programmatically you need to modify the project file programmatically; that's all there is to it. It's an XML file with nothing special about it. Note, however, that you have this under source control and you'll probably need to do more than just modifying the project file (ie adding the file to source control too)
Yes, it is. Because it is not included as part of the project files.
Try this:
There isn't anything else that is wrong. Only the files are not tracked by VS, so they won't be published. Your files are still completely accessible from your code.
In my opinion, files like say images added to your web app shouldn't be part of the project.
You need to include them in the project by right clicking them and click Include In Project.
Furthermore, if you want these files to included in the build you need to go to Properties of each file and set Build Action as Content.