i develop a windows service in C#. and my project has Installer, and Setup project. the setup project, installs service very well and it doesn't have any problem, but my service 'exe' needs some files beside own. for example config files or other needed files. but the installer(setup.exe) just creates service 'exe' file.
how do i define that the installer creates other needed files, too?
thanks,
Follow the steps given below,
Select the Installer project.
Select File System Editor under Solution Explorer
Select Application Folder under File System on Target Machine pane.
Right click on the UI and add whatever the file you want to pack with the installer.
Related
I'm making a small backup app that comprises three parts.
A system tray "config" utility where the user specifies backup source / target locations, times they want the backup to run etc.
When changes are made, this calls another exe which creates a scheduled task for the backup. (It's a separate part because this part must be elevated.)
The third part is the exe that performs the backup. (It compresses and uploads by ftp to a server somewhere.) This is the exe that is run by the scheduled task.
How do I package these up (preferably in VS2013, if not using some freeware) so they are all installed together? (They each use a couple of (different) custom dlls. For example the backup component uses DotNetZip and WinSCP, and the scheduling component uses the Win32.TaskScheduler.)
I basically just want the user to run a single installer that will install all three exes and their dependencies.
These are currently three separate projects, with three different solutions. I can combine to one solution if it makes it simpler.
As Louis Van mentioned in this comment You can add one of these executable as primary output to your installer project and the remaining two exes can be added to the installation bin directory using Add > File.. option.
When you add an executable to Application Folder of your installer, References of relevant exe will be detected and automatically included by the windows installer.
You can use the free edition of Advanced Installer (create "Simple" project) to package them up in a MSI. It also includes a VS extension, so you can have the MSI built right out of VS.
Is it possible to publish a visual studio c# project with ClickOnce, in just one .exe?
I could not find a way to do it. My project has additional files it uses
like: it calls external exe, it links to dlls, etc. And all these files I want
to somehow embed in on .exe, rather than have an exe + additional files next to it.
Edit: the image explains even better what I need.
Yes, you can add external dlls, resources, exe, and so on in your ClickOnce setup. Look at these photos. Sorry for the language.
If you want to publish it on IIS, you will need a host. Those files (application files,setup.exe and so on) will be stored in IIS. You only need to provide a 'publish.htm' or 'setup.exe' to users. 'publish.htm'/'setup.exe' will connect to your IIS. And if you use ClickOnce, your application will be updated more easily.
Otherwise, you just need VSInstaller in VS2010 or InstallShield Limited Edition in VS2012/2013. It will produce one .exe file.
You can add external exe in your installation. In your Setup and Deployment wizard Select the Application Folder and choose Add File then select your exe.
For prerequisites read this article.
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 created a c# windows application and deployed it by clicking publish(clickonce). now 2 setup files and a Application folder are generated. when the setup file is installed in one system in which it was created, it is working properly. but when i copy the files to another system and install, when i run the icon nothing happens. what to do?also how to add mdf or ldf files to the setup file?
The idea with publishing a ClickOnce application is not to copy it elsewhere afterwards but to execute the installer from the publish location.
Otherwise you'll need to change the app location in the manifest using MageUI for instance.
I'm a web developer building my first production grade console application (C# .NET 4.0). I have a question about creating a settings file that the user can edit before running the console app (to customize output folder paths, etc).
I'm a little confused -- when I publish my console application and install it (by clicking on on the generated setup.exe file in my target publish folder), all I get is an entry to my start menu. Nothing gets installed to C:\Windows\Programs, and there doesn't seem to be anywhere else on my system that files get installed to. Essentially, I'm just trying to find the app.config xml file so that I can edit it after the program has been installed. (btw, when I click on the start menu entry, the program executes properly).
Is what I'm trying to do possible?
For a clickonce deployment, the files will be installed under the profile of the user who installed the application (by default).
For windows XP this should be:
C:\Documents and Settings\username\LocalSettings\Apps...
For Windows 7 (and Vista?) this should be:
C:\users\username\AppData\Local\Apps...
An installation program for your software is a separate piece of software.
You can definitely make one but when you compile your console app it doesn't create an installation executable. It just makes it's own executable. You can copy that executable alone and run it. If you need more resources to go along with it and therefore decide you want an installation program, you have lots of options.
The two that spring to mind in this case though, are setting your project to use "ClickOnce" from the project properties, or adding a "Setup and Deployment" project to your solution from the "Other project types" section of the add project dialog box.