I got at task to extend en existing WinForm application to make a check weather or not the required .NET Framework (fx. 3.5) is installed.
Well the issues is that - if there is no .NET Framework installed, the winform program is not able to run at all... I assume.
I could (maybe) do like suggested here: (and make a c++ program that should start first, make the check and then launch the application)
Check on .Net framework version from WinForms app
But I would rather not go into c++.
Another way seems to be this solution:
Why isn't an exception thrown when the right .NET framework version is not present?
... where you configure your application in app.config. But I doubt that will work if there i no .NET framework installed.
<startup>
<supportedRuntime version="v3.5" />
</startup>
So my question is what is Best Practice in this area? Should I make the check one way or the other, or should I just make it a pre-requisite, that fx. .NET Framework version 3.5 is demanded?
If the required framework is not installed, your application won't run, so checking if the framework is installed from within your app is checking something you already know to be true.
If you want to check that the framework is installed, you really need to do this from within a a bootstrapper exe either written in a .NET version you know will exist (like .NET 2 as it gets installed on the machine with the OS) or some other language like C++.
You can check in the registry (HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP) to see what frameworks are installed. This can easily be done in C# or any other language.
C# code something like this:
var baseKeyName = #"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP";
var installedFrameworkVersions = Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey(baseKeyName);
var versionNames = installedFrameworkVersions.GetSubKeyNames();
If you are deploying often for limited set of users, you should check out ClickOnce (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/t71a733d(v=vs.80).ASPX)
It is a bit like Windows Installer, but simplified a lot. From the user perspective application will look like desktop icon. When you click on the icon, it will automatically check all the requirements and install the latest version of your software if it has been updated. This way you can ensure that users always has the required framework installed, as well users always will use the latest version.
To Check .net frame work version follow http://support.microsoft.com/kb/318785
I got at task to extend en existing WinForm application to make a check weather or not the required .NET Framework (fx. 3.5) is installed
This doesn't makes sense, because it will not run if required component is missing.
As already mentioned, typically installer is responsible for the job to check for components, interrupt installation, download and install them.
But in any case, nothing prevents you to make bootstrapper, which will be able run in majority of times (aka required less/none components) and which will run your .net application. It can be organized in multiple ways: exe + exe (often renamed), exe + dll, exe + embedded resource (extract and run), etc...
If you think to use MS Visual C++ to make bootstrapper, then here is a bad new for you: it required component to be installed (yes, that's stupid, but it needs Microsoft Visual C++ 200x redistributable). So it would be again a job for installer, or you will have to learn how to write C/C++ pure WinAPI software, which is a pain, but doable.
To example, this is a check for .Net Framework 4.0
// check if net framework 4.0 or higher is installed
HKEY hkey;
if (RegOpenKeyEx(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, L"SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Net Framework Setup\\NDP\\v4", 0, KEY_READ, &hkey) != ERROR_SUCCESS)
; // some error
RegCloseKey(hkey);
Doesn't looks complicated? Then go ahead!
You are right about the program not running if the required .NET version is not installed. You could use a bootstrapper, as others have said. You could simply let the application fail at runtime with the default message box that appears whining about the missing dependency.
Another valid approach would be hosting the CLR yourself. Here:
Hosting the Common Language Runtime
CLR Hosting - Customizing the CLR
It's mostly like a bootstrapper too, but instead of launching the second (.NET-dependent) application it just loads it into the same process (if available).
You could create a batch (.bat) file to verify the existence of the .NET Framework folders:
IF EXIST C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework[framework version here] (goto launchprogram) else goto errormessage
Related
I have made an application using C# in windows forms. I am using Install shield 2010 to create a setup file for the application. It asks me what it should check for as prerequisites which it would check for before starting to install on any other device.
However, I do not know what I should include as prerequisites for my windows application. I do not know if it requires .net 4.5 or 4 or 3.5... I also had downloaded and included some references in the project and do not know if they are being included in the setup or not...
Please help
You need to look at the project properties of your winform app and see what version of the .NET framework you are building against. In some cases you can do things like compile against .NET 2.0 but then have an App.Config file that says 2.0 and 4.0 are supported runtimes. This gives you flexibility in choosing which if any .NET to redistribute.
From there you have to look at your dependencies (references) and there dependencies. It's possible that they require additional things such as C++ runtimes, database engines. For each of these you have to figure out if it's already part of windows, if a third party redistributable exists, can it be statically linked or privately deployed and so on.
There is no one simple answer. You just have to be familiar with your code base, what it requires and what the best practices are for each of those items.
I use VS 2010 C# Express
The file is digitally signed (signed/verified with signtool)
Target framework: .NET Framework 4 Client Profile
.NET Framework 4 Client Profile is installed
I'm uploading the exe to a simple static html page
If I (or anyone) click on the download link get the message above
Right-click -> Save Target As... works OK
I can run the file without issues after downloading
May I ask why you are targeting .NET 4.0 Client Platform specifically? Why not go ahead and target to one of the 4.5 versions? Is there a requirement to target a discontinued release of .NET?
Within that link and this one under the 'Additional Information' section, there are statements that indicate an 'in place update' to .NET 4.0 is made to migrate an already installed .NET 4.0 Client Platform to the .NET 4.0 Full Install -- there doesn't appear to be anything written to indicate that 4.0 gets installed by the 4.5 installer, if it's not already installed on the system.
Therefore, all machines with .NET 4.5 installed would have replaced the mentioned 'target framework' of .NET that you're building with something that no longer exists on those machines ... which I believe might account for the popup error received. Can you, at least, try to target one of the 4.5 versions of .NET and update the executable to download on your server? Try again and see if the error goes away? If it does, then the problem that you are facing pertains to .NET Client Platform not (or longer due to 4.5 update) being installed on the client machines.
If that's the case and .NET 4.0 needs to be targeted, then you might need to target the Full 4.0 version instead of the Client Profile version. Or just move to one of the 4.5 versions.
I'd venture to guess that the problem is not within the executable itself but somewhere in the delivery of it into the web page or in the delivery of it back down to the end user; especially considering the program will run without issue once it's downloaded.
Have you completely vetted that process? You mention 'simple static html page' - elaborate on that a bit and you might get more suggestions that will lead you toward a proper solution. Web server used? Technology involved? Personal machine running apache or the like? or some website generator? or something like Wordpress? or some other web hosting company and their products? If the problem lies therein, then further details would be nice to have to help you deduce what is causing issue.
As I'm sure you're aware, that particular error message appears to be presented mostly to products that utilize products created with or included libraries requiring .NET 2.0, 3.0, or 3.5 - since they are (by default) no longer pre-installed on newer systems released with Windows 8+ ... a simple test to rule out the possibility would be to simply install the .NET 3.5 installer and see if the problem magically goes away - if it does, then you may need to do a bit of further research on the 'delivery mechanism' - read, web server used - technology it requires - etc ...
If that's way off ... perhaps this is an x86 vs x64 problem? 32bit app running on 64bit OS? something along those lines? A simple test would be to create 2 executables: one that is configured to build all output as x86 and one to build all output as x64 - see if both behave the same or if there is a difference, and move forward from there.
I believe that in this situation, you will need to play around and run a few tests before getting to the bottom of it. Good luck to you.
I have a simple application made using C#.
Now how do I make it , such that it runs on all systems.
If a PC does not have .NET framework installed - it shouldsiliently install it with only the bare minimum requirements that the program needs.
Installing .NET framework - too big in size compared to many program , which is just a few kilobytes. Also is shoulf be silent and only if required.
Basically the application should be light and capable to run in all Windows systems.
Not interested in getting to Linux users.
Should I use Mono Project.
Else is there a way to get the bare minim .NET framework selectively pre-installed.
Please advise.
Thanks
Have a look at mkbundle. It will create a standalone executable, with no other dependencies. In particular it does not need neither the Mono runtime nor .NET to be installed in order to execute.
The size might still be a problem (it will likely be several megabytes, even compressed), so there is another tool to strip out everything you don't need from the assemblies: the monolinker.
Note that the size will likely not reach the kilobyte range even after doing all this.
You can do this with a lot of work and the help of the Mono framework. See Embedding Mono for more information.
All that considered, it would be much easier to use a boostrapper to get a version of the .NET Client Framework installed. But you're going to lose the ability to install silently or be in the "kilobytes" footprint.
Unfortunately you cant run a .NET program on a machine that does not have the .NET framework installed and the installer of the program could be made to download the framework automatically but not in .NET .
To run .net applications you need the .net framework installed, that should be either the full version or the limited client profile edition.
The easiest way is to create a setup project from VS and require the .net version you want... the installer should be able to install the .net framework from the internet so you are not required to ship it with the app, which you can do by the way from the installer.
Mono won't be different since it still needs to be installed on the system. Mono however has full AOT support, but I don't have any idea whether that would help you or not... it is still a huge overkill anyway.
If you need your app to be small and run on ANY windows without any dependencies, you should do in c/c++ or vb6 whose runtime ships with most windows versions.
I want to make an application (windows application) using C# and .NET Framework 3.5.
I want to make the install the application. I want the installation to determine - whether the user has the framework in the system. If the user does not have a framework - I want to install it.
How to create an installation of application with NET Framework 3.5?
If you use something like ClickOnce to install your application this will happen automatically. When you set it up it determines which version of .NET is required for your application. It doesn't include the required version in the installer - so your installer says the same size regardless - but puts in code that will install the correct version from Microsoft as required.
You could also use the Windows Installer XML toolkit, which contains ways to determine whether the required .NET version is installed. Also, you get an MSI installer.
Another way would be to use InnoSetup. You can write code using the integrated Pascal script interpreter which checks for the installed framework version.
The Installer project type that comes with "higher" versions of Visual Studio also contains ways to make the .NET Framework a requirement.
I've worked with all three of them and can tell you: it works. There may be other ways, like NSIS, but I haven't used them.
I have to give my customer my application. It's a simple application(3Mo).
I think it's really unnecessary to oblige my client to install the whole .NET framework (the 3.5) to work with a simple application (3 mo). I mean I'm sure that there is a way to avoid that, just include some dlls or something like that.
Well I have the dll in my project reference(LINQ dll, core Dll, system Dll, winfom Dll, office Dll and some other)
is it possible to give the application with those dll and that way I avoid installing the whole .NET framework?
Well I don't even need to make an MSI or setup project,
just give him the exe generated with Visual Studio and that's it.
I'm using VS 2010, C#, 3.5.NET
It's worth noting that Windows comes with various flavours of .Net installed depending on the version of Windows. If I remember correctly...
Win7 comes with .NET 3.5 SP1
Vista comes with .NET 3.5
XP SP2 includes .NET 2
Depending on your target audience you might find that this is good enough!
If these conditions are true:
a) you really want to avoid .NET framework dependency
b) it's a really easy/small application
Consider the option of porting it to c++
If not
use default framework (.NET 2, or 3.5 or 3.5SP1) that comes by default in windows as Dan Puzey said.
No it is not possible. Client has to install .NET Framework 3.5 (with SP1) redistributable package.
Edit: If you didn't want client dependency on .NET Framework you should choose another application type: Web application where .NET dependency is only on the server.
Most people have some flavor of .NET installed although most don't yet have 3.5. But you can create an installer that will download an install transparently to the user. Also if you target the Client Profile this dependency will be smaller.
Your client should have .net, there's no reason not to and if they haven't, they are a fool. Running XP with less than Service Pack 2 is dangerous. For the non-technically-inclined, compare it to using a van that's been subject to a manufacturer's recall. It may not necessarily be faulty, but the manufacturer has told you that it's no longer fit for use and are willing to make good at their own expense. As a responsible business owner, you wouldn't shirk that responsibility. In a similar vein, maintaining your Windows installation to the manufacturer's recommendation is not optional.
Have you considered making it a web app, with asp.net? The effort of porting should be less than a complete rewrite (depends on the applications functionality).