So I have created a little C# game using XNA and would like to be able to show it to a few people and therefore ideally send it to them. As they're not great with computers I'd like to just simply be able to send them and executable file which they open and automatically runs the game. When I go into the debug folder in my project I find the executable file of my game, however I can only double click and run the .exe when it is in that file. If I drag it out onto the desktop and try and run it, it doesn't open and then eventually I get an error pop up saying 'BouncingBallGame Has Stopped Working'.
Could anybody help me as to why this could be, or am I going about it the wrong way completely and do I need to publish the project in visual studio or something?
Your game will need two things to run:
The appropriate .NET Framework to be installed on the target machine.
To have its supporting files with it. You'll notice that in the debug folder that it's not the only file. The executable needs all of these files too.
As mentioned by System Down
.exe file needs ..NET Framework to be installed on the target machine
& To have its supporting files with it.
or you can make a installer file of your project which will install your game into the host machine.
you can find a good Article here which shows how to build a installer file for your project.
Related
i have a somewhat big project, its a background application for windows and i was testing it out on my other computer. I copied and pasted the .exe from the debug folder and ran it. I opened task manager and it would stay running for a few secs until it stopped responding and quit.
I then decided to move the whole VS folder for that project and ran the .exe while it was inside and it worked perfect. Normally just copying the .exe to a usb or something and running it will work perfect. I am also using 3 external librarys which are located in the debug folder too, is that why it only runs while the .exe is in the folder with them? Would it be possible to kind of finish my project into 1 .exe file to use?
If anyone has any ideas on why this is happening, id appriciate it :)
So, I started with a compiled .exe file of my program, created in Windows MS Visual Studio, and was able to launch it via Mono by typing mono InkMonitorClient.exe in the terminal. Then I decided to pack it in a .dmg install file. First, I created an .app bundle via macpack. Then I used this github script to create a .dmg image.
The installer works as intended, the window appears in which I can drag my app to the Applications folder, and then it appears there.
But then I'm unable to launch it from the Applications menu in the Dock, although launching it by open -a InkTest or /Applications/InkTest.app/Contents/MacOS/InkTest works absolutely fine.
P.S. The .app file, however, fails to launch by double-clicking and does nothing, but opening it it Terminal (as stated above) works. So, basically, the question is: how to correctly convert .NET (created in MS Visual Studio on Windows) exe file to app bundle.
The macpac tool is for Cocoa# applications, i.e. those built using the Mac Cacoa framework. Unfortunately simply putting an exe built with Win Forms or GTK# does not work, displaying all the characteristics you describe, I have burned hours of my life on that one. See bottom of http://www.mono-project.com/archived/guiderunning_mono_applications/.
If your application comprises multiple .dlls and an .exe you could use ILRepack to package up everything into a single .exe for tidiness. Additionally, it's not ideal, but you could also supply a launcher file (.command file on mac) with your app to save a manual launch from terminal.
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 have built a windows application on VS2012 (C#) with the following features
1. Codes accessing pictures from project resources folder.
2. Codes accessing other multimedia (like videos, txt, sounds, etc) using something like: addr = #directoryName + "\\videos\\*.mp4".
Hence, I've added few folders in my Debug folder which I require to be in the same directory level as my main .exe file. All works fine on the debug mode, and even while running the .exe without debug mode.
Then I created my application setup (a 1.8GB setup file including all resources needed) using Inno Setup Compiler and it works like magic on the same computer, but not on another.
I was then curious whether the problem is with the setup or the .exe. So I tried copying the whole project folder into another laptop of mine, ran the .exe file on the debug folder, but nope, nothing came. Checked the Task Manager and found out that my .exe was running for 5 seconds under the Processes Tab, then it just disappeared.
(Similar to the problem stated here: Not able to run the .exe file created from c#).
Note: .NET Framework 4.5 have been installed perfectly on the other machine and all files needed have been copied.
So now I'm faced with two major issues:
- First, my .exe is not running on another machine.
- Second, which folders to include on my setup file as I do not want to include the .cs files and the other source codes. Just enough for my users to run my app flawlessly. Tried Inno (best one), InstallShield and had a quick glance at WIX.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. Been working, searching and doing trial and errors on making the setup file for almost 2 weeks now. Thanks in advance!
Regards,
Ken
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.