I'm trying to install some folders along with my app - folders with help files. How should I do that? Right now I've added two files to a setup projects as assemblies, though I don't know how to get to those files in the Install method of my installer class, and copy them to correct folders...
I even don't know if those files are being added to installer, so if someone would explain me how to install custom files along with my application - step by step, I would be grateful.
You can add a setup project to your project and mention what all items should be copied to the destination install directory when you install it. I did the same thing and written it here for anyone wish to do it.
http://www.techiesweb.net/2008/07/setting-path-while-installing-an-application-visual-studio-2005-setup-project/
Hope this helps
Related
I am hoping to get some help to figure out how to create an installer in visual studio 2013.
My class library project generates a DLL called DataTest. The solution also has an xml file called config.xml. Currently when I build the solution the DataTest DLL ends up in the bin folder (and the config.xml is just a static file somewhere). What I want the installer to do is copy/install the DataTest DLL to C:\MyData\Test and the xml file should end up in C:\MyData\Config.
I have found this http://geekswithblogs.net/TarunArora/archive/2014/04/24/visual-studio-2013-installer-projects-ndash-hello-world-installer.aspx which seems like a good place to start but I don't have much experience with the different configurations in VS so I don't really know how to do what I want to do.
Thanks
I'm assuming you want an MSI file to do the install because you posted that link, so you're using the Visual Studio Installer projects extension.
This might also help, old but still applies:
https://www.simple-talk.com/dotnet/visual-studio/getting-started-with-setup-projects/
Configurations in Visual Studio don't really have much to do with this. The Bin, Release, Debug folders in your build are nothing to do with where you want to deploy the file on the target system. For example, if you have a Dll that you want to install in the Common Files Folder then you select that folder in the File System view of the setup project and just drag and drop the file in there. The same principle applies to the Program Files folder, which is the usual place for applications.
I have some library files needed for my application to work.
My application has a setup and deployment included.
I already know that in order for a library file to be added to the output directory of the application when installing, I just have to reference those libraries inside the .NET IDE before building... the only problem is that these libraries can't be referenced... So I need to be able to copy these libraries to the installation directory of my application... At the moment, I am copying these libraries manually...
Addendum
I also did try to add these library files as an Existing Item to my project and marked each library files' Copy to Output Directory to Copy if newer on their properties but still not getting the solution I want.
Update 1
Thanks for you help guys it helped me solve my problem, I managed to make the solutions you posted work except for one... #Matthew Watson's post.. I even managed to find a solution too so I wanted to share it with you also.
Heres what I did:
I opened the setup and deployment project in my application.
Under the Application Folder Tree, on it's right side, I right clicked..
then clicked Add..
then clicked File
and then browsed for the files I wanted to add to the installation directory
and click open.
But out of curiosity...I am still trying to make what #Matthew Watson posted work...
Update 2
I forgot to update this post yesterday, I already manage to make Matthew Watson's solution worked yesterday. Thank you again for all your help guys.
You can add files to your project and select their properties: "Build Action" as "Content" and "Copy to output directory" as "Copy Always" or Copy if Newer (the latter is preferable because otherwise the project rebuilds fully every time you build it).
Then those files will be copied to your output folder.
This is better than using a post build step because Visual Studio will know that the files are part of the project. (That affects things like ClickOnce applications which need to know what files to add to the clickonce data.)
You will also be more easily able to see which files are in the project because they will be listed with the source code files rather than hidden in a post-build step. And also Source Control can be used with them more easily.
Once you have added "Content" files to your project, you will be able to add them to a Visual Studio 2010 Setup and Deployment project as follows:
Go into your Setup project and add to your "Application Folder" output the Project Output called "Content Files". If you right-click the Content Files after adding them you can select "outputs" and see what it's going to copy.
Note that Setup and Deployment projects are NOT supported in Visual Studio 2012.
You can use Visual Studio Post Build Event - Copy to Relative Directory Location. Which are basically scripts that are executed on build of specified project.
So you can use it to copy binaries you need, before actually running your application.
Sorry, a bit of a noobish question here...spent an hour on Google and in MSs help documents, my head appears to be in the wrong place, I can't figure this out.
I have a C# project set up in Visual Studio 2012 that has references to a few .dlls that I have on my own hard drive (NetOffice .dlls to be specific, for Excel Interop). I've been adding them by right clicking on my references folder, going to Add Reference and then going to Browse to find the files. At that point they are included and everything works as expected on my side.
The problem occurs when I share the project. I'm using Git to keep the project coordinated between myself and a couple team members. I'll run my commit and push it then have my teammate do his pull. Everything shows up on his computer correctly, but when we open up the project it tells me that the NetOffice .dlls are missing.
I'm guess that this is because the files are only linked locally on my computer, but I can't figure out, for the life of me, how to make the .dlls exist in the file structure so that they travel with the project when I push it.
We have a few NuGet packages we use as well, and they seem to work just fine after being transferred. I've also gone into the .dll properties for NetOffice and turned "Copy Local" to true, yet it's still not included.
All I want is to be able to link references and then send the whole thing (dlls included) to my teammate, what am I doing wrong? I figured I would want to simply include the .dlls in the project structure but... I'm just not understanding something. Any help please?
1 Create a folder in the file system at the same level as the solution file.
2 Copy the external dll's to that folder.
3 Add a Solution Folder tho the solution.
4 Add each dll to the the solution folder using add existing item
5 Reference the Dll's in the solution
The steps 3 and 4 aren't really necessary, but they help to keep things organized.
Lets assume your source control root folder is called SourceRoot
and your solution files are under a folder called JaySolutionFolder
I prefer:
Adding a new folder to your source control, under SourceRoot, called SharedDlls
Copy all external Dlls to this Folder.
Add this dll references form SharedDlls to your project.
Commit this folder
Now your teammates have to get JaySolutionFolder & SharedDlls to compile the sources.
Later this SharedDlls could be target directory of Build process (Using tools like TFS Bulid, NANT or else)
This will be a way to minimize team based development problems.
In release and software installation, you can use installers or software package builders like installshield or Visual Studio Setup Package or ... to solve external dlls problem
Hop this helps.
Although it's not good practise to include binaries in your git repository, doing so will solve your problem.
The quick fix could be to create lib directories in sensible locations within your repository (I'm not a C# developer but Gama Felix's suggestion seems correct).
Then commit these folders and push to the server.
I have a WPF project and a post build event which copy files from a folder outside of the solution into the output directory.
I want to publish my application with Clickonce publish. The only problem is that the copied files are not included in the publish or the manifest.
I tried using MageUI.exe , msbuild /target:publish from the visual studio cmd and even tried to change the project file by hand including a beforepublishevent but none of that worked.
I am open to suggestions, but what I want is to take the output folder and make the installer install the output files. (e.g. install the .net 4 framework and visual c++ runtime libs)
If you don't want them in the solution, but you do want them in ClickOnce then the only possibility is to use an external tool to create the ClickOnce manifests as you can't add non-project files to the ClickOnce output in Visual Studio.
There are two options I know of:
Use MageUI to manage your ClickOnce manifests. You can add additional files to your application in Mage.
You could use some software that I created and sell called ClickOnceMore (www.clickoncemore.net). ClickOnceMore will allow you to add all the files in one directory to your ClickOnce manifests by adding a single folder include. You can also then control which sub folder on the client they get deployed to. It was designed to make scenarios like this simple. You can download a free trial on the web site.
I hope it helps. Apologies for the marketing plug, but I do think ClickOnceMore can solve your problem perfectly.
Instead of copying the files through a post-build event, why don't you include them inside the project, and mark Copy to Output Directory = Copy if Newer?
If they are DLLs, you can add them as reference instead.
There are other options to create installers such as WiX+SharpSetup. It's much more flexible, but also more complicated, and takes more time to create simple installers.
I'm new to using Visual Studio, and I'm trying to figure out how to 'publish' my program so I can move it other's computers and run it from there. I'm not sure if it makes a difference, but there are three projects in my solution. And if I publish it, will I still continue to be able to develop the original files etc?
Thanks a lot!
Ok, so you've written your code, debugged it and now you want to distribute it...
When you build a solution using Visual Studio the compiled output of each project is produced in a folder which is either specified manually, or, by default, in a bin folder relative to the projects root folder. Within this folder are subfolders which hold the output for a corresponding build (for instance the Debug folder contains the Debug compilation output).
If you have three projects then, for example, let's assume one is an executable application and the other two are dynamic link libraries on which the application project is dependent, the compiled output from the latter two projects will automatically be copied to the applications compiled output folder, meaning you only need to ship what is in this folder (along with anything else you actually know is required).
For a (rough) folder graph to try and visualise what I'm saying:
SolutionFolder\
ApplicationProjectFolder\
Bin\ <- contains overall output
Debug\ <- the compilation you develop with
Release\ <- the compilation you distribute (after testing)
DynamicLinkLibrary0Folder\
Bin\
Debug\ <- automatically copied to 'ApplicationProjectFolder\Bin\Debug'
Release\ <- automatically copied to 'ApplicationProjectFolder\Bin\Release'
DynamicLinkLibrary1Folder\
\Bin
Debug\ <- as above
Release\ <- as above
You can continue to work on your code after distributing, yes, of course, but you can hardly expect the users of the application to have your latest changes without redistributing the whole thing, or updating/patching et cetera.
Of course, this solution is the simplest form - ideally you'd want an installer project as part of the solution, which is the final distributable end-product.
As I said above, it seems you may need to know a heck of a lot more than this to proceed competently and confidently, and I could explain further details on each aspect mentioned here, no doubt, but it has to stop somewhere. Hope this gets you started, though.
Adding to the answer given by #Mr. Disappointment, you could also add a Setup project to the solution, which will take the compiled output and build an installer (a .msi file) for your program. You can then give the .msi file to your users and they can run the setup program to install the application on their computers. You can also put the .msi file on a network share or make it available for download from a website, depending on your requirements.
Another option is to investigate Visual Studio's ClickOnce deployment, which also allows you to distribute your application to users in a simplified way, via a web site or network file share.