I created a simple application in VB.net in Visual Studio 2013.
It's not a website or a web app, it's just a simple Calculator, I think I created it as a Windows Forms Application.
When I build the application in release mode, it builds and runs properly.
It puts the executable it built in: Documents\Visual Studio 2013\Projects\DataCalculator\DataCalculator\bin\Release
I can just send that executable alone to someone and the program works fine. So what is the purpose of all the other files?
Furthermore, there is a Publish button in the Build menu of VS2013. What does publishing the program do that the the release doesn't?
Also, when I click the publish button it asks me how the user will install the application. What if I don't want them to install it, I just want it to run from a simple click of the executable. So what is the purpose of publishing?
If by "all the other files" you mean .application, .manifest, .pdb, etc., they all have uses in various contexts. If your calculator is stand-alone, then it will only require the .NET Framework version you used to create it installed and the .exe itself.
I have used the Publish feature a few times - at a previous company - it's useful for 'transparent updates' to users. For example, the tools I created were published to a shared drive on the server along with the associated "other files". The users then installed the tool from the shared drive by clicking on the setup/install version, which creates a shortcut on their start menu/desktop/wherever. The beauty of this particular method, is that you can configure the application to automatically update when it is run; so I continuously improved the tools and every time a user ran one, it copied the newer exe to their PC and ran that, without any further updates/reinstalls from their perspective.
It worked quite well for small engineering tools, but I'm sure with larger/more complex applications with databases and backward-compatibility to worry about, it could cause headaches in many situations.
Release will only create an .EXE Application file which is executable in supported platforms, but database must be separately copied . where as publish will create a setup file along with database and the sub folders inside the project folder. It helps you to install your application in any computer which meets the requirements.
Click to refer Advantages and procedure for publish http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/vstudio/ms233806(v=vs.100).aspx
Related
I created a program in vb.net in vb language. After that I created an installer (.msi) for the same in Advanced Installer program. I installed it on the computer and everything seems professional.
I copied the folder that contains the program and all its dependees and sent to to a different computer. I was surprised that the application (.exe) file works without installation!!
How can I make my application works only with installation?
Appreciate the help.
Advanced Installer has a licensing module that works for VB.NET apps too, which you can easily integrate into your installer.
However, this is in the Enterprise edition, and I assume you are using the free edition, as this sounds like quite a simple application/installer.
In this case you can try looking for an alternative OSS solution for a licensing/trial library.
Basically with this library every user that needs to use the software will need a key to activate it, so even if they copy the folder with the application files from Programs Folder, they will still not be able to run your app.
I am currently developing a Windows Store App that will eventually be targeted at the ARM devices when they are available. For now, I have been developing and testing from Visual Studio on my desktop computer and everything works fine. However, when I try to create an app package that I can pass along to others within my company for testing purposes, the application will not run properly.
The solution includes two projects. The first is a C++ project that is set to build a dll file. The purpose for this is to expose the Direct2D and DirectWrite libraries that seem to be unaccessible to a C# project. The second project is the C# project that references this dll for drawing functions and includes a XAML interface and most of the program logic. All of this works flawlessly on my development machine from within Visual Studio (and also when installing the package).
When I send the package files to other individuals within the company, the installation appears to work fine by installing with the PowerShell script. The tile appears in the start screen and the program will launch for a few seconds. The C# and XAML interface appears, but the DirectX portion of the application is not visible and the entire application shuts down within a few seconds. This makes me believe that the dll may not be installing or referenced correctly upon installation. I have checked the package file, and the dll file is included in the package after the build process is complete.
I have packaged a few different test programs (MSDN Samples) that have all installed on their machines, but we get the same results that they will not run (again, all samples run fine on my development machine when building them). The only test project that worked properly was a simple C# project that did not use DirectX at all. Any of the DirectX samples that I tried have all failed (including the native C++ samples that do not use C# at all).
To be clear, the process I use for building is going to Project -> Store -> Create App Packages and choosing the No option for uploading to the Windows Store.
Does anyone have any ideas on what might be going wrong with the build or installation process?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Does it work with the Metro Sideloader? I am not sure if it just adds a UI to the Powershell script, but it works for my team and me for testing...
Good luck!
Are you side loading a Debug version of your DirectX app onto a machine that does not have the Windows SDK installed? Visual Studio's default DirectX projects and the samples on MSDN both request the D3D11_CREATE_DEVICE_DEBUG flag when creating the D3D Device. Device creation will fail if the Windows SDK is not installed on the machine running the code.
Here are a few different options that will allow you to unblock yourself. Any one of these should give you the desired result:
Create a Release package and deploy that instead of a Debug package.
or - Go to DirectXBase.cpp and remove the D3D11_CREATE_DEVICE_DEBUG flag from the code.
or - Install the Remote Debugging tools for Visual Studio on the target machines. This will install the necessary SDK components to allow creation of D3D Debug devices. The other cool thing about this option is that once you're set up you won't have to create packages manually and side load them anymore. Just tell Visual Studio the name of your ARM machine and press F5 to deploy it remotely. More information here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/vstudio/bt727f1t.aspx
How are you deploying the native DLL with your project? Are you using project-to-project references? Can you verify that your DLL is ending up in the final package, in the root of the package application directory?
I recommend using Sysinternals Procmon to watch your application load on the target machine. If it crashes or fails, you can look in the log history for which DLL it is trying to load and failing. Typically this will show up as a repeated series of DLL load probes (it will try and load the dll from the application directory, and then proceed to try a number of other paths).
I'm doing my project in Vb.net. my project name is "Bellows". My front end is Vb.net. Back end is Ms Access.
i Create My project in Windows Application
i complete my project. i copy the .exe file from "E:\BellowNet(new)\Bellows\obj\Debug" and put the shortcut into my desktop. now it's running.
similarly i copied my Bellows.exe from another system desktop but it not running.
How i want to run my Bellows.exe from another systems (maximum 10 systems).
Note : In my system only having Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. Remaining system doesn't have.
I put bellows.exe from another system. in that system doesn't having E Drive. it showing this error
The application Filed to initialize properly(0xc0000135). Click Ok to terminate the application
Similarly I put bellows.exe from another system. in that system having E Drive.
if i click that Bellows.exe the login form is open.. and main form is open. in that main form wen i click button it show the error.
Unhandled exception has occurred in your application. If u click continue the application will ignore this error and attempt to continue. If u click Quit, the application will close immediately. Could not load file or assembly ‘ADODB, Version=7.0.3300.0, Culture=neutral, PublickeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a’ or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified
Good practice to run your project on another systems is to create its setup file and then install it on to another systems on which you want to run your project and of course you need to install .NetFramework as well with the same version which you used to developed your project. How to create setup and how to add Serial Key for those steps refer my blog
It sounds like either the .Net Framework is not installed on your target system or that there's an app.config file (Bellows.app.config) that you need to copy over as well.
Another thing that concerns me is what your expectations are for the access database. Do you want all the workstations to share a common database? If so, I highly recommend you convert your app to use Sql Server Express Edition (free). Access is an in-process database engine, and like all such engines it doesn't behave well when shared. If you don't expect them to share the database, you probably want to make sure you copy that *.mdb file over to your target machines as well.
Finally, let me re-iterate the advice in other answers about using a Release build and/or deployment project.
What errors do you see?
It could be:
The other system does not have .Net
framework 2.0 installed
You copied only the exe from the dev machine without other required files from the Debug directory (e.g., app.config, supporting DLLs).
If you are going to copy and paste the exe file then the all Prerequiest should be installed on that machine like framework.So make a setup file which is easy and add all Prerequiest on the setup after that do setup on new machine..
Thanks
I can only guess, but try this suggestions.
The application Filed to initialize
properly(0xc0000135). Click Ok to
terminate the application
.NET framework is not installed on this machine. Install the runtime.
Could not load file or
assembly ‘ADODB, Version=7.0.3300.0,
Culture=neutral,
PublickeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a’ or
one of its dependencies. The system
cannot find the file specified
ADO.NET drivers are missing. You need to install Microsoft Data Access Components
You can avoid this problems if you make an install procedure and do the proper install on every machine.
The appropriate .NET framework must be installed in each machine as well as the appropriate MDAC. You can add them as part of the installation package.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms994427.aspx
And if you want to make it even more easier for your clients to get hold of it; use ClickOnce to distribute it from a central server.
http://www.15seconds.com/issue/041229.htm
I have VB project and I tried to use PUBLISH feature.
It seems to create nicely some kind of setup program, but the setup program does not ask where to copy files (it does not seem to copy filesto target machine "PROGRAM FILES".)
Is this setup program somehow different from usual installers?
NOTE: I want that app files are installed to Hard disk( from USB stick source)
Is the signing recommended or necessary? My App is pretty simple, its just using access DB + printer api, should I still sign?
The "Publish" feature creates a ClickOnce installer. Such applications are installed per-user instead of per-machine, i.e., they are installed somewhere into the user's profile. This is by design and has the advantage that the user installing the software does not need administrative privileges on the machine.
You can also create a setup project by going to File/New/Project/Other Project Types/Setup and Deployment/Setup Project. This creates a "conventional" MSI-based installer, offering the "classic" C:\Program Files type of installation.
On MSDN, two approaches are compared here.
Our biggest problem in-house is privleges.Does the "user" have access to write to "Program Files"?
Generally when I use ClickOnce when I build a VB.NET program but it has a few downsides. I've never really used anything else, so I'm not sure
what my options are.
Downsides to ClickOnce:
Consists of multiple files - Seems easier to distribute one file than manageing a bunch of file and the downloader to download those files.
You have to build it again for CD installations (for when the end user dosn't have internet)
Program does not end up in Program Files - It ends up hidden away in some application catch folder, making it much harder to shortcut to.
Pros to ClickOnce:
It works. Magically. And it's built
into VisualStudio 2008 express.
Makes it easy to upgrade the
application.
Does Windows Installer do these things as well? I know it dosen't have any of the ClickOnce cons, but It would be nice to know if it also has the ClickOnce pros.
Update:
I ended up using Wix 2 (Wix 3 was available but at the time I did the project, no one had a competent tutorial). It was nice because it supported the three things I (eventually) needed. An optional start-up-with-windows shortcut, a start-up-when-the-installer-is-done option, and three paragraphs of text that my boss thinks will keep uses from clicking the wrong option.
Have you seen WiX yet?
http://wix.sourceforge.net/
It builds windows installers using an XML file and has additional libraries to use if you want to fancify your installers and the like. I'll admit the learning curve for me was medium-high in getting things started, but afterwards I was able to build a second installer without any hassles.
It will handle updates and other items if you so desire, and you can apply folder permissions and the like to the installers. It also gives you greater control on where exactly you want to install files and is compatible with all the standardized Windows folder conventions, so you can specify "PROGRAM_DATA" or something to that effect and the installer knows to put it in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data or C:\ProgramData depending on if you're running XP or Vista.
The rumor is that Office 2007 and Visual Studio 2008 used WiX to create their installer, but I haven't been able to verify that anywhere. I do believe is is developed by some Microsoft folks on the inside.
I agree with Joseph, my experience with ClickOnce is its great for the vast majority of projects especially in a corporate environment where it makes build, publish and deployment easy. Implementing the "forced upgrade" to ensure users have the latest version when running is so much easier in ClickOnce, and a main reason for my usage of it.
Issues with ClickOnce: In a corporate environment it has issues with proxy servers and the workarounds are less than ideal. I've had to deploy a few apps in those cases from UNC paths...but you can't do that all the time. Its "sandbox" is great, until you want to find the executable or create a desktop shortcut.
Have not deployed out of 2008 yet so not sure if those issues still exist.
Creating an installer project, with a dependency on your EXE (which in turn depends on whatever it needs) is a fairly straightforward process - but you'll need at least VS Standard Edition for that.
Inside the installer project, you can create custom tasks and dialog steps that allow you to do anything you code up.
What's missing is the auto-upgrade and version-checking magic you get with ClickOnce. You can still build it in, it's just not automatic.
I don't believe there is any easy way to make a Windows Installer project have the ease or upgradability of ClickOnce. I use ClickOnce for all the internal .NET apps I develop (with the exception of Console Apps). I find that in an enterprise environment, the ease of deployment outweighs the lack of flexibility.
ClickOnce can be problematic if you have 3rd party components that need to be installed along with your product. You can skirt this to some extent by creating installers for the components however with ClickOnce deployment you have to create the logic to update said component installers.
I've in a previous life used Wise For Windows Installer to create installation packages. While creating upgrades with it were not automatic like ClickOnce is, they were more precise and less headache filled when it came to other components that needed to be registered/added.