In VS 2010 express there are a few library projects (dlls) attached to the application project. When building the solution the dlls output to bin/Release/. Is there a way to have the .exe output to bin/Release and the dlls to bin/Release/dll?
This requires either a .config file with the <probing> element or implementing AppDomain.AssemblyResolve so that the CLR can find these DLLs. You'll have a deployment problem too, you have to convince ClickOnce to publish these DLLs. Realistically should only attempt this with the retail edition of Visual Studio so you can create a Setup project.
Fwiw: your customer won't mind that the DLLs are in the same folder as the EXE. I think most actually strongly prefer this. I do.
You could always have a post build event on the application project that copies all .dll files to a dll directory.
However the assembly loader will not be able to find the dll file and you application will not start.
Related
I have a visual studio solution (microsoft visual studio professional 2017) with a main project, that uses classes from a DLL project in the same solution.
The DLL is a "class Library (.NET framework).
Main project is (for my preliminary investigations) a console app. Future versions will be a WPF. I think that the problem appears on all applications that use DLLs that use other DLLs.
The DLL uses other DLLs from a Nuget package. In this case: SQLite. I want to hide to my main project that my DLL uses Sqlite. That makes it possible to change it in future versions to a different database, or maybe use entity framework to access the data.
So my main project only knows that it uses the DLL in the same solution. It does not know that this DLL uses other DLLs.
Problem: These other DLLS are not copied to my main application folder.
This has been asked before: Copying a DLL's dependencies in Visual Studio
The answer says that you should use classes from the Sqlite to make sure the DLLs are copied. That is just what I wanted to prevent: users of my DLL should not have to know that this DLL uses SQLite
That question is 11 years old.
I wonder if Visual Studio has now a better solution for this.
A method to solve the problem was given in Install and manage packages in Visual Studio using the NuGet Package Manager. It is not ideal, the main project still needs to know that the other projects use certain Nuget packages, but at least you don't have to edit the .csproj files, nor type command lines
MySolution
MyMainProject. Refers to MyDll
MyDll. Uses Nuget packages
In Visual Studio. Menu - Tools - Nuget Package Manager
The window that opens shows the installed Nuget packages. If you click on them, you can see on the right the projects that use these packages.
For all installed packages that your main program complains that it is missing at run time, check the box near MyMainProject. At the bottom click Install.
Alas, I'd rather have something in project MyDll that tells everyone who uses this DLL that they also need these Nuget packages. But for the time being I'll use this method.
Will check again in 11 years if there is any improvement.
I have a fairly large project in Visual Studio 2010
I can build the project in both Debug and Release mode, copy the generated exe file along with a custom dll I need for a function in the program to another computer, and the exe file works without any problems
I am trying to make an installer for this project in Visual Studio 2010, following the instructions here: https://www.technical-recipes.com/2011/how-to-create-an-installer-in-microsoft-visual-studio/
I do not get any errors while building the installer, and I get a setup.exe and an msi file as a result, but if I install my program in another computer (not by development machine), when I try to run my program after installation I get a missing api-ms-win-crt-runtime-l1-1-0.dll error
How do I debug this problem? Since I can simply copy my Release or Debug build to the computer and make it work, doesn't it mean all the dll files my program is dependent on already exists in the other computer? And if this already works, why isn't the installer version working? How do I make sure that everything I need for this program is included in the installer?
My project in MFC dialog based and uses one third party library, for which I have both .lib and .dll file available. I need to do this in Visual Studio 2010. My development machine is Windows 10 64 bit Home edition version 1909. The installer I currently create installs my program in Program Files (x86) folder.
Static Linking MFC: It appears this issue was solved by making sure to statically link to MFC libraries. In the VC++ project: enable the setting: "include MFC in a static library". This enables static linking of MFC components, eliminating the dependency on shared dlls.
This is a common "missing runtime error" - there are generic check lists below which include this as one source for application launch problems.
Warning: Generally static linking should be avoided in order to benefit from security updates to shared dll files via other update mechanisms.
Short Version: In Visual Studio Installer Projects, check if the Visual C++ Runtime is available in the Prerequisites list.
See this answer, here is a quick screen shot:
Tools: If your project is large you might want to consider another MSI tool. There are many limitations with Visual Studio Installer Projects.
Merge Modules: There are merge modules to install the Visual Studio C++ Runtime, but it is recommended to use the setup.exe for these reasons.
Visual C/C++ Runtime: You are probably just missing the Visual Studio C/C++ Runtime. It needs to be deployed with your application, it is not on there by default (unless you link statically, in which case it should not be needed). Skim this list quickly for other ideas.
You can download the VC++ redistributables at ("The latest supported Visual C++ downloads"):
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2977003
More Information:
More on the Visual C/C++ Runtime
Secondary Links:
Detecting presence of Visual C/C++ runtime on box
Missing Dependencies and check lists
Scan for application dependencies
Installing VC++ Runtime with merge modules
I have developed a Win32 Console app DLL and a small tester application for it. As far as I know neither uses MFC, .COM, .NET or dot-anything else. Development platform is VS2009 on WinXP/SP3
When I give the DLL and EXE to someone else, they are unusable. Attempting to use them generates errors similar to "Application cannot be used, the application configuration is wrong." and "cannot find xxx.dll" (not exact wording on these error messages).
I have learned from reading that there are dependencies that must ship with the EXE and DLL. These dependencvies seem to be specific to VS 2009 abd should include the MSVCRT09, etc.
When I followed MS's instruction to make a setup.exe/MSI installer for a Setup and Deployment Project (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms235317%28v=VS.90%29.aspx) I add the dll to the project, move it to the "MyLibrary" folder and no dependencies are found or listed in the Solution Explorer. Yet, I know there are dependencies, DEPENDS.EXE says so.
Can anyone walk me through this or name a better site with instructions. Once again, MS's help isn't all that helpful.
thanks,
Wes
Visual Studio 2008 is version 9.0. A program built with Visual C++ 2008 normally does have dependencies on the C run time library MSVCRT09, as you discovered. If the C run time library is not installed on the destination PC (either already installed or as part of your setup project) then your application fails, as you discovered. It is no surprise that DEPENDS.EXE displays the dependency. The only question seems to be why Visual Studio 2008 doesn't display the dependency in its Solution Explorer window.
Before building your Visual Studio setup project (MSI and setup file), Visual Studio might not have had any reason yet to search for dependencies. But after the setup project is built, in my experience the Solution Explorer does show the dependencies it found, next to other dependencies that you set explicitly. If those don't show up after building, something is weird.
I have duplicate assemblies with different versions. I cannot recompile projects that use old versions of the assembly, so I manually copy the assemblies into a sub directory of my bin folder, then update the web.config with assemblybinding's.
This works fine, but now I am trying to add the old assemblies to the visual studio project so that they will be deployed to the build directory. But, visual studio keeps looking at these assemblies and telling me I have a version conflict! Therefore, I cant compile the project...
You cant have the same assembly referenced twice in one program, even if they are different version, it's just the way visual studio works. You need to reconstruct and recompile the code that references the older assemblies using the new versions of the assembly. This can be done via a reflector, and is relatively easy if you know what you are doing.
I have a Visual Studio 2008 solution with two projects in it. A C++ DLL and a Csharp application.
The Csharp application uses [DllImport] to access the functions in the DLL, and has a dependency set on the DLL.
For some reason, setting the dependency isn't sufficient to cause VS to copy the DLL to the build path of the app. So the app project has a post-build event which causes the DLL to get copied. (If anyone knows of a cleaner way of doing this, please let me know!)
The problem I have is that when I make a change to the DLL code, then attempt to run the Csharp application in the debugger, VS2008 fails to realise that the DLL must be rebuilt (and re-copied).
I have to force a re-build of the Csharp application (ie by explicitly choosing build, or by "touching" a .CS file).
Does anyone know how to tell Visual Studio to do the right thing?
Edits:
I am using project dependencies. They aren't working correctly.
I am using a post-build event to copy the DLL across.
The issue is that, if you simply choose to debug the application, Visual Studio fails to recompile the changed C++ project, despite the fact that there is a dependency in place.
I know the dependency is working, because if I choose "Build" (as opposed to "Debug") the C++ DLL is built.
"Build" and "Debug" do different things. In Tools - Options - Projects and Solutions - Build and Run, there is a checkbox "Only build startup projects and dependencies on Run". This is checked by default. So, if VS isn't recognising the DLL as a dependency, it won't build it when you choose "Debug".
I don't have VS to hand (only Express), but you could try adding the C++ DLL as a reference rather than a dependency.
Hmm... so I haven't done this exact thing before but I just threw together a C++ lib project and a C# winform project in the same solution. I right-clicked the solution, chose Properties and then under Common Properties->Project Dependencies, I made the C# one depend on the C++ one.
When I make a mod to the C++ one, it will ask me if I want to rebuild the C++ one. There's a "Don't ask me" checkbox too.
Maybe my test is different than your situation, but it seemed to work when I did that.
Hope that is some help.
Assuming the DLL project isn't used in another solution, why not put the post-build event on the DLL app project, so it is always copied?
I've not tried, but can't you do this with the build order?
I have experienced this same issue with applications that have DLL project dependencies. It seems to me that the problem is that Visual Studio only launches the post-build event if it has to recompile something in the Application's project. So, if you modify the DLL source without modifying any of the headers that the Application includes, then the Application is not recompiled because from it's perspective the DLL is the same. Since the application is not recompiled, the post-build event is not triggered. So, the Application is left with out of date DLLs. I have yet to come up with a good solution to this problem.