I have an asp.net mvc project and reference a dll to a class library. I would like the dll to appear in the bin folder of my asp.net mvc project (the latest version after building the asp.net project). This does not happen depite the dll's property 'copy local' being 'true'. Is this possible anyway?
Thanks.
C
If the class library project is in the same solution as your MVC project, you could set the build directory of the class library to be the bin of your MVC app.
This will help if you're not sure how
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms165410(v=VS.90).aspx
If your setup precludes you from changing the output directory, another solution may be to set up a pre build step in the mvc app and use xcopy to copy the dll.
xcopy /y /r /i "$(SolutionDir)ClassLibrary\bin\myClassLibrary.dll" "$(TargetDir)"
if errorlevel 1 goto BuildEventFailed
Though, I'm a little curious why the dll isn't being copied automatically. Are you using any of the types in the class library explicitly; creating instances of, or inheriting from, or anything that would indicate to the compiler you do indeed need this dll? I think VS tries to be helpful and not copy binaries it feels are "useless"
Related
So I have a web application in Visual Studio 2010. Im depending on 2 DLLs. One of these are not a "real" DLL but a COM object. The first DLL is wrapper for this COM object.
So the first DLL is easy to add with a reference and when I deploy it gets put in the bin folder on the destination. The problem is the COM DLL. I can not add it as a reference. So I tried the accepted answer on this How do you include additional files using VS2010 web deployment packages? but I could not make it work. (some comment suggest this edit should be in the .pubxml file but i don´t even have that one?)
I also tried the second answer on the same question but still no luck.
The only thing that works if I go to the project properties and select "all files in this project" but I really don´t like that.
I know these answers I refer to are a bit old so maybe there is a new way of doing this?
I have experienced a similar situation in the past. The only viable way around I have found was to manually copy the files I needed when building the application using the "Build Events" screen (Go to "My Project" > "Compile". It is a the bottom right hand corner).
In the "Post-build event command line", I have entered a script that copies the DLLs I need into the bin folder of my web app:
XCOPY "E:\ThirdParty\Example.dll" "$(TargetDir)" /Y /R
This script simply copies the dll "Example.dll" from a repository folder into the bin folder of the web app I am compiling. You can find a lot more about these build events on MSDN: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms165412.aspx
Hope this solves your problem and good luck!
I managed to work it out. I found this http://sedodream.com/2012/06/15/VisualStudio2010WebPublishUpdates.aspx page and installed the update for web publishing.
After that I had the pubxml files and I edited it according to the guidelines.
As found on http://www.asp.net/mvc/overview/deployment/visual-studio-web-deployment/deploying-extra-files
I have 2 c++ projects in a solution.
ExecB (an executable) depends on ProjA (a dll).
So in ExecB's properties I add ProjA as a reference, and select Copy Local = true.
The problem is, ProjA's dll isn't being copied to ExecB's output folder folder. So the executable obviously doesn't run.
Any suggestions ?
For C++ projects, the Visual Studio template/wizard sets the Output Directory to a subfolder of the solution: $(SolutionDir)$(Configuration)\. This is so the DLL Search Path works well for the developer. It even works if you have added projects to the solution from outside the solution folder hierarchy; The build will put all binaries into the output folder for that solution.
If this isn't working, check the Output Directory property on all platform/configuration combinations of all your projects. Also make sure that the Build Configuration Manager shows that your selected solution build is building all the projects appropriate for the solution platform/configuration.
The Copy Local in Project References that you are trying applies only to referenced .NET assemblies. The docs are ambiguous and too terse on that. (Most often undistinguished use of "assembly" means .NET assembly rather than WinSxS assembly.)
I have several Visual Studio solutions/projects (some VB, some C#) that all reference a common DLL at design time. This DLL does not have to be copied to the output folder as it is only needed while writing code. Every few months this DLL will be updated to a newer version and all of my projects need to reference the updated version.
What is the best way to handle this?
You have to use a Shared Assembly, shared in GAC (Global Assembly Cache).
Say, you have programmed a class, a piece of software, whatever you have, and you want to make it a shared assembly.
First you make it an assembly by creating a new Class Library Project in VS and transporting all of the code to that project. Don’t build/run it yet! Note that we just transport the code but the assembly (the .DLL file) is not actually made yet, because we have not built the project yet.
Before building the assembly, we have to create/share a key by which the assembly is known, in 2 steps:
a) create the key by executing the cmd below in VS cmd:
sn -k "C:[DirectoryToPlaceKey][KeyName].key" b) share it by adding the attribute below to the AsseblyInfo.vb/cs file in the properties folder of your Class Library project:
In VB.Net:
In C#:
[Assembly: AssemblyKeyFile("C:[directory containing the key file][KeyName].key")] (just copy and paste this into the AssemblyInfo.vb/cs file, but write your directory and file name instead).
Now, you MAKE the assembly by building the project. Just build the project (just press F5 once, at least!). By doing so, the .dll file we need (the assembly) is created in the “bin” folder in the same folder of the project.
Now we share it by Copying the .dll file into the GAC (Global Assembly Cache: it’s where all the assemblies are gathered together. The directory is: “C:\windows\Microsoft.Net\assembly\GAC_MSIL” but you don’t need to know that since the tool below does that for you~) by executing the command below in the VS cmd:
gacutil -I "C:[PathToBinDirectoryInVSProject]\myGAC.dll"
YOU'RE DONE! You may now reference and use the shared assembly from all your applications, and whenever you want to update, just update the shared assembly.
Hope that helps!
You can create nuget resources, and use Nuget Server (Lastest version of teamcity support it) - and all updates w'll be handled by nuget.
Other approach is to create common folder and all project point's to dll in this folder (relativly) in this case you need to udate dll in one folder (after rebuild solution dll'll be updated automaticly)
Ofcourse you can allways install dll in GAC (Global Assembly Cache) this is handled by tool called gacutil.exe (in net is lot of example how to handle it).
I have a dependency folder that I use for dll's in my web application. Some are referenced in the web application, others aren't. However for the application to run I need to have all the dll's in the bin directory of the web application. But I dont want to reference them in the web app. Is there a work around for this? I was considering the post build event to copy in the dll's required from dependencies to bin directory.
If the assemblies are implicitly referenced (required by assemblies you have referenced) they should be automatically copied to the output path. If there are assemblies which you are dynamically loading with reflection like form example some plugins you will need to copy them manually to the bin folder. A post-buid event seems like a good approach.
You can use PostBuild event as you mentioned or edit the project file to include MSBuild Copy Task.
Check: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/3e54c37h.aspx
I am working on extensible web-application with plug-ins support. Each plug-in is located at separate class library project and implement some predefined IPluginInterface from common library. Application should load them on start using MEF. What I need to do is automatically build all plug-in projects in my solution and copy them into bin folder of my host project on every solution rebuild. Host application don't need to know anything about concrete plug-in implementations, so I don't want to add reference to these class libraries from it.
I know that it could be done with some command line script, but maybe there is easier way to do that?
Thanks.
I don't know of any built in way. I currently use the following in the post build command line (Application being my host app):
XCOPY "$(ProjectDir)$(OutDir)*" "$(SolutionDir)Application\bin\Debug\*" /y
XCOPY "$(ProjectDir)$(OutDir)*" "$(SolutionDir)Application\bin\Release\*" /y