I'm trying to organize my unmanaged .dll dependencies in my Visual Studio solution but unless the DLLs are strewn about the top level of my solution they do not get built into the application's directory and then the application fails to run. I have done a lot of Googling on the subject and there seems to be a solution in the form of an app.config setting:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
<runtime>
<assemblybinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
<probing privatepath="lib" />
</assemblybinding>
</runtime>
</configuration>
I have a folder in my solution called "lib" and Copy Local is set to true for all files in the folder but the application is still unable to run. How can I keep my Visual Studio solution organized without breaking my application?
The only way I have found to solve this issue is through windows .bat files.
If there is a way to encode extra search paths into an unmanaged executable, I would like to know!
Here is an example of what I do:
SET PATH=$~dp0plugins\MY_PLUGIN\Debug;%PATH%
vcvars32.bat
devenv build\MY_PROJECT.sln
The first line adds the path of where I want visual studio to find my dll's in.
The second line ensures that the 'right' visual studio will open up. IE: if I have my environment set for VS2010, I dont want VS2012 to open up by default.
The last line invokes the IDE to open up my sln file.
The visual studio that opens up now has a path to the Debug folder of one of my plugins. When I debug my application, the correct dll will be found, loaded, and debugged with no issue - I verify this under the Debug->Windows->Modules panel.
This only works for the Debug configuration. If I want to run the release configuration, I change the .bat file to say 'Release', close Visual Studio and re-run the .bat file.
I apply this same pattern to running my executable. Set up the environment of where I want my dll's to come from and then execute my executable:
SET PATH=$~dp0plugins\Debug;%PATH%
... Repeat for other dll locations
"%~dp0Debug\MY_EXECUTABLE.exe" %*
SS64 is an invaluable resource to figure out what you can do in .bat files
I wonder if it's possible to make something like this...
I have a project in VS2012 that uses two referenced VS projects (DLLs are being created during compilation) and some other DLLs (external libraries etc.). Now I want to clean up my compilation and place DLLs in two folders: e.g. Internals and Externals.
How to make it possible? The problem is that my compiled .exe app file wants the DLLs to be placed in the main folder (near to it) - so if it needs to load the library from DLL it crashes...
I tried to find something in the web, but ppl only ask about copying DLLs from the reference folders into the output folder. But that's not what I want to do:/
Ok, I have found a solution. I need to add a new item app.config and specify privatePaths:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
<runtime>
<assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
<probing privatePath="InternalsFolder;ExternalsFolder" />
</assemblyBinding>
</runtime>
</configuration>
I have an app that I've recently added two C# classes to. It always built in both debug and release. The differences between the two configs are nothing. Now when I build the release, it says that one of the dependencies cannot be accessed. This is only for the release build. Nothing changed to that dependency and it always worked.
Any ideas?
So to resolve this issue, I had to add a config file at C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A\bin\NETFX 4.0 Tools that read:
<?xml version ="1.0"?>
<configuration>
<runtime>
<loadFromRemoteSources enabled="true" />
</runtime>
</configuration>
The config file is sgen.exe.config. I had to create the file and I was able to build the release after the file was added.
Are the references between the various projects project, or binary references? If they are binary references, are your output folders pointing to the right locations for the different build targets and platforms? You may also want to ensure that your build order is correct.
I am experiencing a strange issue with VS2010. We use TFS to build our API dlls and we used to reference them in our projects usign a mapped network drive that was fully trusted. We have been working like that for at least two years and everything worked perfectly.
Today, I converted a webapp to vs2010 and when I compile it in Release, it's giving me:
SGEN : error : Could not load file or
assembly 'file:///L:\Api\Release
API_20100521.1\Release\CS.API.Exceptions.dll' or one of its dependencies. Operation
is not supported. (Exception from
HRESULT: 0x80131515)
The strange thing is that it's working when it's under the Debug profile...
I tried adding the
<runtime>
<loadFromRemoteSources enabled="true" />
</runtime>
into app.config and still no luck (See http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en/msbuild/thread/d12f6301-85bf-4b9e-8e34-a06398a60df0 and http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd409252(VS.100).aspx)
I am pretty sure that this issue is from visual studio or msbuild, as our code won't run from a network share when in prod because all the referenced dll's are copied into the bin folder.
If anyone has an solution (or just an idea for a search path) please let me know !
Edit : It turns out that it was working in Debug mode because generation of serialisation assemblies was turned Off. As the title say, it's really a SGEN problem since it is this utility that says that the path is not trusted...
I was able to fix this error by finding the assembly DLL in Windows Explorer, right clicking, choosing Properties, and then pressing the "unblock" button. The DLL has a stream that is marking it as an external file - and by clicking unblock you remove that designation.
I just had the same/similar issue on a TFS build server where a build was referencing dll's from a network share.
The problems is that the CLR v4 security policy model has changed since previous versions and are not sandboxing assemblies as before.
To fix your issue just find the location of sgen.exe and create a sgen.exe.config in the same folder with following contents:
<configuration>
<runtime>
<loadFromRemoteSources enabled="true" />
</runtime>
</configuration>
sgen.exe is usually at
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v[current version]\bin\NETFX 4.0 Tools"
You can read about some of the changes around CAS policies in .NET 4.0 in this blogpost: Link
Had the same problem and the config change didnt work. Only when i set Generate Serialization Assembly to off in the project properties did it work.
I had the same error and found my DLL was "blocked". Open up the DLL in explorer, right click -> properties -> press 'Unblock'.
http://cantgrokwontgrok.blogspot.com/2009/10/visual-studio-unknown-build-error.html
I had this exact same problem and fixed it by adding the sgen.exe.config under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A\Bin\NETFX 4.0 Tools
with this simple config as others have said
<?xml version ="1.0"?>
<configuration>
<runtime>
<loadFromRemoteSources enabled="true" />
</runtime>
</configuration>
For those of you running a 64bit version of the TFS build service, I had to create the config file in the following path:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v8.0A\bin\NETFX 4.0 Tools\x64
And the file contents:
<?xml version ="1.0"?>
<configuration>
<runtime>
<loadFromRemoteSources enabled="true" />
</runtime>
</configuration>
I had the same issue, loaded the assembly in the GAC and worked
Adding the snippet below to the app.config file worked in my case. I'm Running Windows XP, with VS2010 service pack 1.
<configuration>
<runtime>
<loadFromRemoteSources enabled="true" />
</runtime>
</configuration>
In my case bunch of dlls were blocked.
To unblock all files in folder I used power shell with following command
dir -Path [directory path] -Recurse | Unblock-File
Just as an FYI if you are running Windows 7 the sgen.exe file can be found at:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A\Bin\NETFX 4.0 Tools
I had to create a sgen.exe.config and place it there and then this problem went away.
Neither the unblock nor the config worked for me.
What did the trick for me was this tip about caspol.
I ran
%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\CasPol.exe -m -ag 1.2 -url file://UncPathName/UncSubPath/* FullTrust
And I was ready to go, not even a VisualStudio restart required.
I got a similar problem and I finally got over with it by removing the licenses.licx file in the Properties folder of the solution.
Just in case like me, Unblock was not a solution, as Unblock does not appear on my dll file properties. Kept looking and ended up closing my solution file and re-opening using the local C: copy instead of network UNC path to project sln file. Was able to publish after going this route.
I have 2 projects in my solution. The first one is a console application, and the second is a dll, used (referenced) by the console. When I build my solution (release) I get one EXE file and one DLL file, because copy local is true (if I set it to false, it doesn't run).
How can I store that DLL file in a subdirectory? If my output folder is C:\123\, and there's the EXE file, I want all my DLLs to be in C:\123\Dll\.
You should be able to use the probing element to specify which paths your application should use when attempting to resolve dll dependencies.
Example:
<configuration>
<runtime>
<assemblyBinding xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1">
<probing privatePath="123;123\dill"/>
</assemblyBinding>
</runtime>
</configuration>
Also you can use the Post-build event command line to copy your dll's to a particular directory.