[RESOLVED] putting a VB.NET app on a website

I need to know about putting a VB.NET app on a website. I have an app which I'd like to market, and am planning a website to support it. I will be using a paid host, like GoDaddy etc. On the site I want to let people try a simplified version of the app,so that they get the flavour of the real one. Will it cost me extra to add this capability to the site? Does the user have to have the Dot Net Framework on his or her computer to be able to try the app? If yes, can the Dot Net Framework be downloaded from the site? Enlightenment appreciated!

If you're talking about a hosted web site then no, the user does not need the .NET Framework installed. All they're getting is HTML and JavaScript in their browser. The .NET code is executed on the server. As for using a "trial" version, just expose extra pages that don't need authorisation. It's just one site but the user needs to have an account to get to the non-trial stuff.

I'm not sure that's quite what the OP meant... I'm thinking htey have a windows-based app... the installer for which is on their website... people download it and install it.

If that's the case, I can't imagine why it would cost extra to have an extra file on the site. Unless you're paying by the file count.

-tg

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Originally Posted by techgnome

I'm not sure that's quite what the OP meant... I'm thinking htey have a windows-based app... the installer for which is on their website... people download it and install it.

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That's what I thought at first but then I changed my mind. I guess the confusion indicates that the question is poorly worded. Something like "I have a Windows Forms application that the user will download from my web site" might have been more helpful.

Assuming that that is the case, I'd be inclined to look at using a licensing component and use it to create a trial version, which can be time- or functionality-limited.

Thanks and let me clarify: Yes, it is a windows form application. No, my intention was not for users to download and install it, because it's a very limited version. I was planning on them being able to run it on the website once or twice, to get the idea of what the real app will do. The limited version and the real one are separate apps. From jmmc's answer I take it that I can do this without worrying about the user having the dot net framework.

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Originally Posted by deejay41

Thanks and let me clarify: Yes, it is a windows form application. No, my intention was not for users to download and install it, because it's a very limited version. I was planning on them being able to run it on the website once or twice, to get the idea of what the real app will do. The limited version and the real one are separate apps. From jmmc's answer I take it that I can do this without worrying about the user having the dot net framework.

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Nope, you can't take that at all. That was if it was a web site. If it's a Windows Forms application then the user has to download it. You can't run a WinForms app over the web. The application will have to be downloaded by the user and then run on their local machine so yes, they will need the .NET Framework to run it.

Depending on the specifics of the application, the user doesn't have to install it. They can just download a .NET EXE and run it if it has no dependencies. Even if it does have dependencies, they may be able to be simply placed in the same folder as the EXE. That said, you may be better off if the user does install the app. If you use ClickOnce, you can configure it such that the app appears to be run over the web. The user would run the app by executing a link to your installer on the web, the installer would be download, the app installed and run and then, when the app was closed, it would be silently uninstalled. It's still run locally so the .NET Framework will still need to be installed but you can configure your installer to download and install that automatically on the first run if required.

Thanks jmci; obviously my knowledge gap here is pretty wide and you have helped me start to narrow it. It seems to me that maybe your suggestion of having them download it would be better. I'm wondering if the process of installing and uninstalling it all automatically might be time consuming enough that the user would lose interest in the site. The demo program is not long, about 1200 lines of code, but it seems to me that just installing and uninstalling the framework would take quite a bit of time. I would be interested in any more thoughts you have about this. Also, regarding your statement "You can't run a WinForms app over the web.", is there a different format to which I could easily convert this app which would render it runnable?

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Originally Posted by deejay41

it seems to me that just installing and uninstalling the framework would take quite a bit of time.

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The Framework would not be uninstalled. The Framework would be downloaded and installed on the first run if and only if it was not already installed and then it would stay installed. If the user already had the required version of the Framework installed then there would be no need to install it.

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Originally Posted by deejay41

Also, regarding your statement "You can't run a WinForms app over the web.", is there a different format to which I could easily convert this app which would render it runnable?

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If you want to run an app over the web then it needs to be a web app. You can't run a Windows application over the web. You could use Silverlight or a WPF in-browser app but even those options will require a significant migration process.

Thanks so much for the help. I shall mark this thread as "Resolved".