How to build the application once done?

[Chong]

I'm not sure if I even have the correct term but I have finish coding a simple program. Now my question is, how do build the application so I can take the program to a different computer to install and use it there? I'm not sure if this the same thing as deploy but in VB6 it used to be easy to compile the program and have wizard when installing the program to another computer. Any pointer is appreciated!

ljCharlie

[DevGrp]

Build->Build Solution

[Mike Hildner]

That builds it, but do you mean a setup/deployment thing, like the Package & Deployment Wizard in VB6?

If that's the case, you can add a new Setup project to your solution and choose the project you want to deploy as your primary output.

Things are more complicated if you want to create a setup project for a service. There's some good examples in the help provided.

[Chong]

Thank you very much for the response. Actually I'm not sure what the correct term is but for example, I'm finished with my project and I like to build it or do something before I can take that program to another machine and install it like any other program we buy out there. Right now I can only run the program in the VB.NET program enviroment. What I want to do is be able take what I have created in VB.NET and install it into another machine expect the program to work.

Now, I have tried the deployment thing and I got stock when the help that came with VB.NET don't explain what those files and folders are when I'm adding it to the File System. The first problem is I don't even know what I should be adding and/or subtracting in that File System. This is my first time trying to build in VB.NET and I'm appreciate your help.

ljCharlie

[Mike Hildner]

There's a couple things going on. If you've ran your project (F5) in the IDE, you've already built it - that is, created a .exe file. Or if you right-click on your project and click Build, that will build it also, as DevGrp has already pointed out.

Depending on your settings, the location of the .exe might be elsewhere, but if you haven't changed anything, it's in a folder underneath your solution folder, in bin\debug (I think, don't have my development machine on right now - you can search for it).

So you can just take that exe and run it on another machine, if it's simple and they have the .NET framework on the target machine. But, if you have, say, config files and what not, the target machine is going to need all that stuff too.

If you have other stuff that needs to be deployed on the target machine, or you just want it to look professional, then you should make a setup project. Making the setup project part of your solution is easiest, IMHO.

Not sure how complex your project is, but let's say it's a simple app. Right click on your solution, choose add, then add a deployment project. Right click on that newly created project, then (I think, again, my machine isn't here) choose to add primary output, which will default to your original project output. Build the setup project (VS will automatically build both your projects). Then navigate to somewhere underneathyour setup project to find the .msi file and a couple others. Copy these files to a CD or whatever and install on the target machine by running the .msi.

I believe that if the target machine does not have the .NET framework installed, you get prompted to download and install it from the web. You're probably going to want to change some stuff in your setup project, such as your company name etc.

Long winded, but I HTH. Not sure what you mean by adding to the file system, but maybe I never had to do that because my stuff didn't need it. I've seen all that, but have never really needed it, except for one time it got real involved with a service application.

I learned how to do all this with the book Mastering Visual Basic .NET and the built-in samples. A little reading and patience, and you'll be there. It is definitely not as straight-forward as the VB6 Package & Deployment Wizard, but it's there all the same.

[Chong]

Thank you, Mike Hildner, for the long explanation. I think I got the main idea of it. However, when I installed the program to another machine, there is no shortcut to the Start/Programs folder. In addition, some of my folders such the Bin folder and the MS Access .mdb file is missing. How do I add these files in?

ljCharlie

[sw_is_great]

there is something in the new project option. when u select a new project u can see a lot of types of projects . One of them is installation (i forgot the exact name but u can make out from the name)......
in .net u need to create the installtion shield via this

there is a talk that later windows will contain all the dlls and then u will need to deliver only the exe but now do what i said before .

best of luck

[Mike Hildner]

On a pda, so this will be short

The files you wish to deploy along with your app need to be added to your project, and the property should be set to content (I think) instead of compile.

[sw_is_great]

no boss

in some future version of windows ms is going to do that.and thats not for pdas only

i read it somewhere ....!!!!

[Mike Hildner]

sw_is_great,

Do you mean that the option to have some external file that isn't compiled, like, say an xml file, does not get deployed with your application? Even if you set Build Action to Content?

It seems like that's what it should do, but I haven't been able to get that to work (my bad, sorry). I wasn't sure if it just plain didn't work or if I was doing something wrong.

Thanks,
Mike

[Chong]

How do I set the Build Action to Content?

ljCharlie

[Chong]

One other problem I found out is that the path kept going to a "C:\" then the folder of the program and then the location of the Bin folder. This path doesn't work when I install the compiled program to a different computer. Here's what I used to designate a path in the actual program.

Private Shared mdbPath As String = Application.StartupPath & "\Computers.mdb"

I would assume that this path will point to a location in the Bin folder that contains the .mdb file but it's not. It's looking for something like this c:\VB_Project\Computers\Bin And all I wanted is just to list bin\ as the path.

What are my problems? Any help is helpful. Thanks!

ljCharlie