[2005] compile all dlls into one program

[frits013]

hello,

i wan't to open my created programs on a computer without having to install any additional dll's...

is there any option to import all the project dll's into the program so you can start the program immediatly..



i want this so because old people have to use the porgram and don't have a clue how to install for example .net framwork on their computer ...



is their a way to do that?



thanks,

frits

(sorry for my broke english i'm dutch)

[jmcilhinney]

All .NET applications require the .NET Framework to be installed. This is likely the hundredth time this advice has been posted on this forum alone. There is much more to the .NET Framework than just a class library. Even if you did merge all the required DLLs into one assembly, which is possible, it still wouldn't matter because your application simply wouldn't run without the .NET Framework. Your app is not machine code. It is MSIL code that gets compiled to machine code on-the-fly by none other than the .NET Framework. No Framework means no compilation and no compilation means no running application.

Now, if you simply want to avoid distributing your application as more than one file you can use the ILMerge tool from Microsoft, but the .NET FRamework is still required to run the end result. There are one or two tools that will compile your .NET assembly into machine code but it then ceases to be a .NET application, plus the tools are (last I checked) around the US$1000 mark. Basically, if you don't want to rely on the .NET Framework then you shouldn't be developing in a .NET language. That said, most people who claim to not want that reliance are misguided in their reasoning.

[kleinma]

Create an installer for your application and include the .NET framework. It doesn't matter if your users know how to install the framework or not if you do it for them at installation time.

You could also look at clickonce. While clickonce is not for every scenario, it works pretty well when you can use it. It also downloads and installs the .NET framework as needed on PCs.

Or just tell your users to get Vista.. it comes with the framework preinstalled