[2005] What is the Local setting?

[blakemckenna]

I have a program that uses a inhouse developed DLL see highlighted in the first screenshot illustration. It's LOCAL property is set to True. When I try and set it to False...I get the error message as seen in the 2nd illustration. What do I have to do to make this DLL look like the rest of the components where there LOCAL properties are set to False?

Thanks,

[jmcilhinney]

You seem to have forgotten to attach your screen shots. Are you talking about the Copy Local property of your references?

[blakemckenna]

Yes JMC,

The Copy Local property...

[jmcilhinney]

Ah, you're saying that you get that error message when you run the app with Copy Local set to False, not when you actually try to set it. Now I get it. That's what should happen. Your app can't simply browse the country-side looking for assemblies. The app only knows its own folder and the GAC. If Copy Local is set to False then the referenced assembly must be installed in the GAC.

That said, it is possible to tell your app to look in specific locations other than those two defaults. I've never done it myself so I don't know the details but you should read this. Step 4 is potentially of special interest.

[blakemckenna]

JMC,

How do I insert the DLL into the GAC? I've never done anythign with that before.

Thanks,

[MaximilianMayrhofer]

You don't want to do that if you're actually distributing your app commercially. The client isn't going to magically have the dll in GAC. Copy local.

[jmcilhinney]

The client isn't going to magically have the dll in GAC.

They won't have it magically, no, but you can install an assembly in the GAC on each system that you install your app on.

I think the real question here is "why". Why exactly do you not want to copy this assembly to your program folder? The reason that you would install an assembly in the GAC is so that it's available to multiple applications, which is why all those .NET Framework and Crystal Reports assemblies are in the GAC. That way you don't have multiple applications each with their own identical copy of an assembly. Are you intending on having multiple applications access this assembly? If so then the GAC is where it should be. That said, an assembly must have a strong name to be installed in the GAC, so you must sign it.

To install an assembly to the GAC you can run the gacutil.exe tool from the VS command prompt. If you want an assembly installed to the GAC when you deploy your app then you simply put it in the GAC folder in the File System Editor in your Setup project. Note that ClickOnce applications cannot install to the GAC.

[blakemckenna]

This DLL is home grown. It is for my company only. It will not be distributed as a commercial application. I am not sure what the VS Command Line prompt is or how to access it.

[blakemckenna]

This application is execute from a Terminal Server. However, the application itself resides on another server with all of our other applications. Where does the GAC have to reside. Is it a universal utility or should it reside on every server where applications and DLL's run from?

Thanks,

[jmcilhinney]

The VS Command prompt would be run from the Start menu. If you want to understand the GAC then I suggest that you read about the GAC.