Install a VB Lib?

[AlexPlunkett]

How do you install VB Libs ? the .DLL's ?

[minitech]

Use the Project dropdown on the menu bar.
Project > Add Reference...

Then go to the Browse tab, navigate to your DLL(s), select it/them and press OK. Now you can reference it with the root namespace name, usually the name of the DLL.


(For example, if I add a reference to MyLib.dll with a class MyClass in it, you can reference it by using MyLib.MyClass.)

[jmcilhinney]

What exactly do you mean by "install"? Are you talking about when you deploy your EXE? If so then you simply deploy the DLLs with it. There are various ways to do that, depending on your needs and wants.

[AlexPlunkett]

I tried to install the MenuSkinner thing here http://dotnetrix.co.uk/controls.htm
but I can't find the 'Icon on MenuSkin1' option.

[jmcilhinney]

There's no actual installation required. If the download has an installer then you can run that and it will handle installation for you but, otherwise, all you have to do is save the DLL file to your machine somewhere. You can then add the component(s) the DLL contains to the Toolbox with a right-click, allowing you to then add an instance to your forms like you do any other WinForms component. Adding an instance to your form will handle adding the reference for you, or else you can add the reference manually as minitech described.

[AlexPlunkett]

I did what you said, and it added it to the toolbox, but in the image I showed earlier, there is still no 'Icon on MenuSkin1' option. No other options as the LIB says. And there is no 'Dynamic Properties' there either. What could I be doing wrong ?

[jmcilhinney]

I just looked closer at that page you linked to and it's showing properties for a MenuItem. That would require you to be using a MainMenu and/or a ContextMenu. While those classes still exist, they have been superseded by the MenuStrip and ContextMenuStrip classes. Which are you using? If you're not using the old classes then you can't use that skinning component.

That said, you don't really need to for those classes. The ability to supply a custom renderer is built into those classes.