Deploying updated DLL's

[manofprayer]

I know the best way to send updates is through DLL's, but how do you exactly try to send the update?

What I've tried to do is create a new Package through the Package and Deployment Wizard and then I exclude the .EXE file, but when I run the previous EXE after supposedly running the new SETUP file with the updated DLL, it still does the previous function, even after I rebooted.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[TheBao]

When updating your DLL, make sure they are binary compatible.

Regards.

[manofprayer]

For a DLL to be binary compatible, I understand that you just have to keep the Interface or the Function parameters the same. It is OK to change the definition but not the parameters right? And supposedly something has changed drastically you would be warned by VB that there would be a break in the binary compatibility right?

[Ed Lampman]

It's my understanding that you can add functionality to a DLL but you can't take it away without breaking compatibility. In others words, you could add a new method to a class in the DLL, but you can't remove one. For example, if you had a class that included a method called 'Save', you could not delete the 'Save' method without breaking compatibility. I'm not sure about parameters, but it sort of makes sense that if you add parameters to a class method without breaking compatibility, maybe they have to be optional.