Deploying a .NET Windows Application

In 18 Steps!

In the heat of design, development and testing of our new .NET Windows Application, we rarely think about the final step -- Deployment.  But sooner or later, the time will come when the application needs to be deployed to user machines.

According to the help files in Visual Studio .NET, there are 18 steps involved in the deployment process.  My goal here to review those steps and add some personal comment.

In order to see the original source of these steps, please follow this link:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vsintro7/html/vbtskCreatingInstallerForYourApplication.asp

Step 1: Create a Windows application

This is the application we intend to deploy.

Step 2: Create a deployment project

This should be inside the same solution where application has been built.

Step 3: Add the Windows application to the installer

Once this step is done, take a moment to familiarize yourself with Properties of the setup project.  Certain values in the Properties window should not be ignored or left as default.  Otherwise, you'll have to go back and customize them before final deployment.

Step 4: Deploy the application

This step is for deploying the application on the development computer.  Although the documentation suggests that you may skip this step, I highly recommend that you don't skip it!  Think of this as part of testing the deployment process; you may discover certain aspects of deployment that  -- in my opinion -- should be dealt with as soon as possible.

Step 5: Create shortcuts

The instructions don't tell you how to open the File System Editor.  Try View-Editor-File System.

Also, the instructions go as far as placing a short on user's Desktop.  I think while we are there, we might as well create a shortcut for user's Programs Menu.  However, in order to do that, you must repeat the entire step and create a 2nd shortcut and drag it to the Programs Menu.  In other words, you cannot copy the 1st shortcut (which is on the Desktop) to the Programs Menu.

Step 6: Create file associations

It's good to know that we can do this, but for most applications, this might not be needed.

Step 7: Add a registry entry

Again, I would stay away from touching the registry as much as possible.

Step 8: Add a custom installation dialog box

I think the title of this step needs a little clarification.  The purpose of this step is to create a dialog with one or more checkboxes, in order to allow the user to decide whether or not a certain action should be taken (with no harm to the general functionality of the application).  For instance, user may choose to install sample documentations for the application.

Step 9: Add a Samples folder

The documentation appears to suggest that this step is a continuation of the previous one (where optional features are selected via one or more checkboxes).  Actually, this may be a necessary step even though there is no custom dialog or none of the options in the custom dialog have been selected.  For example, you application may need certain subfolders on the user machine that are necessary for the operation.  This is where you'd specify those necessary subfolders.

Step 10: Create sample files for the application

This is a useful step for creation of certain files (to be placed inside the subfolders created in the previous step).

Step 11: Add the samples to the installer

This is a continuation of the previous step.  Note, however, that if you define a subfolder but leave it empty, it won't be created on the target computer.  (This could be a bug, but at least as of this writing, it was happening.)

Step 12: Add a launch condition

This could be for checking the proper version of Internet Explorer on the user computer (as described in the documentation) or even the version of Windows itself (in case the application doesn't run on all versions of Windows).

In addition, note that .NET Framework is already part of the Launch Conditions on the Target Machine and should remain as such.

Step 13: Set optional properties for the deployment project

Actually, even without any optional properties, this is a required step since you'll Build the installer project here.

Step 14: Install on your development computer

This is technically the same as Step 4 (although under a different title).

Step 15: Deploy to another computer

The instructions aren't accurate as to where exactly the MSI file (and other distribution files) will be located, before there copied from the development machine to the distribution network or CD-ROM.

These files are under deployment project folder\debug (not under documents and settings).  See Step 2 above.

There are at least three files that will need to be copied to the distribution network or CD-ROM:

* The MSI file

* Setup.EXE

* Setup.INI

Step 16: Copy the above files (and their subfolders, if any) to the distribution network or CD-ROM.

Actually, if the application is small enough and the above three files fit on a floppy disk, that would work too.

Step 17: On the target computer, open the distribution medium and double click the Setup.EXE file.

Step 18: Test the installation

Verify that shortcuts are created on the Desktop and/or under Program Menu, then double click the shortcut to launch the application on the target computer.