From .NET to Desktop

How to run a VB .NET app from the desktop instead of the .NET environment

[dougmcc1]

How do you create an executable file for a VB .NET application so the program can run without having .NET open? I want to remove the program from the .NET environment and install it onto multiple computers for real world use.

[korkus2000]

I am not sure what you are asking? Are you just wanting to build thge app or remove it from the framework?

[Lord Majestic]

Target environment will have to have .NET installed there - you can include .NET framework as part of your distribution (~20Mb heavy). Its pain in ass that Microsoft did not make .NET framework as standard as VBRUN****.dll.

You can create installer project in Visual Studio which should do most if not all of the work.

[dougmcc1]

korkus - Remove it from the framework.

Lord:
I was able to find directions on distributing the .NET framework:
[msdn.microsoft.com...]

And I found directions on creating an installer:
[developerfusion.com...]

The latter page mentions running a 'service' rather than a program. Are you saying the installer should be able to install the program on multiple computers and include Dotnetfx.exe?

[raywood]

dougmcc1,
If you have a web app that you want to run on a local machine, I don't see how it can run without a local web server. If you use web controls, they won't work as a normal windows app. Even if you build a distribution that installs the framework and the latest DAO, the web server controls need a web server to run.
I think you would have to convert your web app to a windows app using windows controls to run it as a local executable.

[raywood]

dougmcc1,
Sorry if I didn't understand that you may have created a windows app instead of a web app. I have created windows apps and built distributions that use a browser based interface to guide the user through installation. I just used an autorun on a cd to get started. First click a button to install the framework, then a button to install DAO, then a button to install the app. Works ok for most users. I haven't been successful creating a distribution that automates the whole process yet. It gets kind of complicated. Lots of info on MSDN website.

[Lord Majestic]

I am coding in .NET mainly nowadays but I only got around with installers few times - Visual Studio allows to create one and it can install both Web Services (requires IIS!), and normal apps.

If target machine has not got .NET installed on it then you will either have to tell user to install it (not very user friendly) or install it as part of your main installation (big file, but these days 20Mb is nothing).

[Xoc]

There is a replacement version of the bootstrapper setup.exe program that the setup and deployment project uses. This bootstrapper checks to see if the .NET framework is not installed, and if so, installs it. The C++ source code for this is available from the Microsoft Web Site [microsoft.com].