Installer + .NET Framework

[mdwg2020]

Hey,

I am very new to packaging applications. I thought the setup installer handles packaging the CLR and any information that the application needs to run on a client machine. Apparenlty that is not true. I created a package and gave it to a user to attempt an install and it asked the user to download the framework off the internet. I've read that you can add the framework and then install the application in one shot. I read Microsofts Deployment Guide, and only got more confused. Does anyone have step-by-step information on how to package the MDAC 2.7 and Framework along with the application?

Thanks,

Brooks

 

[ThatRickGuy]

In order to include the Framework you need to use a bootstrapper program. There should be code available on microsoft's site. It can be made to work with VS 2k2 (.Net Framework 1.0)

-Rick

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[mdwg2020]

Hey Rick,

So it looks like what I had to do was create my application, and create the installer for it. Then I had to place that installer on a shared drive. The Bootstrapper program that Microsoft provides will install the framework, and then depending on how the Setup.ini file was setup, it will go out and find the installer for my application. Is this the only way to handle it?

Just a little shocked that you cannot simply create one installer and distribute it, and it would install the framework and the application itself. The way it seems is that you have to use their bootstrapper, and it has to be able to find any additional setup installers. Is that correct?

Thanks!

 

[ThatRickGuy]

Yup, but the easy way is to just put the installer (project.msi) and the bootstrapper in the same folder, and then run the setup.exe.

-Rick

----------------------
If you're about to post an ASP.Net question,
please don't do it in the VB.Net forum

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[mdwg2020]

Hey Rick, or anyone else who may know,

Is that possible since I don't have access to the clients computer? Maybe a dumb question. The only think I knew to do was put it on a shared drive, so that the user could access it.

I also think I did it right, and when I attempt to launch my application, it gives an unhandled exception, in a CLR Debug Popup, and the application doesn't run. I have actually installed the application on the development PC and it works like a charm, using the setup installer. Any ideas what could be causing that?

 

[ThatRickGuy]

What's the exception it throws? Are you running the installation off a share? Or are you running the application off a share? If you are running the application off a network share you will have to go into the control panel\Admin Tools\.Net Wizards and adjust the security for the .Net assemblies on the network share.

-Rick

----------------------
If you're about to post an ASP.Net question,
please don't do it in the VB.Net forum

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[mdwg2020]

Hey Rick,

I was running the installation off of a network share, will that cause problems. I don't that I have tried to pull the setup file to the actuall PC or not.

After the install though, I am actually running the application on the PC that I installed on.

It also doesn't give me a name for the exception, a yellow box pops up before I see anything, and it simply says, an unhandled exception in a particular thread and process ID, but that is it.

Its possible that I am not packaging everything that I need, but I'm not sure how to handle that either. Sorry, I'm obviously new to this whole process. I wrote, what I thought was a decent program, but now that I am trying to deploy it, I'm simply lost. I've never attempted to do this before.

 

[ThatRickGuy]

Installing from the network should be fine, EXCEPT for terminal server, must copy local before installing on Windows 2k Terminal Server.

It sounds like something isn't getting installed. What version of .Net framework are you developing in? What version is installed on the test machine? What is the first thing the code does?

-Rick

----------------------
If you're about to post an ASP.Net question,
please don't do it in the VB.Net forum

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I believe in killer coding ninja monkeys.

 

[mdwg2020]

Hey Rick,

I am developing on 1.1, and that is the framework I installed. I figured that out the first time that I created the install, and it prompted me that it needed 1.1.4322 and tried to get it from the internet. I went ahead and added the framework to the test PC and even SPed it.

The first thing that the code does is create my variables, and then it should load the form, of course I never get there, so I think it could possibly be my variables which include CrystalReportoObjects:

#Region "Variable Declaration"
    'create public variables to use on report viewer form
    Public Shared reportBy, reportType, reportScope As Integer
    Public Shared startDate, endDate, employeeID, costCenter, course As String

    'create connection, commands, adapters, and connection string variable
    Dim strDBInfo As String
    Dim cn As SqlConnection
    Dim cmdGetISEmployees, cmdGetISOrgs, cmdGetISRoot, cmdGetISCourses As SqlCommand
    Dim adEmps, adOrgs, adRoot, adCourses As SqlDataAdapter
    Dim dsResults As DataSet

    'create report objects
    Dim tranReport As New Transcript
    Dim noShowReport As New NoShow
    Dim courseTranscriptReport As New CourseTranscript

    'crystal report connection objects
    Dim crTableLogonInfos As New TableLogOnInfos
    Dim crTableLogonInfo As New TableLogOnInfo
    Dim crConnectionInfo As New ConnectionInfo
    Dim crTables As Tables
    Dim crTable As Table
    Dim TableCounter

    'create report viewer form object
    Dim ReportForm As New frmReportViewer

    'create a record count variable
    Dim intRowCount As Integer = 0

After the variables are declared the application connects to the database and fills a couple of ListBox Controls and a TreeView control.

 

[ThatRickGuy]

Alrighty, 2 things to check:
1) Is the MDAC installed on the test machine?
2) Review the Crystal Reports info I posted in this thread: thread796-980443 (I know you are in that thread also, but for future readers)

-Rick

----------------------
If you're about to post an ASP.Net question,
please don't do it in the VB.Net forum

http://www.ringdev.com

I believe in killer coding ninja monkeys.