Using VB powerpack controls in C# projects

Question

I came across a 'line shape' that seemed useful for my C# project. It was only afterwards I realised it was part of  Visual Basic PowerPacks. Do I have to install an extra dll/assembly along with my exe when deliverying the application?

Answer 1

yes, you'll need to install the powerpack. (however, there's a bootstrapper package for easy installation.)

WM_HOPETHISHELPS
-thomas woelfer

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http://www.die.de/blog

Answer 2

Thanks Thomas.

I'm presuming this controls have appeared in my C# project because I have VB included in my VS installation (I just installed everything).

So do I already have this bootstrapper package , anyone know how I can identify it?

Of course it would have been better if the project had automatically bundled it up somehow as it does with the other controls in my project ;) or given me some warning, ho hum...

Answer 3

I've installed VisualBasicPowerPack3Setup.exe but the app is still not finding the assembly. any ideas gratefully received!

Answer 4

Take a look at the Publish pane of the project designer. Click the 'Prerequisites...' button. This should open a dialog where you can look for available Microsoft Visual Basic PowerPacks (1.1/3.0).

The packages are installed under %programfiles%\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\SDK\v2.0\BootStrapper\Packages.

The files for the controls are installed to the GAC.

Answer 5

>> Of course it would have been better if the project had automatically bundled it up somehow as it does with the other controls in my project

well it _did_ add a reference to that library to your project, or otherwise you wouldn't be able to compile.

so incase you have a setup project in visual studio for your app, it will also add the assembly to the setup as an automatically detected dependecy. i _think_ the preferred method to install it is to add the bootstrapper to your setups prerequisites.

WM_HOPETHISHELPS
-thomas woelfer

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http://www.die.de/blog

Answer 6

Thanks both.

Found the bootstrapper but as I said the app still couldn't find the assembly.
Now the installer chaps say running an exe from within an MSI makes their life too complicated ;)

I've chickened out and removed the line.

Thanks anyway for your efforts.
Si

Answer 7

the app still couldn't find the assembly.

How could the assembly be found, if it never was installed to the GAC...   ;-)

Answer 8

Hello Simon,

Have you fixed the issue? As far as I know, to deploy a C# application with VB.NET PowerPacks component using msi, we just need to,
1.Right click the setup project and click the Property
2.In the property dialog, click the Prerequisites button
3.In the Prerequisites dialog, just select the "Microsoft Visual Basic PowerPacks 1.2"

After that, if you deploy your application to the target machine, you can find
Microsoft.VisualBasic.PowerPacks.Vs
Microsoft.VisualBasic.PowerPacks.Package
in the target machine's GAC (typically in C:\Windows\Assembly)
See more information in,
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/7eh4aaa5(VS.100).aspx

The bootstrapper just detect the desired component and install it for us. Of course, you can download and install it manually too.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=371368A8-7FDC-441F-8E7D-FE78D96D4063&displaylang=en

Have a nice day!

 

Ji Zhou

MSDN Subscriber Support in Forum

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Answer 9

Thanks Ji Zhou.

The first proposal won't work as I'm not deploying the application. The app's part of a larger product and the installer tech's someone else's problem. They prefer a 'merge module' to an .exe for pre-reqs - not my area so I bow to their greater knowledge. Anyway it's all for the sake of one line shape on one form so I just removed it. I guess I may revist this if I need to make more use of the VB stuff.

Thanks again,
Simon