Merging C++/CLI Console App with dll's

[Wylbur]

Hi all;

I would like to merge a C++/CLI console exe with some dll's to produce
one small package for distribution.

Does anyone know how to do this?

Thanks!

[RedSon]

Visual Studio has a "publish" feature you can look into. Otherwise what kind of packaging scheme are you looking to use? RPM, DEB, you can use nullsoft install suite.

[Wylbur]

Hi RedSon;


> Visual Studio has a "publish" feature you can look into.

From what I've seen of it, this seems like a web apps tool for installing a
completed web app to a web server - which is not quite what I am after here.

I've yet to see anything relating to a windows console app, but I'll keep looking
after I've posted this.

I would think that there would be a simpler way.

I thought I had found it a while ago, but I have a bit of a problem ...


> Otherwise what kind of packaging scheme are you looking to use?
> RPM, DEB, you can use nullsoft install suite.

What I am after is an exe that is "self-contained", where the dll's are extracted
at runtime and made available to the app.

So far, I've found ILMerge.

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/people/mbarnett/ilmerge.aspx

I've tried to use it, but I've ran into a bit of a problem.


Running this from a batch file,
=============== =============== =============== ======
@set exefile="F:\Pro gram Files\Microsoft \ILMerge\ILMerg e.exe"
@set dmsvcr90="F:\Pr ogram Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\VC\redist\x 86\Microsoft.VC 90.CRT\msvcr90. dll"
%exefile% /target:winexe /out:test.exe test01.exe %dmsvcr90%
=============== =============== =============== ======


I get the following error message:
=============== =============== =============== ======
An exception occurred during merging:
ILMerge.Merge: Could not load assembly from the location
'F:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\VC\redist\x 86
\Microsoft.VC90 .CRT\msvcr90.dl l'.
Skipping and processing rest of arguments.
at ILMerging.ILMer ge.Merge()
at ILMerging.ILMer ge.Main(String[] args)
=============== =============== =============== ======


I've used Windows Explorer to navigate to that folder, and I can see that
the file is indeed there.


The executable was compiled with the following command line parameters
in a build operation with Visual Studio 2008:
=============== =============== =============== ======
/GL /D "WIN32" /D "NDEBUG" /D "_UNICODE" /D "UNICODE" /FD /EHa /MD
/Fo"Release\\" /Fd"Release\vc90 .pdb" /W3 /nologo /c /Zi /clr:safe
/TP /errorReport:pro mpt
/FU "c:\WINDOWS\Mic rosoft.NET\Fram ework\v2.0.5072 7\System.dll"
/FU "c:\WINDOWS\Mic rosoft.NET\Fram ework\v2.0.5072 7\System.Data.d ll"
/FU "c:\WINDOWS\Mic rosoft.NET\Fram ework\v2.0.5072 7\System.XML.dl l"
/FU "c:\WINDOWS\Mic rosoft.NET\Fram ework\v2.0.5072 7\mscorlib.dll"
=============== =============== =============== ======

Linking with the following:
=============== =============== =============== ======
/OUT:"N:\Project s\testing\Relea se\test01.exe"
/INCREMENTAL:NO /NOLOGO /MANIFEST
/MANIFESTFILE:"R elease\test01.e xe.intermediate .manifest"
/MANIFESTUAC:"le vel='asInvoker' uiAccess='false '" /LTCG /DYNAMICBASE
/FIXED:No /NXCOMPAT /MACHINE:X86 /ERRORREPORT:PRO MPT
=============== =============== =============== ======


I tried to add the dll as a reference in project > properties, but it came
back with the following error message:
=============== =============== =============== ======
Could not add a reference to the file
'F:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\VC\redist\x 86\Microsoft.VC 90.CRT\msvcr90. dll'
bacause it is neither a .NET assembly or registered ActiveX control.
=============== =============== =============== ======


GRRRRRR!!!

Why could ILMerge not load the assembly?

Could it be because it is "neither a .NET assembly [n]or registered ActiveX control."?

Any ideas?

Thanks for the response!!!

[RedSon]

I'm pretty sure you can publish and make an .msi file which you can install on your computer.

[Wylbur]

Hi RedSon;

> I'm pretty sure you can publish and make an .msi file which you can install on your computer.

Perhaps, but I'd rather create a simple executable that doesn't require
installation - much like the executables back in the days of DOS.

From what I've seen so far, I believe that there is a way to do this.
I just haven't figured out the "odds-and-ends" of that process.

Maybe someone else reading this forum has done this before (?)

Thanks for the response!!!