How do I publish a Windows Forms Application?

So I made a C# program, and its great and all (its a Windows Form Application). The issue with it, is I don't know how to use it outside of the debug mode form. How do I publish it? My target goal is to create a two folders, put a shortcut to the application in one, along with the other folder which will contain the application and all outside programs (some of the buttons link to batch files). Then I'd want to be able to put it in a RAR compressed file, and uplo开发者_JAVA百科ad it online for others to download it.

How do I publish it so that happens? How do I take it out of debug mode?

Go into your project folder, then navigate to /bin/Release. If there's an EXE file with the title of your project in there, copy it somewhere (along with any DLLs that you may have linked) and there's your program. If it's not there, first try Build -> Compile Solution in Visual Studio. If it's still not there, navigate instead to /bin/Debug and do the same thing. Then, copy all your batch files into another folder, put them into the same folder, and RAR it.

P.S. Try not to use RAR, few people can extract them. Use ZIP or SEA (self-extracting archive) if at all possible.

First off, you need to build your application in Release mode, in Visual Studio simply change the drop down near the top of the window to "Release." This will create a bin/Release directory where your sources are located. The folder will contain an EXE for your application and DLLs you need to include. It could (and probably will) include some debugging *.PDB files that you do not want to include -- as those include debugging information.

Copy the contents of that directory somewhere and RAR it up.

Building in x86 Mode

(You should only do this if you have a specific reason to)

If your application uses 3rd party DLLs that are not 64-bit compatible, you may need to do a release build in x86 mode. To do that, click the "Any CPU" drop down and click "New Configuration" (or something like that) and follow the steps to add x86. Then build with the x86 -- Release setting. That will output x86 binaries to a bin/x86/Release folder where your sources are located.

The Preferred Soltuion

Most users are going to prefer some form of automatic installer instead of a simple RAR or ZIP. Visual Studio (Standard/Pro) can create self installing MSIs that do all the work for you. A basic overview is here. You can add shortcuts/etc using the wizards Visual Studio provides.

If you need an even more robust installer you could check out solutions such as InnoSetup or NSIS

To build your application in Release mode instead of Debug, go to the Build menu and select Configuration Manager.

Change the Active soluction configuration to Release. Now, when you build your solution, it will put the executable in the /bin/Release folder.

If you need to automatically perform certain actions once the solution is built, like packaging into a RAR or ZIP archive and copying the distributable to another folder, then check out post-build actions.

After Visual Studio 2010 , Microsoft remove Make setup utility facility from the visual studio and,we have to downlorad that plugin seperatly from

Get InstallShield Limited Edition for Visual Studio

You Have to fill the application

After intalation, goto Visual Studio-->New Project-->Other Project type-->Setup and Development

You will see follwing screen

Now you can goto InstallShield setup utility and change the things as you requirement.

add all file in debug folder of your project in follwing interface and build solution,

Final setup will locate in your setup folder-->Express\CD_ROM\DiskImages\DISK1**

hope this will help you