Remove DLL dependency for an Application

Question

In my application, I need to Zip and Unzip some files. For that I have used DotNet Zip Library (Ionic.Zip.dll-- DotNet Zip Lib )

Everything works fine but when I take EXE of my file and try to run it from different folder, it fails to run. I have to keep Ionic.Zip.dll in the folder where my application resides. Is there any way out? I just want an EXE file without any strings attached.... Or is there any other option other than DotNet Zip Lib.

Joe Daley · Accepted Answer · 2010-10-22T07:38:35.543

12

When you add a reference to another assembly (e.g. a third-party DLL) to your C# project, the compiler doesn't add the contents of that assembly into your EXE; it just creates a link that says your program will need to load that DLL when it runs. It's quite normal to distribute a .NET program as an EXE file plus the DLL files that it needs.

But if you'd prefer, you can combine them into one EXE file. There are a few different tools that can merge multiple .NET assemblies into one. Have a look at ILMerge or .NETZ.

edited Oct 22 '10 at 07:38

answered Oct 22 '10 at 07:04

Joe Daley

45,356
15
65
64

Only answer that directly addresses the problem - doesn't explain what the problem is though (-: – Murph Oct 22 '10 at 07:11
@Murph: Attempted an explanation – Joe Daley Oct 22 '10 at 07:39
This solution can work for any application which has this problem.... So I have edited the Title of Post.... Great!! Thanks a lot!! Now I don’t have to supply DLLs….. – Swanand Oct 22 '10 at 08:26

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 22 '10 at 07:27

2

Have a look at this pure C# libraries without external dependencies:

ZipStorer

It can be included into your application and compiled directly into your single EXE - no external ZIP libraries needed.

answered Oct 22 '10 at 07:27

marc_s

732,580
175
1,330
1,459

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 22 '10 at 07:09

1

You can use .net for that, have a look at Packaging namespace or if you can use gzip format you gave a class for that too. Using this you'll remove the dependency from your project.

answered Oct 22 '10 at 07:09

Adrian Fâciu

12,414
3
53
68

But I guess, gzip and Normal Zip files are different. – Swanand Oct 22 '10 at 07:20
@Swanand Purankar - Packaging namespace methods use zip format. Have a look at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.io.packaging.zippackage.aspx – Adrian Fâciu Oct 22 '10 at 08:17

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Oct 22 '10 at 07:05

0

If it is an opensource project, you can just include the source code in your project without adding a reference to the "dll".

answered Oct 22 '10 at 07:05

Aykut Çevik

2,060
3
20
27

true, this is possible. But it's better to use ILMerge or some other merging or embedding mechanism. – Cheeso Nov 08 '10 at 02:54

Remove DLL dependency for an Application

4 Answers4