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i'm trying to make an installer for an app i developed for windows ce.The problem is,if i dont deploy it via visual studio and create an installer and run it inside CE,i get "framework not installed error".Is there a way to integrate the framework components to my installer?

Regards.

Edit:i managed to get 2 seperate cab files, one for my app and one for the framework,now,is there a way to merge these two cab files??

Dharman
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Sin5k4
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2 Answers2

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Sure, you could "merge" the CABs. The simplest way is to just include the CF runtimes and libraries into your own CAB and not worry about getting them GACed on the target. Openn the CAB and you'll find a _setup.xml file that describes the file names you need to use for the CAB contents. Typically I'll just add the files directly to my own app's INF file (we never use the deployment package in Studio for building CABs) and have them deployed to the \Windows folder of the target.

ctacke
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  • And what about the registry values for the framework? – Sin5k4 Mar 26 '12 at 05:41
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    The CF doesn't require any registry entries, unless you want to GAC it. In all my years I've never had the actual need to GAC the framework. If you really want to, then you have to use different assembly names and the registry entries are also in _setup.xml – ctacke Mar 26 '12 at 13:43
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No. You can not merge the two.

If I am wrong and someone is able to show me differently, I will gladly accept the downvote.

I've been deploying Windows Mobile cabs for about 4 years now, and I've always got to install all prerequisites as additional cabs.

Perhaps you could write a wrapper that calls the correct cabs in sequence, but Visual Studio 2008 and earlier does not come with a built in mechanism to do this.

  • Well, i have tried to extract the installer cab from the framework,and added all the files framework normally installs to the cab i built,one last thing to do is to setup the regisrty from the c#,if i can manage to make it install the right registry values,i think it could be done,but not sure :) – Sin5k4 Mar 26 '12 at 05:37
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    Chris Tacke (ctacke) has been doing this stuff MUCH longer than I have. He is who I would consider the authority on this stuff, like the Windows Mobile version of Jon Skeet. –  Mar 27 '12 at 11:27