Section 2.7. Application Deployment

2.7. Application Deployment

Once you write your VB application, you still have to install it on each user's system. .NET provides two deployment methods. The first method, Windows Installer deployment, was actually around for a while before the first release of the .NET Framework. Windows Installer deployments are basic Setup packages that the user installs from a single ".msi" file. All releases of .NET-centric Visual Basic (except for some of the more entry-level 2005 editions) allow you to create a deployment project, the output of which is an ".msi" file packed with all the files needed to install your application. Since the basic installer project features in Visual Studio include limited support for custom installation scenarios, several third-party vendors provide enhanced products for generating more advanced Windows Installer files.

New in 2005. The .NET Framework, Version 2.0, part of the 2005 release of Visual Studio, includes a new deployment method called ClickOnce. Because Windows Installer deployments often update important system files or registry entries, the user installing the package usually needs to be a local administrator on the workstation to complete the installation. ClickOnce deployments get around this by installing the application in its own protected environment (that is, the rest of the workstation is protected from it!). ClickOnce-installed applications are convenient for users; they are designed for easy single-click installation from a web site, and they can be configured to automatically check for and install updated versions.