How to: Install Prerequisites with a ClickOnce Application
All ClickOnce applications require that the correct version of the .NET Framework is installed on a computer before they can be run; many applications have other prerequisites as well. When publishing a ClickOnce application, you can choose a set of prerequisite components to be packaged along with your application. At installation time, a check will be performed for each prerequisite to determine if it already exists; if not it will be installed prior to installing the ClickOnce application.
Instead of packaging and publishing prerequisites, you can also specify a download location for the components. For example, rather than including prerequisites with every application that you publish, you might use a centralized file share or Web location that contains the installers for all of your prerequisites—at install time, the components will be downloaded and installed from that location.
Important
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You should add prerequisite installer packages to your development computer before you publish your first ClickOnce application. For more information, see How to: Include Prerequisites with a ClickOnce Application. |
Prerequisites are managed in the Prerequisites dialog box, accessible from the Publish pane of the Project Designer.
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Note
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In addition to the predetermined list of prerequisites, you can add your own components to the list. For more information, see Creating Bootstrapper Packages. |
To specify prerequisites to install with a ClickOnce application
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With a project selected in Solution Explorer, on the Project menu click Properties.
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Select the Publish pane.
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Click the Prerequisites button to open the Prerequisites dialog box.
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In the Prerequisites dialog box, make sure that the Create setup program to install prerequisite components check box is selected.
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In the Prerequisites list, check the components that you wish to install, and then click OK.
The selected components will be packaged and published along with your application.
To specify a different download location for prerequisites
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With a project selected in Solution Explorer, on the Project menu click Properties.
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Select the Publish pane.
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Click the Prerequisites button to open the Prerequisites dialog box.
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In the Prerequisites dialog box, make sure that the Create setup program to install prerequisite components check box is selected.
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In the Specify the install location for prerequisites section, select Download prerequisites from the following location.
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Select a location from the drop-down list, or enter a URL, file path, or FTP location, and then click OK.
Note
You must make sure that installers for the specified components exist at the specified location.
