How do I script the registration of .NET components used by VB6?

[Daniel Wilson]

My VB6 program is using an increasing number of .NET components. It's
becoming a distribution nightmare.

When I send out an update of the software, the new .NET DLL's are not
getting registered in the GAC, so problems I've solved aren't being solved
for my customers.

My update routine calls GACUtil -- if it can find it. MS has buried it in
different places depending on the version(s) of the Framework that have been
installed. On other systems, GACUtil doesn't seem to exist. So I've
distributed that -- not sure if I'm supposed to, but I've got to make this
thing WORK! Even so, I'm about to connect to a bunch of machines at one
client's offices and fix this by hand.

Our development team has put too many hundred hours into the .NET stuff to
abandon it -- especially if this really is the wave of the future on MS
platforms. And updating the older program to .NET would take too many
thousands of hours to be a good solution -- this year at least.

How do I install this stuff so it works and I don't become a full-time
software installer?


--
Daniel Wilson
Senior Software Solutions Developer
Embtrak Development Team
http://www.Embtrak.com
DVBrown Company

 

[Mattias Sjögren]

Daniel,

On other systems, GACUtil doesn't seem to exist. So I've
distributed that -- not sure if I'm supposed to,

No, the recommendation is to use MSI instead. It supports installing
assemblies into the GAC.



Mattias

 

[Daniel Wilson]

Daniel,


No, the recommendation is to use MSI instead. It supports installing
assemblies into the GAC.



Mattias

Thanks, Mattias. Can you suggest something to create MSI install sets that
will actually:
1. install in the GAC and
2. register w/ RegAsm?

Wise for Windows Installer will do the former, but not the latter. That
means that COM programs can't create the thing.

Also, for updates ... am I supposed to build an install set every time I
roll out a modification? And then is the client supposed to uninstall &
reinstall every time?

Thanks.

dwilson

 

[Alessandro Angeli [MVP::DigitalMedia]]

When I send out an update of the software, the new .NET
DLL's are not getting registered in the GAC, so problems
I've solved aren't being solved for my customers. [...]
How do I install this stuff so it works and I don't
become a full-time software installer?

Instead of putting your assemblies in the GAC, if they are
only going to be used by your application via COM, you could
register them using the /codebase switch (or creating the
equivalent registry value) so that they can reside anywhere,
including your application's install folder. This will also
simplify the update process since you would only need to
overwrite the files.

 

[Mattias Sjögren]

Daniel,

Thanks, Mattias. Can you suggest something to create MSI install sets that
will actually:
1. install in the GAC and
2. register w/ RegAsm?

No I can't, sorry, I don't know enough about MSI stuff. But I thought
VS setup projects supported this.




Mattias