CODEWITHSUNDEEP
vb6installationocx
w0051977
w0051977

Reputation: 15787

VB6 Registration - DEP file

I have an app that I am moving to another server. It is complaining that it is missing TABCTL32.OCX. I have located this file on another server and I want to copy and paste it across.

I have discovered that there is also a file called TABCTL32.DEP on the server I am moving from. Do I have to copy both files across or is the dependency file optional?

I have tried it with an without the DEP. The app works in both cases. It is a production server so I want to be sure.

Upvotes: 1

Views: 2665

Answers (2)

Bob77
Bob77

Reputation: 13267

Those .DEP (depdendency) files are instructions about a library meant to be used by packaging tools. These files have no run-time significance, containing only development metadata. They are text files.

They contain the preferred ("designed") location to install the library, sub-dependencies of the library including optional localization "satellite" resource DLLs, version information, etc.

See articles such as INFO: How Setup Wizard and PDW Use Dependency Files.

This is information a packager should use along with other "rules databases" such as VB6DEP.ini. Programmers are also supposed to create them if they expect other developers to use their libraries.

If you are using an "impaired" 3rd party packaging technology that is ignorant of .DEP files it is up to you to read them and incorporate the information they contain in your build process. You are also responsible as a developer to keep your dev machine's .DEP files and VB6DEP.ini file up to date, since they often are not updated by Microsoft anymore.

You can't just copy files willy-nilly from one machine to another. Go find this program's installer and run it on the new machine.

Upvotes: 5

C-Pound Guru
C-Pound Guru

Reputation: 16348

A .dep file is a file used by the Visual Basic Setup Wizard to determine what dependencies your ocx file have. You can open the file with Windows Notepad to view the contents.

Unless you are using the Visual Basic Package and Deploy Wizard, you can ignore this file.

For more info, see INFO: How Setup Wizard and PDW Use Dependency Files

Upvotes: 2

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