CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#visual-studioms-access
Aarron Dixon
Aarron Dixon

Reputation: 97

How do I publish an Access database with my C# application using Visual Studio?

I'm trying to figure out how to publish an application I wrote. We didn't get to publishing in class, and my programming teacher is having some health issues and isn't available right now.

I found the "Publish" option, and can get it to create a folder with an install program... but I open it, and it just opens the program, and spams me infinitely, complaining that my Access database (located in the bin > debug in the build stage) can't be accessed (from some weird path I don't recognize). I tried using WiX, but it gave me an error when I tried to install, saying it doesn't have access to the install folder (running as admin). I've been googling for a few hours, poking at it, exploring, and I'm not getting too far. Can anyone ELI5?

Upvotes: 0

Views: 6679

Answers (2)

Debashis-INDIA
Debashis-INDIA

Reputation: 1

This Link Has Full demonstration of Database Connectivity And Publish a C# application with database. The application is also running on another machines. How to Publish C# Application with access database

Upvotes: 0

Basic
Basic

Reputation: 26766

When you use the "publish" option for desktop apps, VS creates a click-once installer that will place all the files it knows about in the appropriate locations.

Unfortunately, it can't guess which other files your application needs so you need to tell it explicitly.

If you right-click the Project->Properties, go to the Publish tab and click the "Application Files" button, you'll see all files that will be added to the installer.

Next, click "Show all files" at the bottom. Find your database, and change the Publish Status to "Data File".

Note that I've only ever used the Click Once installer to install static files (like images/documentation) that are never modified, only replaced in later releases. I'm not sure whether your (modified) db will be preserved during an update but I suspect not.

If the Click Once install process is too simple for your needs, VS2010 has "Setup Projects" which create more complex installers that support logic/code. For VS2012, the commonly suggested option is Wix. Unfortunately, it's got a steep learning curve but it can do pretty much anything you need.

I believe VS2013 and later have setup projects again through an extension but I haven't tried it myself.

Edit:

The easiest way around this is likely to set the connection string programatically based on where the application is executing from.

Note that as per this answer clickonce apps are usually executed from deep inside the user profile directory (also read the answer below about data directories). It's a side-effect of how ClickOnce works (it wants to install somewhere the user is guaranteed to have write access).

Check if there really is an .mdb in that folder. If not, you need to tweak the installer or the properties for the .mdb. Assuming it's in the same location as the executable, you can tell your application where to find it...

string dbPath = IO.Path.Combine(
           AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory,
           "access.mdb");

string connectionString = String.Format(
           "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0; Data Source={0}",
           dbPath);

I'm not sure why you think the database file added by the installer is in a directory directly under C:\. It's possible you're not looking at the file created by the installer.

To avoid confusion, try changing the name from access.mdb to something else (temp.mdb?), build the installer, rename back to access.mdb. Now, when you've installed the application, make sure the file you're looking at is now called temp.mdb. If not, you're looking at the wrong file.

Upvotes: 3

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