CODEWITHSUNDEEP
.netwpfdeploymentwindows-installersql-server-ce
Ross
Ross

Reputation: 13

Including SQLCE (3.5) with my WPF App Installer

I using a Visual Studio Installer Project to distribute my WPF app. I need to include support for SQLCE 3.5.

There seems to be two ways to include SQLCE:

  1. Add it as a pre-requisite which I can either include with my files or, via the bootstrapper, have it be auto-downloaded from the MS website (similar to how the .NET framework gets included)

  2. Just simply include the System.Data.SqlCe.dll file along with my own DLLs in the installation directory.

By default it seems to want to use option 2 above, but seeing that made me raise an eyebrow because (i) what if SQLCE is already on the machine - why add a second copy and (ii) how can I be sure any other SQLCE dependencies are definitely installed. And so I'm gravitating towards option 1, although I wonder is there a good reason why it's not the default choice.

Thoughts?

Upvotes: 1

Views: 985

Answers (1)

CodeNaked
CodeNaked

Reputation: 41403

Microsoft describes both the options you describe here, and both are viable solutions. With Private File-Based Deployment you would simply be duplicating the same assemblies (assuming it is already installed).

Your application would use the assemblies your included in your installer and other applications would continue to use whatever they used before.

Upvotes: 1

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