Where are the files in publish?

Question

If I use the publish feature in VS2008 (I think it's called ClickOnce install), and then install the published application in another computer, where are the files copied?

In other words: If I need an auxiliary file (a .txt file) in the same path of the assembly, where do I have to create it?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Is the application available offline or online only? My experience is online only and in that case I believe it installs into a temp directory. Can you include your auxiliary file as part of the application files? This may help as well it talks about including data files which can be of any type.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/d8saf4wy.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/6fehc36e.aspx

Answer 2

You should have specified the location when you published the application. Just note down that folder.

If you run the wizard again for the same project it should have remembered the location and the folder will be pre-filled on the form.

EDIT

I've used this and I specified a location on my hard drive for the Publishing Folder Location. This folder contains the following files:

• publish.htm
• setup.exe
• [application].application

It also contains a folder called Application Files which contains the files needed to build the installation - the exe, the manifest, other dlls and external resources.

I then copy the three files and the folder to the web location specified by the Installation Folder URL.

EDIT 2

If you're talking about where the files get installed to then they're in:

C:\Documents and Settings\[user]\Local Settings\Apps\2.0\H165QZM1.QBE\0OAEZTRX.Y3N\[some truncated version of the exe name followed by a GUID]

Which isn't the most obvious place. I should also point out that the folders H165QZM1.QBE and 0OAEZTRX.Y3N will probably be different on different machines, but the only other folder under C:\Documents and Settings\[user]\Local Settings\Apps\2.0 is called Data so they should be easy to spot.