use devenv to build smart Smart Device CAB project with specified configuration

Question

I have a Visual Studio 2008 solution with a Smart Device CAB project. I am working on automating the release process. I am using devenv to build the inf file that I use to build the CAB like this:

C:\programming\acs_reader2>"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\devenv" ACSreader2\ACSreader2Setup\ACSreader2Setup.vddproj /Rebuild Release /SafeMode

It does build the inf file, but it uses the wrong configuration (Test instead of Release) for some of the dependencies. When I build from within VS, this does not happen. Am I doing something wrong or is this a bug? If it is a bug is there a way to work around this? I am desperately seeking to avoid having to manually maintain the inf file.

I have also tried this other format which matches up more closely with the example from the devenv rebuild documentation where you specify both the solution name and configuration and the project name and configuration. The same problem occurs.

Answer 1

I was trying to come up with a more creative solution to this problem, and I figured it out! I was looking at this so 2 dimensionally. CAB files have been giving me problems for years now. The solution? Don't use CAB files! Our installation process already starts with an executable that runs on the device and downloads files, so I will just have it do all the work. All the dependencies end up in the output folder after a build anyway.