How to merge XML documentation files with the DLL using ILMerge?

Question

I know I can merge PDB with a DLL file but I'm trying to do the same with an XML documentation file.

It should be possible since you don't have .xml files with .NET assemblies and yet you have documentation in the IDE.

How to do this?

Answer 1

ILMerge is only for merging DLLs and EXE's into one big DLL and EXE's respectively. The XML documentation is generated by the C# Compiler and ILMerge has nothing to do with it as it deals with the binary content of these files. If you were to think of ILMerge as Instruction Language Merge (ILMerge) that is all it does, no dealings with XML documentation. Sandcastle is a such documentation generator, by telling Sandcastle you want to build a Html Help or CHM of all xml comments, it will do that for you.

Hope this clarifies the understanding of ILMerge.

Answer 2

There's a command-line option for ILMerge to also merge the XML documentation /xmldocs.