Tip: How to register a .NET assembly

 
An ActiveX component must always be registered before use, and sometimes also a (native) DLL file must be registered before it can be used. This is very essential in many software projects so Visual Installer have built-in functions to register ActiveX components and (native) DLL files.

A .NET assembly needs normally not be be registered, unless you must call methods in the assembly from native (unmanaged) code. Then it must be registered also. In this tip we will show how to use Visual Installer to do such a registration during an installation.
 
What is a .NET assembly?
A .NET assembly is an application, component or class that is compiled for use with Microsoft .NET Framework. A .NET assembly can have an .EXE filename extension or a .DLL filename extension. If the filename extension is .DLL, the assembly is a library assembly and can be used by other .NET code in an easy way. A .NET assembly can also be used from native (unmanaged) code if it is registered properly and a COM object interface (a COM-callable wrapper) is added to the assembly.
 
How to register . NET assembly when using Visual Installer:
 
The steps below show how to activate registration of a .NET assembly that has been added to a project's file list in Visual Installer.

1. Start Visual Installer and open your current installation project, or create a new project.

2. In the file list in the File list tab in the editor, select the .NET assembly file.

3. Open the List menu.

4. Choose the Register .NET assembly menu item in the List menu.
 
The 'list' menu

5. The following dialog box should now appear:

The 'Register .NET Assembly' dialog box

6. Select the Register this .NET assembly during the installation option in the dialog box.
 
7. At .NET Version you must inform Visual Installer which .NET version the assembly is compiled for.

8. At Bitness you must inform Visual Installer which bitness (32 or 64 bit) the assembly is compiled for.

9. At Parameters you can specify which parameters to send to the registration tool. Read more.

10. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Your .NET assembly will now be registered in Windows during the installation.
 
 
Note
The filename extension of the .NET assembly that you add to the file list must be .DLL. The Register .NET assembly menu item in the List menu is only shown if the filename extension is .DLL. If the filename extension is something else, it is not shown.
 

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