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c#deploymentsetup-deploymentinstallation-package

How to hide dlls that I install from users view

Hello: I am developing an application that has a lot of support dll's. some suppoting dll's, some component dll's.

I install my application into Program Files, but if you were to open up the install location, it looks pretty ugle, just becasue its a long list of dll's.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to not have them to end-users view? Can I put them in some kind of cab file or some kind of container so users only see a single file? Can I still use the dll's at runtime if they are packed in a container?

Open to suggestions.

BTW, the program is in C#, using some managed dll's and unmanaged dll's.

thanks DC

Solution

  • For the managed DLLs you have a couple of options:

    • Use ILMerge. ILMerge has a nice GUI interface that can be found here
    • Embebed them as a resource, see this article for details.