Smart Client Deployment with ClickOnce: Deploying Windows Forms Applications with ClickOnce

✍ Scribed by Brian Noyes

• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 335
• Series: Microsoft .NET Development Series
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Microsoft's new ClickOnce auto-updating technology can radically simplify application deployment. Using it, .NET developers and architects can deliver a powerful, smart client experience along with the easy maintenance of today's best Web applications.Microsoft Regional Director and MVP Brian Noyes has unsurpassed experience previewing and teaching ClickOnce to professional developers. In Smart Client Deployment with ClickOnce, Noyes demonstrates exactly how to make the most of ClickOnce in your real-world enterprise applications. Noyes covers ClickOnce design, architecture, security, installation, updates, and Bootstrapping-each with a full case study and detailed sample code.This focused, concise book explains how to * Design client applications for efficient deployment and auto-updating * Perform application deployments and automatic updates quickly and easily * Deliver "on-demand" client application updates * Deploy prerequisites with the Visual Studio 2005 Bootstrapper * Take full control of ClickOnce's powerful publishing, update, and security options * Leverage the Visual Studio 2005 and .NET 2.0 platform features that make ClickOnce possible * Understand how your application will behave in the ClickOnce runtime environment"

✦ Table of Contents

Smart client deployment with ClickOnce......Page 1
Contents......Page 10
Figures......Page 16
Foreword......Page 22
Preface......Page 24
Acknowledgments......Page 32
About the Author......Page 34
1 Introduction to ClickOnce......Page 36
What Is a Smart Client Application?......Page 37
Smart Clients Are Rich Client Applications......Page 38
Smart Clients Support Offline Operations......Page 39
Why Choose Smart Clients?......Page 41
Smart Client Deployment Challenges......Page 42
Design Goals of ClickOnce......Page 43
ClickOnce Features......Page 44
Terminology......Page 45
ClickOnce Deployment Modes......Page 47
ClickOnce Deployment Architecture......Page 49
ClickOnce Deployment Process Overview......Page 51
First ClickOnce Deployment: ClickOnce Hello World......Page 52
Publishing the Application......Page 53
Deploying the Application with ClickOnce......Page 55
Creating an Updated Application Version......Page 58
Publishing the Update......Page 59
Applying the Update from the Client......Page 60
Software Requirements for ClickOnce......Page 61
Server Requirements......Page 62
What to Deploy (and What Not to Deploy) with ClickOnce......Page 63
ClickOnce Versus Other Deployment Technologies......Page 65
Smart Client Architecture Overview......Page 67
Where Are We?......Page 69
2 Initial Deployment with ClickOnce......Page 72
ClickOnce Publishing Options......Page 73
Deployment Protocols or Media......Page 74
Publishing Location......Page 75
Installation URL......Page 77
Install Mode......Page 78
Update Policy......Page 80
Publish Options......Page 81
Publisher Certificate......Page 84
Visual Studio Publishing Step by Step......Page 85
Designing the Application......Page 86
Publishing the Application via HTTP from Visual Studio......Page 88
Publishing the Application to CD......Page 90
Publishing Location Folder Structure......Page 92
Manifest Generation and Signing......Page 94
Deployment Manifest......Page 95
Application Manifest......Page 97
Publish.htm Test Page......Page 98
ClickOnce Application Initial Deployment Step by Step......Page 99
Installation Prerequisites......Page 100
Launching the Application......Page 102
Manifest Validation......Page 105
Install and Runtime Security......Page 106
User Cache......Page 107
Start Menu Item......Page 109
Add or Remove Programs......Page 110
Moving a Published Application into Production with Visual Studio......Page 111
Moving an Application into Production with Mage......Page 112
Where Are We?......Page 115
3 Automatic Application Updates......Page 118
Publishing an Update......Page 119
Updating the Application on the Client......Page 121
Manually Publishing the Update with Mage......Page 123
ClickOnce Update Options......Page 126
Install Mode and Updates......Page 128
Checking for Updates......Page 129
Checking for Updates after the Application Launches......Page 130
Setting Minimum Required Version......Page 131
Specifying an Update Location......Page 133
Behind the Scenes on the Deployment Server......Page 134
Behind the Scenes of an Update on the Client Machine......Page 135
File Validation......Page 137
Client Cache Scavenging......Page 138
Removing or Restoring Applications on the Client......Page 139
Republishing a Previous Version......Page 140
Where Are We?......Page 141
4 On-Demand Updates......Page 142
When Do On-Demand Updates Make Sense?......Page 143
Introducing the ClickOnce API......Page 144
Adding Synchronous On-Demand Updates......Page 145
Performing Updates Asynchronously......Page 149
Using the BackgroundWorker Component for Asynchronous Updates......Page 151
Asynchronous Updates Through the ApplicationDeployment API......Page 155
Update Progress Notifications......Page 157
Combining On-Demand Updates with Automatic Updates......Page 158
Checking Detailed Update Information......Page 160
Gathering Information about the Current Deployment......Page 161
Where Are We?......Page 163
5 Application and Data File Management......Page 166
Application Executable Deployment......Page 167
Adding Application Files in Visual Studio......Page 169
Configuring ClickOnce Application Files......Page 170
Embedding Files in the Assembly......Page 173
Localizing Your ClickOnce Deployment......Page 176
Publishing for a Single Target Language......Page 178
Publishing for Multiple Target Cultures......Page 180
Publishing for On-Demand Download of Other Cultures......Page 181
Programmatic Download of Application Files......Page 182
Deploying Extensible Plug-In Applications with ClickOnce......Page 186
Managing Application Files with Mage......Page 192
Managing Data Files Through Visual Studio......Page 195
Dealing with Data Files on the Client......Page 196
Data File Update Process......Page 199
Deploying a Client Database with Your Application......Page 202
Migrating SQL Compact Edition Database Files......Page 203
Where Are We?......Page 209
ClickOnce Security Overview......Page 212
ClickOnce Deployment-Time Protections......Page 213
ClickOnce Runtime Protections......Page 214
ClickOnce Tamper Protections......Page 221
Internet Explorer Security Settings Affecting ClickOnce......Page 223
Configuring ClickOnce Security Permissions......Page 224
Configuring ClickOnce Security Permissions with Visual Studio......Page 225
Calculating Permissions with Visual Studio......Page 229
Configuring ClickOnce Security Permissions with Mage......Page 230
Understanding and Managing Publisher Certificates......Page 232
Generating or Configuring a Publisher Certificate with Visual Studio 2005......Page 235
Installing a Certificate in a Store with Visual Studio 2005......Page 238
Command Line Certificate Tools......Page 242
Signing Application Updates......Page 243
User Prompting......Page 245
Low-Risk Install......Page 246
Medium-Risk Install......Page 247
High-Risk Install......Page 248
User Prompting for Online-Only Applications......Page 249
Trusted Applications' User Security Policies......Page 250
Trusted Publishers' Permission Elevation......Page 251
Adding Restricted Code Sections......Page 254
Securing the Application Based on User Roles......Page 256
Securing Access to ClickOnce Application Files on the Server......Page 257
Where Are We?......Page 258
7 Prerequisite Deployment with the Bootstrapper......Page 260
Bootstrapper Features......Page 261
Prerequisite Download Options......Page 262
License Presentation......Page 263
Bootstrapper and ClickOnce Sample Deployment......Page 264
Adding Items to the Bootstrapper......Page 269
Creating a Shared Assembly Project......Page 270
Creating a Windows Installer Package......Page 272
Creating the Bootstrapper Manifests......Page 274
Deploying the Shared Assembly with the Bootstrapper......Page 277
Generating Bootstrapper Manifests......Page 280
Where Are We?......Page 283
Using URL Query String Parameters......Page 284
Enabling URL Parameters......Page 286
Using URL Parameters......Page 288
Executing Custom Install/Initialization Code......Page 290
Debug in Zone......Page 291
Attaching the Debugger to a ClickOnce Application......Page 292
Using Debugger.Break to Debug ClickOnce Startup Code......Page 295
Deploying Unmanaged Applications with ClickOnce......Page 296
Reg-Free COM......Page 299
Deploying ClickOnce Applications with Firefox......Page 301
Launching a ClickOnce Application Programmatically......Page 302
Pushing ClickOnce Installations to the Client Machine......Page 303
Web Server ClickOnce Configuration......Page 307
MSBuild ClickOnce Publishing......Page 308
Where Are We?......Page 309
A: ClickOnce Deployment of WPF Applications......Page 312
WPF Anatomy......Page 313
ClickOnce Deployment of WPF Applications......Page 315
Creating the Application......Page 316
Publishing the Application......Page 318
Where Are We?......Page 319
A......Page 322
C......Page 323
D......Page 325
H......Page 326
L......Page 327
O......Page 328
P......Page 329
R......Page 330
S......Page 331
U......Page 332
Z......Page 333