Can .Net Application be converted into a Portable App i.e. single .exe

Question

Can a .Net application be converted into a single .exe portable application?

i.e. no installer, it just runs?

I imagine all the dll's, resources etc need embedding into the exe? If so, how would I do this?

Thanks

Swaggering

Answer 1

You could use ILMerge to merge all assemblies into a single executable. But you still need the framework runtime installed. To turn your executable into a native executable you may take a look at this question.

Amerind

Answer 2

No - you can't statically include the .net runtime in your own application

Canarese

Answer 3

Yes, a .NET application can be a single .exe file. You can either only write one assembly with no dependencies outside of the .NET framework, or you can combine multiple assemblies into one using ILMerge. The user will still need the appropriate version of the .NET framework installed, though; there's no way around that.

Overlong

I didn't want to install the .net framework separately because this app is for machines with no network, no internet and running a bootable stripped down version of windows such as BartPE etc. Its for diagnosing pc problems? – Swaggering

@Belliez: As I mentioned, it does look possible to redistribute the .NET framework with your app. I have never done it myself but I have seen more info herE: msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/xak0tsbd.aspx – Mozellemozes

@Belliez: The framework will have to be installed, but if you create a setup project for your application you can have it install the framework automatically for you. You cannot, however, just distribute an .exe file without the framework; that just isn't possible. – Overlong

Answer 4

I'm not sure but it sounds like you want the .NET framework (or the parts needed for your app) to be included in the installer, so that it is 100% standalone, yes? I know that ClickOnce apps can download .NET if it is not already installed, but that doesn't help if you are deploying to machines with limited or no network connectivity. AS my understanding, you are allowed to redistribute the framework with your app:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/xak0tsbd.aspx , but I have never done it myself.

EDIT: You're application's executable does not actually need to be installed with an installer (it will run if you just double-click on it), but if you are including other files (such as redistributable of .NET) then you probably would need some kind of installer.

Mozellemozes

Answer 5

It is possible to package a .net application into a single executable file using a concept referred to as application virtualization. It's not the most practical thing in the world, but it is possible.

I wrote some more details about it in response to this post.

Triturable