ClickOnce .appref-ms more than a link to .application file?

Question

I have a ClickOnce environment like this:

\\Fileserver\ClickOnceApps\App1.application

C:\Documents and Settings\user\Start Menu\Programs\publisher\app1.appref-ms

My understanding is the .apppref-ms file is a glorified link to the app.application file. Does it do anything else?

Impracticable

Answer 1

If you open the appref-ms file in a text editor you'll see it contains the Url for the application, culture, processor architecture and key used to sign the application, so yes, it's just a link.

The difference between those "Application Reference" files and shortcuts (.lnk) is that the application reference points to the original application Url and not the location of the exe on disk, when you run the appref-ms file the system knows how to find the copy of the program on the local disk and run it from there without accessing the Url (this is not accurate and depends on settings in the ClickOnce manifest, but its a close approximation).

Simulacrum

Any idea how "system knows how to find the copy of the program on the local disk"? – Pulchi

@Pulchi in this discussion on Windows Forms forums there is an explanation by a Microsoft employee on how it could work/it could be implemented -- it seems that the ClickOnce implementation is not documented anywhere. You can also find interesting this linked discussion – Ecstasy

Answer 2

If you open it and then open task manager then right click the task, open file location and it'll take you (most times) directly to the actual .exe

Cicala