Use Visual Studio Setup Project to automatically register and GAC a COM Interop DLL

Question

I've created a .NET assembly for COM interop and it is working well on my development machine. I'm currently trying to figure out how to deploy the DLL to a target machine using Visual Studio's "Setup Project." How can I use the VIsual Studio setup project to do the following things:

• Register the assembly (currently using regasm).
  • The assembly needs to be registered successfully and the type library (.tlb) needs to be registered successfully.
  • This answer suggests scrapping regasm in favor of custom code. I this is a good idea? If so, how does this code get included in the setup project?
  • This answer suggests using the /regfile command of regasm and then using the import tool on the Registry in the Setup Project. Will this work?
• Install the assembly in the GAC (currently using gacutil)
  • I'm aware of the "Global Assembly Cache Folder" in the "File System on Target Machine." Is there anything special I need to do in including the assembly in the setup project?

Any other advice or concerns would be much appreciated.

Solution

Gacutil.exe won't be available on the target machine. Not a problem, MSI can get the job done. Right-click "File System on Target Machine", Add, GAC. Right-click that added folder, Add, Project Output. That ensures the assembly is gac-ed.

It can also register the assembly like Regasm.exe does. Set the Register property of the project output reference to vsdrpCOM.

Comments

[Ben McCormack]

Will the register property being set to vsdrpCOM automatically create and register the .tlb file as well? If not, how do I include the .tlb in the set up project (it doesn't seem to like being shared in the GAC folder in the setup project)?

[Ben McCormack]

That's a great point. I got so used to typing regasm /tlb... that I just assumed I would need it, but you bring up a great point - the client machine's won't be writing code against these assemblies. Much thanks.

[Keith]

To answer Ben's question in his comment, using vsdrpCOM will automatically create and register the .tlb file.

[rank1]

So what You are saying is that just setting register property to vsdrpCOM does exactly the same as the whole long solution in here? stackoverflow.com/questions/239465/… if so, then absolutely brilliant!

[rank1]

To conifrm: to make the Regasm automatic both steps from Hans Passant answer needs to be done.

[rank1]

I got tlb generated only into the Debug folder. What might be the reason? Everything works fine under Debug installer, under release there is no .tlb file generated by installer

[Ehsan Sajjad]

Thanks @Hans, it really saved me today, was unable to figure out why the COM interop dll is not working after making installer.