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Deploy a WPF Application

  • Artikel

After Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) applications are built, they need to be deployed. Windows and the .NET Framework include several deployment technologies. The deployment technology that is used to deploy a WPF application depends on the application type. This topic provides a brief overview of each deployment technology, and how they are used in conjunction with the deployment requirements of each WPF application type.

Deployment Technologies

Windows and the .NET Framework include several deployment technologies, including:

  • XCopy deployment.

  • Windows Installer deployment.

  • ClickOnce deployment.

XCopy Deployment

XCopy deployment refers to the use of the XCopy command-line program to copy files from one location to another. XCopy deployment is suitable under the following circumstances:

  • The application is self-contained. It does not need to update the client to run.

  • Application files must be moved from one location to another, such as from a build location (local disk, UNC file share, and so on) to a publish location (Web site, UNC file share, and so on).

  • The application does not require shell integration (Start menu shortcut, desktop icon, and so on).

Although XCopy is suitable for simple deployment scenarios, it is limited when more complex deployment capabilities are required. In particular, using XCopy often incurs the overhead for creating, executing, and maintaining scripts for managing deployment in a robust way. Furthermore, XCopy does not support versioning, uninstallation, or rollback.

Windows Installer

Windows Installer allows applications to be packaged as self-contained executables that can be easily distributed to clients and run. Furthermore, Windows Installer is installed with Windows and enables integration with the desktop, the Start menu, and the Programs control panel.

Windows Installer simplifies the installation and uninstallation of applications, but it does not provide facilities for ensuring that installed applications are kept up-to-date from a versioning standpoint.

For more information about Windows Installer, see Windows Installer Deployment.

ClickOnce Deployment

ClickOnce enables Web-style application deployment for non-Web applications. Applications are published to and deployed from Web or file servers. Although ClickOnce does not support the full range of client features that Windows Installer-installed applications do, it does support a subset that includes the following:

  • Integration with the Start menu and Programs control panel.

  • Versioning, rollback, and uninstallation.

  • Online install mode, which always launches an application from the deployment location.

  • Automatic updating when new versions are released.

  • Registration of file extensions.

For more information about ClickOnce, see ClickOnce Security and Deployment.

Deploying WPF Applications

The deployment options for a WPF application depend on the type of application. From a deployment perspective, WPF has three significant application types:

  • Standalone applications.

  • Markup-only XAML applications.

  • XAML browser applications (XBAPs).

Deploying Standalone Applications

Standalone applications are deployed using either ClickOnce or Windows Installer. Either way, standalone applications require full trust to run. Full trust is automatically granted to standalone applications that are deployed using Windows Installer. Standalone applications that are deployed using ClickOnce are not automatically granted full trust. Instead, ClickOnce displays a security warning dialog that users must accept before a standalone application is installed. If accepted, the standalone application is installed and granted full trust. If not, the standalone application is not installed.

Deploying Markup-Only XAML Applications

Markup-only XAML pages are usually published to Web servers, like HTML pages, and can be viewed using Internet Explorer. Markup-only XAML pages run within a partial-trust security sandbox with restrictions that are defined by the Internet zone permission set. This provides an equivalent security sandbox to HTML-based Web applications.

For more information about security for WPF applications, see Security.

Markup-only XAML pages can be installed to the local file system by using either XCopy or Windows Installer. These pages can be viewed using Internet Explorer or Windows Explorer.

For more information about XAML, see XAML in WPF.

Deploying XAML Browser Applications

Warning

XBAPs require legacy browsers to operate, such as Internet Explorer and old versions of Firefox. These older browsers are usually unsupported on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Modern browsers no longer support the technology required for XBAP apps due to security risks. Plugins that enable XBAPs are no longer supported. For more information, see Frequently asked questions about WPF browser-hosted applications (XBAP).

XBAPs are compiled applications that require the following three files to be deployed:

  • ApplicationName.exe: The executable assembly application file.

  • ApplicationName.xbap: The deployment manifest.

  • ApplicationName.exe.manifest: The application manifest.

Note

For more information about deployment and application manifests, see Building a WPF Application.

These files are produced when an XBAP is built. For more information, see How to: Create a New WPF Browser Application Project. Like markup-only XAML pages, XBAPs are typically published to a Web server and viewed using Internet Explorer.

XBAPs can be deployed to clients using any of the deployment techniques. However, ClickOnce is recommended since it provides the following capabilities:

  1. Automatic updates when a new version is published.

  2. Elevation privileges for the XBAP running with full trust.

By default, ClickOnce publishes application files with the .deploy extension. This can be problematic, but can be disabled. For more information, see Server and Client Configuration Issues in ClickOnce Deployments.

For more information about deploying XAML browser applications (XBAPs), see WPF XAML Browser Applications Overview.

Installing the .NET Framework

To run a WPF application, the Microsoft .NET Framework must be installed on the client. Internet Explorer automatically detects whether clients are installed with .NET Framework when WPF browser-hosted applications are viewed. If the .NET Framework is not installed, Internet Explorer prompts users to install it.

To detect whether the .NET Framework is installed, Internet Explorer includes a bootstrapper application that is registered as the fallback Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) handler for content files with the following extensions: .xaml, .xps, .xbap, and .application. If you navigate to these file types and the .NET Framework is not installed on the client, the bootstrapper application requests permission to install it. If permission is not provided, neither the .NET Framework nor the application is installed.

If permission is granted, Internet Explorer downloads and installs the .NET Framework using the Microsoft Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS). After successful installation of the .NET Framework, the originally requested file is opened in a new browser window.

For more information, see Deploying the .NET Framework and Applications.

See also