Distributing Shell (Integrated or Isolated) Applications

You must install Visual Studio and the Visual Studio SDK in order to create an integrated or isolated shell application. To distribute the application to the machines of other users or customers, you must include a special redistributable package for the integrated or isolated shell.

Prerequisites for Distributing Integrated and Isolated Shell Applications

Name	Description
Visual Studio SDK	The SDK you must have to develop and test extensions of Visual Studio. You can also use the SDK to create your own instance of the Visual Studio isolated shell. Visual Studio is a prerequisite for the SDK.
Microsoft Visual Studio Shell (isolated) Redistributable	The redistributable that you include in your Setup program when you build a tools environment on the Visual Studio isolated shell. The isolated Shell redistributable package includes the .NET Framework 4.5.
Microsoft Visual Studio Shell (integrated) Redistributable	The redistributable that you include in addition to the Microsoft Visual Studio Shell (isolated) redistributable in your Setup program when you build a tools environment on the Visual Studio integrated shell.

Creating an Installation Program for the Application

You must create a special installation program for your integrated or isolated shell application. For more information, see Installing a Shell (Integrated or Isolated) Application.

Allowing for Updates to your Application

Your installation program must allow for the possibility that your application will be updated, either by Microsoft updates or by your company's updates. For more information about updates, see Servicing Guidelines for Shell (Integrated or Isolated) Applications.