VSIX extension - How can I ensure a referenced dll or assembly is included in the VSIX file?
visual-studio-2015, vsix
Solution
I found a solution to this problem, and I can see the dll now included in the VSIX and a user confirmed that it works for him.
- In Visual Studio, with the extension solution open,
- double click the .vsixmanifest file
- Open the "Assets" tab
- Click "New"
- Set Type to "Microsoft.VisualStudio.Assembly"
- Set Source to "A File on FileSystem"
- Click Browse to set Path to your dll, (don't worry the reference is not added as an absolute path, but added as a relative path or just a strong assembly name)
- You can leave "Embed in this folder" empty.
- Click OK
- Rebuild the solution, and the file should be in the VSIX file now.
This line is then added to the vsixmanifest file:
<Asset Type="Microsoft.VisualStudio.Assembly" d:Source="File" Path="Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.CSharp.dll" AssemblyName="Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.CSharp, Version=1.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" />
Problem
When a user installs my extension, but does not have the latest Visual Studio update installed, the extension fails to resolve Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.CSharp.dll with the followeing message: Could not load file or assembly 'Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.CSharp, Version=1.2.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified. I made sure that the extension does in fact reference this assembly, and it does, but why would this assembly be excluded from the VSIX file? I renamed the VSIX file to a ZIP, looked at the contents, but this assembly is not shipped, even though other "Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.*.dll" assemblies are included in the VSIX file. I also confirmed that the "Copy Local" property on the reference is True.