C# – I’ve read that assemblies manually placed inside Bin are also automatically referenced by

asp.netassembliescnet

We can add assembly reference to a web project via Website –> Add Reference , and assembly will automatically be referenced by all pages in that web project.

But I’ve read somewhere that even if we simply copy ( thus we don’t add it via Website –> Add Reference ) an assembly to the Bin directory of a web project, that it will still be automatically referenced by all pages in that project. But as far as I can tell, that is not the case?!

A)Deployed web site project also generates PrecompiledApp.config and website1_deploy.wdproy.

Should these two files also be copied to the server?

B) Deployed Web application project also generates WebApplication1.csproj and WebApplication1.csproj.user.

Should the two files also be copied to the server? If so, why?
I assume obj directory shouldn’t be copied to the Web server?!

thanx

Best Answer

Q1: "add reference" in a web site project means more than just copying the dll to the bin directly. It also means to place a dependency in app.config and to place a hint file which helps Visual Studio to find the dll from the source. This path is used by visual studio to copy the dll back to the bin directly (if somehow it gets removed) and to provide the "update reference" functionality. Having the dll registered in the app.config is essential for the runtime to compile your code using the right version of the dll.

Q2A: website1_deploy.wdproy is not required. PrecompiledApp.config is. This file tells the runtime that the website was already precompiled and that the aspx files are just placeholders for IIS.

Q2B: you don't have to copy all those files. The .csproj file is just for visual studio to keep track of all files in your project. The runtime doesn't do anything with it. The .csproj.user file has your settings, again the runtime doesn't do anything with it. It doesn't even understand it. The obj folder is the temporary directory for the compiler. Also not needed after compilation.

Related Solutions

C# – Does an assembly maintain its directory structure

Only the sourcecode is compiled into the assembly, you still need to upload the aspx files into a matching directory on the server. For example you project in Visual Studio may look like the following:

WebProject1 (The root project)
  |
  |- some_SubDir (A physical directory inside the project)
      |
      |-default1.aspx
      |-default1.aspx.cs (assuming a C# project)

Once you have compiled the web app you'll need to upload the following to the server:

WebProject1 (The root directory for your website)
 |
 |-bin (The binary directory created by the build)
    |
    |-WebProject1.dll (The compiled source code of the web app)
 |-some_SubDir
    |
    |-default1.aspx (The file that will map to the URL www.websitename.com/some_subdir/default1.aspx)

Compiled resources (non-sourcecode files that are compiled and stored inside the assembly) are different issue that are addressed in your other question

Edited to add direct answers to the questions:

Not all files are compiled into the assembly, only source code files are. Links are maintained between the page and it's code behind file through a class declaration which by default is in a namespace that matches the directory structure, but it doesn't have to be.
Your default1.aspx file will have in the header something like:

The inherits line tells the webserver that when a user requests this page it should be processed in conjunction with the source code that defines that class, which it will find inside the compiled assembly. The combination of the physical aspx file and the compiled class will generate standard html which is then passed back to the client.

Yes, you need to create the same directory structure, but you are required to put the aspx files in there.
Yes

(can someone please edit this if they know how to get the list items to number correctly, please?)

C# – Are JPG, DOC, PDF, etc, files also compiled into an assembly

A) No, they keep their filename and are outside of the assembly.

B) No, they keep their filename and are outside of the assembly.

A) Web References refer to web services that are referenced to in your project. When you add a Web Reference, a proxy is generated to handle the communicatino with the service. That proxy needs to be compiled with your project (the proxy is auto-generated so you don't need to worry about it).

B) Resource files are *.resx included in your project. The most common use for resource files in a web application is internationlization. Those files do get compiled into your application.

Best Answer

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C# – Does an assembly maintain its directory structure

C# – Are JPG, DOC, PDF, etc, files also compiled into an assembly

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