packed xll with sub-directory references

[Chris G]

My goal is to use the packed xll but only pack my MyExcelDnaAddIn.dll and have all other reference dlls (NetOffice etc) in a subdirectory of the .dna/.xll directory.  Is this possible? I can't get it to work.

My .dna file attempting to achieve this looks like this:

<DnaLibrary Name="MyAddIn" RuntimeVersion="v4.0">

  <ExternalLibrary Path="lib\MyExcelDnaAddIn.dll" LoadFromBytes="false" ExplicitExports="true" Pack="true" />  

  </DnaLibrary>

The unpacked xll runs fine with all dlls in the lib subdirectory. However, using my packed xll, and if I delete the MyAddIn.dll from the lib subdirectory, then the AddIn doesn't load.  In other words, the packing didn't really work because the xll file was looking for the dll and couldn't find it.

I can get packing to work fine, so long as there are no subdirectories involved- ie. if everything is in one folder.  However, I really want to have a lib folder to house the third-party dlls and have MyExcelDnaAddIn.dll inside the xll so users never see it.

Appreciate any help you can provide.

Chris

[Govert van Drimmelen]

Hi Chris,

These are issues relating to the .NET runtime more than Excel-DNA specifically.

This discussion is one I found quickly: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5260404/resolve-assembly-references-from-another-folder

.NET won't automatically look for assemblies in a subdirectory, so you have to do some extra work to have them found. One tricky aspect is that your setup for this must happen before Excel tries (and fails) to load those dependencies.

You can experiment with SetPrivateBinPath, or handle the AssemblyResolve event yourself.

You must also decide whether these complications make it worth having the libraries in a separate directory. In my experience, it is not.

-Govert

---

From: exce...@googlegroups.com [exce...@googlegroups.com] on behalf of Chris G [chris...@gmail.com]
Sent: 16 December 2016 09:19 PM
To: Excel-DNA
Subject: [ExcelDna] packed xll with sub-directory references

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[Chris G]

Thanks, Govert.  I've decided it isn't worth it, like you say.  I will use the packed-xll so I can even do away with the .dna file, which I quite like.  I've also dropped using NetOffce and am using PIAs, so the packed file is quite small.

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[Lubos]

Hello,

I am confused about this topic. Does that mean that the first solution described in the answer here is not going to work?

What I tried is this in my starter addin dna:

<DnaLibrary Name="Lubo.MyApp.Starter Add-In" RuntimeVersion="v4.0">

  <ExternalLibrary Path="Lubo.MyApp.Starter.dll" LoadFromBytes="true"/>  

  <ExternalLibrary Path="v1.0.0.0\Lubo.MyApp.Bootstrapper-AddIn.dna"/>

</DnaLibrary>

and in the bootstrapper:

<DnaLibrary Name="Lubo.MyApp.Bootstrapper Add-In" RuntimeVersion="v4.0">

  <ExternalLibrary Path="Lubo.MyApp.Bootstrapper.dll"/>

  <ExternalLibrary Path="Lubo.MyLibs.Excel.Functions.dll"/>

  <Reference Path="Lubo.MyLibs.Common.dll"/>

  <Reference Path="Lubo.MyLibs.Excel.dll"/>

</DnaLibrary>

My aim was to have the starter project completely empty so that it doesn't change. Ribbon class inheriting from ExcelRibbon is in bootstrapper. But that doesnt seem to work or I made it wrong.

Thanks

Lubos

Dne neděle 18. prosince 2016 10:47:22 UTC+1 Govert van Drimmelen napsal(a):

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[Govert van Drimmelen]

Hi Lubos,

The nested .dna files and ExternalLibrary parts should work right.

But the two Lubo.* references in the subdirectory won't be resolved. Excel-DNA doesn't use the Reference tags for assembly resolution at runtime (maybe it should). They're only used for dynamically compiled code and for packing at build-time.

-Govert

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[Lubos]

Hello Govert,

thank you for your response. I am coming from VBA, no pro programmer and this is all new to me. Is there any comprehensive source about how this works?


So Refernece tag is not needed in this situation because I am not packing. Right now my solution looks like this:

Addin\Lubo.MyApp.Starter.dll
Addin\Lubo.MyApp.Starter-AddIn.dna
Addin\Lubo.MyApp.Starter-AddIn.xll

subfolder:
Addin\v1\Lubo.MyApp.Bootstrapper.dll
Addin\v1\Lubo.MyApp.Bootstrapper-AddIn.dna
Addin\v1\Lubo.MyApp.Bootstrapper-AddIn.xll
Addin\v1\Lubo.MyLibs.Common.dll
Addin\v1\Lubo.MyLibs.Excel.dll
Addin\v1\Lubo.MyLibs.Excel.Ribbon.dll
+ all other dlls referenced and used in Bootstrapper.dll


Starter dna content:

<DnaLibrary Name="Lubo.MyApp.Starter Add-In" RuntimeVersion="v4.0">
  <ExternalLibrary Path="Lubo.MyApp.Starter.dll" LoadFromBytes="true"/>

  <ExternalLibrary Path="v1\Lubo.MyApp.Bootstrapper-AddIn.dna" LoadFromBytes ="true"/>
</DnaLibrary>

Bootstrapper dna content:

<DnaLibrary Name="Lubo.MyApp.Bootstrapper Add-In" RuntimeVersion="v4.0">

  <ExternalLibrary Path="Lubo.MyApp.Bootstrapper.dll" LoadFromBytes="true"/>
  <ExternalLibrary Path="Lubo.MyLibs.Excel.Functions.dll" ExplicitExports="true" />       ... this is where my functions live
</DnaLibrary>

When I run Boostrapper Addin.xll directly everything is fine. But when I try starter version the bootstrapper is called but ribbon construction is not.

I have ribbon class in bootstrapper project like this:

[ComVisible(true)]
public class MyRibbon : ExcelRibbon
{
 public override string GetCustomUI(string RibbonID){...}
...
}

Is there a way to make this work or am I completely off?

Thank You.


Lubos



Dne úterý 31. ledna 2017 22:19:47 UTC+1 Govert van Drimmelen napsal(a):

[Govert van Drimmelen]

Hi Lubos,

 

First you should check that it works when you load Addin\v1\Lubo.MyApp.Bootstrapper-AddIn.xll directly.

 

Once that works, you can try to make your Starter add-in that in turn loads the Bootstrapper. You won’t be able to load the Bootstrapper just from the .dna file. Instead, in the Lubo.MyApp.Starter.dll code you put some code that loads it with a call to Application.RegisterXLL(pathToBootstrapper…)

 

-Govert

[Lubos]

Hi Govert,

everything is working now. I followed your instruction, tested bootstrapper itself - ok.Then I added RegisterXLL to the Starter AutoOpen. Problem was file path in the code. It would destroy original intent so I loaded the path from text file. Then I experimented a bit and found out, that the line  <ExternalLibrary Path="v1\Lubo.MyApp.Bootstrapper-AddIn.dna" LoadFromBytes ="true"/> in Addin\Lubo.MyApp.Starter-AddIn.dna is not needed. Or it seems. So I exluded it and packed both starter and bootstrapper.

Thank you for help.

Lubos

Dne středa 1. února 2017 14:44:15 UTC+1 Govert van Drimmelen napsal(a):