c# - How do I publish a Windows Forms Application?

Question

So I made a C# program, and its great and all (its a Windows Form Application). The issue with it, is I don't know how to use it outside of the debug mode form. How do I publish it? My target goal is to create a two folders, put a shortcut to the application in one, along with the other folder which will contain the application and all outside programs (some of the buttons link to batch files). Then I'd want to be able to put it in a RAR compressed file, and upload it online for others to download it.

How do I publish it so that happens? How do I take it out of debug mode?

Answer 1

Go into your project folder, then navigate to /bin/Release. If there's an EXE file with the title of your project in there, copy it somewhere (along with any DLLs that you may have linked) and there's your program. If it's not there, first try Build -> Compile Solution in Visual Studio. If it's still not there, navigate instead to /bin/Debug and do the same thing. Then, copy all your batch files into another folder, put them into the same folder, and RAR it.

P.S. Try not to use RAR, few people can extract them. Use ZIP or SEA (self-extracting archive) if at all possible.