Extensibility.dll - why not already in the GAC?

[David Thielen]

Hi;

Office 2003 installs office.dll, stdole.dll, etc. But it does not install
extensibility.dll - why?

When I install my add-in, should I install extensibility.dll in my add-in's
directory, or in the GAC?

 

[Peter Huang]

Hi David,

The Extensibility.dll is shipped with VS.NET which is a managed dll, it is
not a com dll.

Creating Office Managed COM Add-Ins with Visual Studio .NET
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnofftalk/h
tml/office06062002.asp

The Shared Add-In project contains references to the Extensibility.dll .NET
assembly (located at C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio
..NET\Common7\IDE\PublicAssemblies\Extensibility.dll) and the Office.dll
..NET assembly (located at
C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.0.3705\Office.dll). These assemblies
are necessary for referencing the IDTExtensibility2 interface that shared
add-ins must implement, as well as creating command bars and command bar
controls that provide the primary interface for users of the managed COM
add-in in the application.

The Shared Add-In project also contains an AssemblyInfo.vb file with the
managed COM add-in's assembly metadata and a Connect.vb file that will
eventually contain your managed COM add-in's custom functionality.

The Setup project contains the necessary files to install and register the
COM add-in on other computers. By default, the .NET Framework
(dotnetfxredist_x86_enu.msm), the Office.dll .NET assembly, and the
stdole.dll .NET assembly are not included in the setup file, but are
required on users' computers for the managed COM add-in to work.

Note You must instruct users who don't have the .NET Framework
Redistributable installed on their computers to download and install the
Microsoft .NET Framework Redistributable. Any computers that do not have
the .NET Framework Redistributable installed when the managed COM add-in is
run will display a message indicating the redistributable must be installed
first.

So we do not need to specified to install the file into GAC, if you look
into the addin setup project, you will find that it has been included in
the setup project.

Best regards,

Peter Huang
Microsoft Online Partner Support

Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

 

[David Thielen]

Is it "preferred" to install extensibility.dll in the GAC, or with my add-in
dll? Since it's strongly named and identical for all users I would guess the
GAC but you comment below makes me think with my add-in.

thanks - dave

ps - I understand it can be either - my question is which is recomended.


:

....

 

[Peter Huang]

Hi

There is no official document about which one is preferred.
Based on my experience, we do not need to put an assembly into GAC, except
that we have to.
And that is why the setup project of the addin did not do that.

Hope this helps.


Best regards,

Peter Huang
Microsoft Online Partner Support

Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.