Windows Presentation Foundation Introduction(V) - Configuration & Deployment

/*by Jiangong SUN*/

WPF application deployment technologies:
1) XCopy deployment.
XCopy deployment refers to the use of the XCopy command-line program to copy files. 
XCopy is suitable for simple deployment scenarios, it is limited when more complex deployment capabilities are required. In particular, using XCopy often incurs the overhead for creating, executing, and maintaining scripts for managing deployment in a robust way. Furthermore, XCopy does not support versioning, uninstallation, or rollback.
2) Windows Installer deployment.
Windows Installer simplifies the installation and uninstallation of applications, but it does not provide facilities for ensuring that installed applications are kept up-to-date from a versioning standpoint.
3) ClickOnce deployment.
4) Windows Remote Desktop Connection(RDC) deployement


From a deployment perspective, WPF has three significant application types:
1) Standalone applications.
Standalone applications are deployed using either ClickOnce or Windows Installer. 
Either way, standalone applications require full trust to run. 
Full trust is automatically granted to standalone applications that are deployed using Windows Installer. 
2) Markup-only XAML applications.
3) XAML browser applications (XBAPs).
XBAPs can be deployed to clients using any of the deployment techniques. 
ClickOnce is recommended since it provides the following capabilities:
Automatic updates when a new version is published.
Elevation privileges for the XBAP running with full trust.


XBAPs are compiled applications that typically contain a minimum of three files that are generated when you build your application.
1) ApplicationName.exe
 The application assembly
2) ApplicationName.xbap
 The deployment manifest
3) ApplicationName.exe.manifest
 The application manifest
 
The two manifest files are required as part of the dependence of XBAPs on the ClickOnce architecture. 
These files are required even if the application is being deployed by using XCopy deployment or a Windows Installer package instead of ClickOnce.


Application Manifest
The application manifest describes the application. 
This includes your application assemblies, any dependent assemblies, and the permissions that are required to run your application. 

Deployment Manifest
The deployment manifest describes how your application is deployed. This includes the location of your application, the version, how your application should be updated, if at all, your identity as the publisher, and the digital signature of the certificate that was used when you built your XBAP.


Configure Manifest settings:

Mage.exe is a command-line tool that supports the creation and editing of application and deployment manifest files.

Hope this helps!  Enjoy coding!