StrataFrame Forum » StrataFrame Application Framework - V1 » WinForms (How do I?) » How to deploy to Windows 8.1

How to deploy to Windows 8.1

Charles Thomas Blankenship — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 18:37:16 GMT

I'm running into a slight problem with the deployment to a Dell XPS 12 with Windows 8 installed.

I've changed the User Access Control to Never

I've placed the following in the AppMain.cs for the main WinForms interface layer project:

using System.Security;

[assembly: AllowPartiallyTrustedCallers]

But I continue to get a System.MethodAccessException error.

Any clues ... other than to install Windows 7 Professional :-D.

Here is another clue:

Attempt by security transparent method 'SouthendCRMWin.AppMain.Main()' to access security critical method 'System.AppDomain.add_UnhandledException(System.UnhandledExceptionEventHandler)' failed.

This is the offending line of code:

// Add the event handler for handling non-UI thread exceptions to the event.

AppDomain.CurrentDomain.UnhandledException += CurrentDomainUnhandledException;

Just as a test I built an empty StrataFrame Windows Application and here is the error in the Event Viewer:

Fault bucket -311547793, type 5
Event Name: CLR20r3
Response: Not available
Cab Id: 0
Problem signature:
P1: TestApplication.exe
P2: 1.0.0.0
P3: 5282cd1f
P4: MicroFour StrataFrame UI
P5: 1.7.6.0
P6: 5282b038
P7: 4b
P8: 36
P9: System.MethodAccessException
P10:
Attached files:
C:\Users\Todd Cahill\AppData\Local\Temp\WERC9DE.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
These files may be available here:
C:\Users\Todd Cahill\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_TestApplication._5ed89756f454716c01e24f869d2487d34397fc1_71d2d649_1535ccdc
Analysis symbol:
Rechecking for solution: 0
Report Id: e00a819f-4bfd-11e3-8258-5c514f5008ec
Report Status: 0
Hashed bucket: 3aefc0518904f554fb5a35a4579e44ab

Now here is the fun part ... if I run the application from my development machine by accessing the directory of install on the client machine ... it works just fine ... even over a wireless connection it is fast .. therefore, it has to be something with that dadblasted Windows 8.1 security nightmare!

Now

RE: How to deploy to Windows 8.1

Charles Thomas Blankenship — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 18:37:16 GMT

Edhy that is wonderful news.

As an update I went ahead and installed StrataFrame and Visual Studio 2012 on the Dell XPS 12 ... I DID NOT recompile the application or enter into the development environment. I then clicked on the .exe shortcut and the application ran.

It would appear that the installation application for StrataFrame did its magic and registered the proper assemblies or configured some environment properly ... now I just have to figure out what it did and duplicate it.

Thanks for everything Edhy ... I'll be calling you shortly.

There

RE: How to deploy to Windows 8.1

Edhy Rijo — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 17:35:18 GMT

Hi Charles,

I just left you a voice mail with my number, but in case we cannot communicate via phone I will explain how I install my SF applications:

I use InstallAware setup to take care of runtime libraries and other assemblies, but the key is that all SF and 3rd party assemblies I put them in the same folder as the application and not in the GAC folder. In the past I had a lot of issues dealing with the GAC which tries to keep copies of all versioned assemblies and somehow my application got confused loading the wrong assemblies until I manually remove the old ones from the GAC.

I don't have any customer using Windows 8.1 yet but I have tested all my SF applications in Windows 8.0 and the InstallAware setup worked just fine and the applications worked just fine. Be aware that in InstallAware I configure my shortcuts to run as "Administrator".

Again I develop on a Windows 8.1 computer and test all my applications there and also on virtual machine images.

RE: How to deploy to Windows 8.1

Ivan George Borges — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 17:34:10 GMT

[quote]Is there anyone who has deployed to Win8 yet?[/quote]

Yep, many places and on my own developing machine too, for quite some time now.

Your offending line:
AppDomain.CurrentDomain.UnhandledException += CurrentDomainUnhandledException;

is not part of a normal StrataFrame Program.cs. When you created a simple SF application to test, did it throw the same exception without inserting this offending line?

RE: How to deploy to Windows 8.1

Charles Thomas Blankenship — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 17:06:43 GMT

Hey Edhy:

This is a "developmentally" clean machine ... so the answer is that I cannot copy the libraries and executables to the machine and have it work.

It doesn't work with my complex application ... and it doesn't work with a completely empty SF application.

That said, a completely empty regular Windows Application when copied into the same subdirectory works like a charm.

So, there is something going on ... if I have to ... and it looks like I'm not going to be able to get this resolved by Monday ... I'm going to have to install VS 2012 and StrataFrame onto the machine and see if it works then.

Has no one ever deployed an SF application on an 8.1 machine in enterprise environment?

C. T.

RE: How to deploy to Windows 8.1

Edhy Rijo — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 15:38:01 GMT

Hi Charles,

I am sorry but I am a bit confused with your issue. I have Windows 8.1 on my computer and I am working with SF and I can run my applications just fine. I have not tried installing my application on Win 8.1, but I did in a virtual machine with Windows 8.0 and it worked just fine.

Is your the problem with installing the application on Windows 8.1 or running it from Windows 8.1?

RE: How to deploy to Windows 8.1

Charles Thomas Blankenship — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 13:00:58 GMT

Oh God:

Now you have me scared to death ... just as a test I created a standard and empty WinForms application and it runs just fine.

Maybe I should have contacted you before I spent six months building an application that appears to only run on Windows 7? This simply CAN'T be true!

There is no way StrataFrame should be doing anything that prevents it from running on Windows 8.1 ... please tell me this is the case.

Is there anyone who has deployed to Win8 yet?

I have to get this application to the client by Monday ... hopefully somebody will rescue my dumb a$$ before then!

C. T.

RE: How to deploy to Windows 8.1

StrataFrame Team — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 10:03:39 GMT

On the Main() method, add <SecurityCritical()> to the attributes.

That will set the method as a security critical method instead of a security transparent method, forcing it to require full trust to be launched.

RE: How to deploy to Windows 8.1

Charles Thomas Blankenship — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 09:26:25 GMT

Yes ... that was the first thing I tried ... right click ... Properties ... Compatibility ... check "Run this program as an administrator". I even chose to make it compatible with Windows 7 ... to no avail.

C. T.

RE: How to deploy to Windows 8.1

StrataFrame Team — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 08:53:55 GMT

You have UAC turned off on the machine, but are you trying to launch the application with administrative rights?