Dependent DLL is not getting copied to the build output folder in Visual Studio

by

I found that if ProjectX referenced the abc.dll but didn’t directly use any of the types DEFINED in abc.dll, then abc.dll would NOT be copied to the main output folder. (It would be copied to the ProjectX output folder, to make it extra-confusing.)

So, if you’re not explicitly using any of the types from abc.dll anywhere in ProjectX, then put a dummy declaration somewhere in one of the files in ProjectX.

AbcDll.AnyClass dummy006; // this will be enough to cause the DLL to be copied

You don’t need to do this for every class — just once will be enough to make the DLL copy and everything work as expected.

Addendum: Note that this may work for debug mode, but NOT for release. See @nvirth’s answer for details.

More Related Contents:

  1. Could not load file or assembly or one of its dependencies
  2. The type or namespace name could not be found [duplicate]
  3. System.MissingMethodException: Method not found?
  4. Type or namespace name does not exist [closed]
  5. How do I create/edit a Manifest file?
  6. Equivalent to ‘app.config’ for a library (DLL)
  7. Generating DLL assembly dynamically at run time
  8. Embedding assemblies inside another assembly
  9. How big is an object reference in .NET?
  10. Set Custom Path to Referenced DLL’s?
  11. How to suppress a StyleCop warning?
  12. How to get the location of the DLL currently executing?
  13. InvalidProgramException / Common Language Runtime detected an invalid program
  14. Where to find “Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting” missing dll?
  15. Can you call a C# DLL from a C DLL?
  16. How do I resolve “Please make sure that the file is accessible and that it is a valid assembly or COM component”?
  17. Assembly binding redirect does not work
  18. Could not load file or assembly ‘System.ValueTuple’
  19. Shared AssemblyInfo for uniform versioning across the solution
  20. VS2010 – How to automatically stop compile on first compile error
  21. How to capture mouse wheel on panel?
  22. streamWriter rewrite the file or append to the file
  23. Writing driver class generic for any database support
  24. Service Reference Error: Failed to generate code for the service reference
  25. How to get current working directory path c#?
  26. How do I compile my App.config into my exe in a VS2010 C# console app?
  27. Calling a Delphi DLL from a C# .NET application
  28. Ways to access a 32bit DLL from a 64bit exe
  29. How to pass this by ref in C#?
  30. Prevent Winforms Designer from Generating Property Values for Inherited Controls

Leave a Comment