<dependency> element (ClickOnce deployment)

Identifies the version of the application to install, and the location of the application manifest.

Syntax

      <dependency>
   <dependentAssembly
      preRequisite
      visible
      dependencyType
      codeBase
      size
   >
      <assemblyIdentity
         name
         version
         publicKeyToken
         processorArchitecture
         language
         type
      />
      <hash>
         <dsig:Transforms>
            <dsig:Transform
                Algorithm
            />
         </dsig:Transforms>
         <dsig:DigestMethod />
         <dsig:DigestValue>
         </dsig:DigestValue>
      </hash>

   </dependentAssembly>
</dependency>

Elements and attributes

The dependency element is required. It has no attributes. A deployment manifest can have multiple dependency elements.

The dependency element usually expresses dependencies for the main application on assemblies contained within a ClickOnce application. If your Main.exe application consumes an assembly called DotNetAssembly.dll, then that assembly must be listed in a dependency section. Dependency, however, can also express other types of dependencies, such as dependencies on a specific version of the common language runtime, on an assembly in the global assembly cache (GAC), or on a COM object. Because it is a no-touch deployment technology, ClickOnce cannot initiate download and installation of these types of dependencies, but it does prevent the application from running if one or more of the specified dependencies do not exist.

dependentAssembly

Required. This element contains the assemblyIdentity element. The following table shows the attributes the dependentAssembly supports.

assemblyIdentity

Required. This element is a child of the dependentAssembly element. The content of assemblyIdentity must be the same as described in the ClickOnce application manifest. The following table shows the attributes of the assemblyIdentity element.

hash

The hash element is an optional child of the file element. The hash element has no attributes.

ClickOnce uses an algorithmic hash of all the files in an application as a security check to ensure that none of the files were changed after deployment. If the hash element is not included, this check will not be performed. Therefore, omitting the hash element is not recommended.

dsig:Transforms

The dsig:Transforms element is a required child of the hash element. The dsig:Transforms element has no attributes.

dsig:Transform

The dsig:Transform element is a required child of the dsig:Transforms element. The following table shows the attributes of the dsig:Transform element.

dsig:DigestMethod

The dsig:DigestMethod element is a required child of the hash element. The following table shows the attributes of the dsig:DigestMethod element.

dsig:DigestValue

The dsig:DigestValue element is a required child of the hash element. The dsig:DigestValue element has no attributes. Its text value is the computed hash for the specified file.

Remarks

Deployment manifests typically have a single assemblyIdentity element that identifies the name and version of the application manifest.

Example 1

The following code example shows a dependency element in a ClickOnce deployment manifest.

<!-- Identify the assembly dependencies -->
<dependency>
  <dependentAssembly dependencyType="install" allowDelayedBinding="true" codebase="MyApplication.exe" size="16384">
    <assemblyIdentity name="MyApplication" version="0.0.0.0" cultural="neutral" processorArchitecture="msil" />
    <hash>
      <dsig:Transforms>
        <dsig:Transform Algorithm="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:HashTransforms.Identity" />
      </dsig:Transforms>
      <dsig:DigestMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#sha1" />
       <dsig:DigestValue>YzXYZJAvj9pgAG3y8jXUjC7AtHg=</dsig:DigestValue>
    </hash>
  </dependentAssembly>
</dependency>

Example 2

The following code example specifies a dependency on an assembly already installed in the GAC.

<dependency>
  <dependentAssembly dependencyType="preRequisite" allowDelayedBinding="true">
    <assemblyIdentity name="GACAssembly" version="1.0.0.0" language="neutral" processorArchitecture="msil" />
  </dependentAssembly>
</dependency>

Example 3

The following code example specifies a dependency on a specific version of the common language runtime.

<dependency>
  <dependentAssembly dependencyType="preRequisite" allowDelayedBinding="true">
    <assemblyIdentity name="Microsoft.Windows.CommonLanguageRuntime" version="2.0.50215.0" />
  </dependentAssembly>
</dependency>

Example 4

The following code example specifies an operating system dependency.

<dependency>
   <dependentOS supportUrl="http://www.microsoft.com" description="Microsoft Windows Operating System">
      <osVersionInfo>
         <os majorVersion="4" minorVersion="10" />
      </osVersionInfo>
   </dependentOS>
</dependency>

See also

• ClickOnce deployment manifest
• <dependency> element