"Linda Liu [MSFT]" wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I am sorry that I may not understand your question exactly.
>
> Each time you publish an application using ClickOnce with different
> version, the staging version will be stored in the corresponding deployment
> manifest file and folder.
>
> For example, if the current version of the application you are publishing
> is 1.0.0.3, after you finish publishing the application, a file
> TestProj_1_0_0_3.application and a folder TestProj_1_0_0_3 appears in the
> publish path. So you needn't create virtual directories on the web server.
> If you want the user to restore the program to a previous version, i.e
> 1.0.0.2, you may exchange the names of the files TestProj.application and
> TestProj_1_0_0_2.application.
>
> >  When I install from the staging location, it overwrites my production
> version that was installed from the production virtual directory.  Is there
> a product guid that is maintained? 
>
> Yes, if we install the application of previous version, it overwrites the
> current version. From the view of the application, I think we could
> distinguish them by the version. You may update the About information with
> the current version of the program before you publish a new version.
>
> Hope this helps.
> If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know.
>
>
> Sincerely,
> Linda Liu
> Microsoft Online Community Support
>
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>

> Thanks Linda for the reply,
>
> What I need to be able to do is to have two different versions on my machine
> at the same time - production and staging.  If I look in Add/Remove programs
> I want to see two different installs.  In the start menu - I see want too see
> two different versions.  Because it is the same application, Add/Remove
> programs maintains the current version.  I need to make ClickOnce think that
> the same application is two different applications with their own installs.
>
> Web Server view:
>      Virtual Directory - ApplicationProduction
>      Virtual Directory - ApplicationStaging
>
>      Both these virtual directories essentially contain the same files, just
> at different
>      version levels.
>
> Client System View
>      Add/Remove Programs entries
>            Production Application
>            Staging Application
>
>     Start Menu entries
>           Production Application
>           Staging Application
>
> If I update the production version then the Production Application gets
> updated and the Staging Application is not removed and stays the same.
>
> If I update the staging version then the Staging Application gets updated
> and the Production Application is not removed and stays the same.
>
> Now if I was creating a msi package, I would give create two exact same
> installs with different Product guids.
>
> How do I get ClickOnce to accomplish this?
>
>

"Tigger" wrote:

> Hi Bruce,
>
> I've setup our application to do just this.
>
> I have it automated using nant so I'm reverse engineering the scripts
> to find out what I did...
>
> First you need to edit your executable project file so that the
> <msbuild:AssemblyName> element is different for your Staging and
> Production version.
>
> I think the assembly name is used to determine the uniqueness of an
> application in the clickonce world so this is important.
>
> Then you can build the project/solution e.g.
>
> msbuild.exe
> MySolution.sln
> /target:rebuild
> /p:Configuration=Debug
> /p:PublisherName='My Company'
> /p:ProductName='MyProductStaging'
> /p:ApplicationVersion='1.1.0'
> /p:ApplicationRevision='123'
> /p:OutputPath='c:\StagingOutput'
> /p:ReferencePath='c:\References'
> /p:PublishUrl='http://www.mysite.com/Staging'
> /p:InstallUrl='http://www.mysite.com/Staging'
> /p:UpdateUrl='http://www.mysite.com/Staging'
> /p:SupportUrl='http://www.mysite.com/Support.htm'
> /p:ManifestKeyFile='C:\MyKey.pfx'
> /verbosity:normal
>
> make sure you change the ProductName, Urls and OutputPath for each of
> your Staging and Production releases.
>
> You should be able to copy the results from the Output folder to the
> PublishUrl location and they should work as if they are different
> applications.
>
> You might be able to do all this within studio, not sure.
>
> In our case I have it release a new Staging and Production application
> every night from Source Control. It also publishes the Staging version
> to the server. Publishing the Production version is done manually as
> required.
>
> Combine this with clickonce and our testers automatically get their
> fixes the next day :-)
>
> Tigger
>
> Bruce Parker wrote:
> > Thanks Linda for the reply,
> >
> > What I need to be able to do is to have two different versions on my machine
> > at the same time - production and staging.  If I look in Add/Remove programs
> > I want to see two different installs.  In the start menu - I see want too see
> > two different versions.  Because it is the same application, Add/Remove
> > programs maintains the current version.  I need to make ClickOnce think that
> > the same application is two different applications with their own installs.
> >
> > Web Server view:
> >      Virtual Directory - ApplicationProduction
> >      Virtual Directory - ApplicationStaging
> >
> >      Both these virtual directories essentially contain the same files, just
> > at different
> >      version levels.
> >
> > Client System View
> >      Add/Remove Programs entries
> >            Production Application
> >            Staging Application
> >
> >     Start Menu entries
> >           Production Application
> >           Staging Application
> >
> > If I update the production version then the Production Application gets
> > updated and the Staging Application is not removed and stays the same.
> >
> > If I update the staging version then the Staging Application gets updated
> > and the Production Application is not removed and stays the same.
> >
> > Now if I was creating a msi package, I would give create two exact same
> > installs with different Product guids.
> >
> > How do I get ClickOnce to accomplish this?
> >
> >
>
>

"Linda Liu [MSFT]" wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Thanks for your reply and the detailed explaination of the question.
>
> You could use different certificate files to sign the clickonce manifests
> in order to install the clickonce application as different applications.
>
> Right-click the project node in the Solution Explorer and select Properties
> from the shortcut menu to open the Project Designer. In the Project
> Designer, select Signing tab. Click the "Select from Store" button on the
> right panel and you will see all available certificate files listed in the
> listbox in the "Select a Certificate" dialogbox. You could select different
> certificate files for the Production Application and the Staging
> Application.
>
> If there's only one certificate file in the "Select a Certificate"
> dialogbox, you could add a new certificate file. On the Signing tab, click
> the "Create Test Certificate" button. In the "Create Test Certificate"
> dialogbox, enter a password and press OK button. Click the "Select from
> Store" button, you will see the new certificate file is added in the
> certificate files listbox.
>
> When you publish a new version for the Prodution Application, you should
> use the same certificate file as the previous version of the Product
> Application to sign the manifests. And the same to the Staging Application
> when you publish a new version for the Staging Application.
>
> Hope this helps.
> If you have anything unclear, please feel free to let me know.
>
>
> Sincerely,
> Linda Liu
> Microsoft Online Community Support
>
>
>

> Hi,
>
> Thanks for your reply and the detailed explaination of the question.
>
> You could use different certificate files to sign the clickonce manifests
> in order to install the clickonce application as different applications.
>
> Right-click the project node in the Solution Explorer and select Properties
> from the shortcut menu to open the Project Designer. In the Project
> Designer, select Signing tab. Click the "Select from Store" button on the
> right panel and you will see all available certificate files listed in the
> listbox in the "Select a Certificate" dialogbox. You could select different
> certificate files for the Production Application and the Staging
> Application.
>
> If there's only one certificate file in the "Select a Certificate"
> dialogbox, you could add a new certificate file. On the Signing tab, click
> the "Create Test Certificate" button. In the "Create Test Certificate"
> dialogbox, enter a password and press OK button. Click the "Select from
> Store" button, you will see the new certificate file is added in the
> certificate files listbox.
>
> When you publish a new version for the Prodution Application, you should
> use the same certificate file as the previous version of the Product
> Application to sign the manifests. And the same to the Staging Application
> when you publish a new version for the Staging Application.
>
> Hope this helps.
> If you have anything unclear, please feel free to let me know.
>
>
> Sincerely,
> Linda Liu
> Microsoft Online Community Support