How to create a CUIX through code

[samideqlqpart350559]

aaaaall is okkkkkkeyyyyyy

two others questions;

1/ which the common folder used in the world
(when the destination is not my computer)
[AppDataFolder]\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins or
[CommonAppDataFolder]\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins or
[ProgramFilesFolder]\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins

2/when i build my plugin for autocad 2012 SeriesMin="R18.2" SeriesMax="R18.2"
(or version before ex as autocad200
what must i do? i change my NetFramework 4.0(in Target framework) to NetFramework who's coming with version 2012 or other thing

[_gile]

1/
[AppDataFolder] (C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Roaming with Windows 7 and upper) is used current user installation
[CommonAppDataFolder] (C:\ProgramData with Widows 7 or upper) is used for all user installation
[ProgramFilesFolder] (C:\Program Files with Widows 7 or upper) is used for all user installation
The first two are the most used according to the installation mode (current or all users).

2/
The autoloader mechanism is only available since AutoCAD 2012. For prior versions, it's not so easy, you need to register the application which requires a custom action to be launched from the installer.
The .Net Framework 4.0 is installed with AutoCAD 2012.

[samideqlqpart350559]

Hi
what i understand is to specify to the users that the installation is for 2012 and upper
and set in the xml file
<Components Description="2012 to 2016 parts">
and fix Platform="AutoCAD*" SeriesMin="R18.2" SeriesMax="R20.1" />
ok?

[_gile]

I don't think you can have a single "2012 to 2016 parts" because there is a break in binary compatibility for .NET applications in the AutoCAD 2013 release due to the split of acad.exe into two files: acad.exe and accore.dll.
For AutoCAD 2013 and later, you need to rebuild your .NET projects referencing a new additional dll: AcCoreMgd.dll (in addition to AcMgd.dll and AcDbMgd.dll). For more details see this thread.

This is why, in the PackageContents I provided as example, there're two <Components .../> parts with two different assemblys:

  <Components Description="2012 parts">
    <RuntimeRequirements OS="Win32|Win64" Platform="AutoCAD*" SeriesMin="R18.2" SeriesMax="R18.2" />
    <ComponentEntry
      ...
      ModuleName="./Contents/ConverterPalette_18.dll"
      ...>
      ...
    </ComponentEntry>
  </Components>

and

  <Components Description="2013 to 2016 parts">
    <RuntimeRequirements OS="Win32|Win64" Platform="AutoCAD*" SeriesMin="R19.0" SeriesMax="R20.1" />
    <ComponentEntry
      ...
      ModuleName="./Contents/ConverterPalette_19.dll"
      ...>
      ...
    </ComponentEntry>
  </Components>

[samideqlqpart350559]

Hi
I have read Migrating .NET applications to work with AutoCAD 2013 by Kean Walmsley
"For AutoCAD 2013 and later, you need to rebuild your .NET projects referencing a new additional dll: AcCoreMgd.dll (in addition to AcMgd.dll and AcDbMgd.dll)."

that's mean that i have my project built in autocad 2012 and i'll migrate to AutoCAD2013.
But when i build a new project for (2012 to 2016) AcMgd.dll and AcDbMgd.dll are included even if there is a break in binary compatibility .

What is your feeling about it? have'nt you try it to see if it works ?
a+

[_gile]

No, an AutoCAD .NET application build with 2007 to 2012 libraries definitively cannot work with AutoCAD 2013 or later (as the inverse).
This what you should understand if you'd attentively read Kean's post.
You need to rebuild the application targeting almost .NET Framework 4.0 and AutoCAD 2013 libraries.
This doesn't mean you need to rewrite the code, you can simply add a new project to your solution referencing the good libraries and 'add as link' the source code files from the working project to the new one.
This is one of the feature I tried to show with the ConverterPalette example.
ConverterPalette was build against AutoCAD 2013 libraries (2013 versions of AcCoreMgd.dll, AcDbMdg.dll and AcMgd.dll), then I added a new project called ConverterPalette_18 targeting AutoCAD 2012 libraries (2012 versions of AcDbMdg.dll and AcMgd.dll) and using the same folders tree, I added all source files 'as link' so that both projects share the same sources.

[samideqlqpart350559]

thank you for the confirmation
now
when i build a project with the help files i specify that the destination folder is for example AppDataFolder]\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins
but how did the user knows where is the help or to access to it

[_gile]

The users do not need to know where the help file is.
You can display the help file using: Application.InvokeHelp() method from your app.
You can also add the the help file folder to the seach paths from the PackageContents.xml file.

[samideqlqpart350559]

my question was HOW to display the help not to know where it's.
Now that i have all tools necessary for creating a plugin
I would also like to offer my sincere thanks to you for all.
we'll close this post
the title of the post "creating a cuix through a code" can be changed "to how to build a plugin from a to z"
Perhaps next time i should know how to market my plugin

[Keith.A.Brown]

Hi, I am a little late to the party but for building installers this is a great tool. .

I use the professional version but the free version has the tools needed to install an application package without any issues.