❔ What does "Specify the UNC path" mean when deploying using ClickOnce?
I am attempting to deploy my application using ClickOnce, as per the title. I have set my publish location to the desired folder on a networked server/drive which I want users to install from.
The first image I have attached shows a section of Microsoft's documentation from the page about deploying a .NET Windows application using CLickOnce
This section is describing exactly how I want my application to be installed and subsequently updated by the user. However, it does not explain what A UNC is (I have since found out), or what it is looking for in one.
The page discussing deploying a .NET Framework app using ClickOnce however, gave some more information with an example of a UNC, highlighted in the second image.
I have included my publication wizard to the right of the text showing that it is unhappy with a similarly structured install location (as I write this I realize that the page say it is for PUBLISHING locations of that form, leaving me with even less to go on)
What is Visual Studios asking me for, or where can I find more in depth documentation on this to read through?
Deploy a .NET Windows Desktop application using ClickOnce - Visual ...
Starting in Visual Studio 2019 version 16.8, you can use the Publish tool to publish .NET Core 3.1 or later Windows Desktop applications using ClickOnce from Visual Studio.
Publish ClickOnce application using Publish wizard - Visual Studio ...
Learn about using the Publish Wizard to make your ClickOnce application available to users, including which publishing properties to use.
10 Replies
if your computer is named
pc1 you should be able to do \\pc1\c$\Dev\testUNCPath instead, i thinkOk, let me try that quick
Wait, what is that character after
c in your path?
Ok, so the UNC \\{device-name}\C$\Dev\testUNCPath\ "worked"However, it did not actually install the files in that directory, it installed them in my AppData folder instead
which, honestly, is what I wanted the final result to be once I figured out how to get it to work
but now I don't actually understand WHY microsoft put the files there, when I told the publisher to put them in
\\{device-name}\C$\Dev\testUNCPath\i think the install location is where future updates will be placed so the app can find them
the app will always be installed into the users appdata, iirc
That was my second thought, but it seems to fetch updates from the publish location, possibly since I duplicated it here
It just publishes the new versions in new directories within the application files of the publish location (behavior that I want, but behavior that I don't understand why I'm getting)
Meanwhile after 2 publications, and installing it to my hard drive, the directory I specified with the UNC remains unused
Ultimately, I'm happy with the outcome, since it matches exactly what I need it do. The lack of clarity from MS doesn't contribute much for learning though
Was this issue resolved? If so, run
/close - otherwise I will mark this as stale and this post will be archived until there is new activity.