Best option for deploying and publishing upgraded WPF .NET app

Question

I have some .NET Framework apps which were written a while ago in WinForms and WPF. They were deployed to a few friends using ClickOnce which worked fine.

 

Now I upgraded those apps to target .NET 6 and want to upgrade the deployment to make sure there still compatible with ClickOnce which the deployed apps depend on. If I continue to use ClickOnce, is this going to cause a major headache for the end-user? I used a certificate that I create myself in VS which I’d like to keep doing because they are just small simple programs and I’m not going through the store and don’t need a professional sign cert at this time.

Answer 1

Hi,@CyberSteve . Welcome Microsoft Q&A.

Upgrading your apps to target .NET 6 should not cause a major headache for the end-user if you continue to use ClickOnce deployment.

However, there are a few points to consider:

Compatibility: Make sure ClickOnce is still compatible with your target .NET 6 version. Check the documentation and release notes for any known issues or compatibility issues.

Security: Using a self-signed certificate may not be secure enough for production use. If the certificate is not trusted, end users may receive warnings or errors when installing the application. If you plan to distribute your application to a wider audience, consider obtaining a trusted code signing certificate.

User Experience: ClickOnce deployments can sometimes be slow or unreliable, especially with larger applications or slow network connections. Make sure to test your deployment thoroughly and consider alternative deployment options if necessary.

In general, if your applications are small and simple, and you are not distributing them widely, a ClickOnce deployment with a self-signed certificate may be sufficient for your needs.

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