Deployment of self-contained applications with Visual Studio Community 2022

Question

I am working with a hospital group dealing with clinical trials.
My task is to develop C# scripts to automate the time-consuming and repetitive procedures.
I avail myself of Visual Studio Community 2022.

At present, I am struggling with deploying a self-contained Console Application through Visual Studio.
My code works when started from Visual Studio with and without the debugger.
Visual Studio builder dumps a lot of files in the folder where the solution and project files are found.
Among such files, there is an executable called ConsoleApplication that does work. However, it doesn't work if I separate it from all the other files. For instance, if I copy just ConsoleApplication to another folder. It is clear that the executable needs all those files to run.
However, when I publish the code using the Visual Studio "publish" facility, it only creates three items in the destination folder (see attachment).
File "ConsoleApplication" is a "manifest" and does not work when run.
Folder "application Files" contains many files among which a file called "ConsoleApplication" works when run from the folder containing all the resources it needs.

My question:
Is it possible through Visual Studio to publish one self-contained file that contains all the necessary run-time environment? Instead of merging the executable with a raft of other files that confuse the users who laymen users?

Thank you in advance for your attention.

Regards,
Maura
email: maura.monville@Stuff .com

Answer 1

@mauede , Sorry for the late response, based on my research, I find the problem. You could refer to the article Single file deployment and executable.

The article describes the following sentence:

This deployment model has been available since .NET Core 3.0 and has been enhanced in .NET 5. Previously in .NET Core 3.0

Therefore, .NET Framework app can not make the single file currently.

Answer 2

Here is all of the information needed

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/deploying/single-file

Answer 3

Following the guidelines in the section "Publish a single file app - Visual Studio" on
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/deploying/single-file

I opened the project file with NotePad. I added the statement <PublishSingleFile>true</PublishSingleFile>.
The result was that Visual Studio did no more load the solution file. It printed an error message stating that statement is not recognized (attached screenshot).
When I right-click on the project name in the solution explore pane I see this window (attached screenshot). There is no Edit option.

How can I create a Publishing Profile?

Thank you

 Maura  
 email:  maura.monville@gmail.com  

167527-screenshot-2022-01-23-at-195633.png

When I right-click on the project name