Discover the Essential Steps for Publishing Your Application in Visual Studio 2017

As a developer, you understand the significance of using reliable and efficient IDEs like Visual Studio 2017. Once you have built your application, the next logical step is publishing it. In this comprehensive article, we present the best practices for publishing your application from Visual Studio 2017.

1. Determine the Deployment Target

Before publishing, you need to decide where you want to deploy your application. There are various targets to choose from, ranging from local machines to broad enterprise-level deployments that cater to different platforms or audiences.

Visual Studio 2017 offers four deployment options: FTP, IIS, Web Deploy, and Azure. But first, ensure you have the required credentials and permissions to access your chosen deployment target.

2. Choose a Publishing Option

Visual Studio 2017 offers two publishing options- Quick and Custom. The Quick option automatically applies the default settings of your selected deployment target. Custom, on the other hand, offers you the options of customizing your deployment experience, configuring databases, file locations, and more.

For a simple and straightforward deployment, choose the Quick option. But if you have specific preferences, requirements, or settings to adjust, the Custom option suits you better.

3. Configure the Web.config File

A crucial step in publishing applications via Visual Studio 2017 is configuring your application’s behavior and settings. The Web.config file stores all the details like authentication policies, connection strings, and other configurations. Visual Studio 2017 generates the file by default and stores it in your project folder. Before publishing your application, ensure you have configured your Web.config file correctly. The settings you configure will affect how users interact with your application.

4. Verify the Application’s Compatibility

Confirm that the necessary frameworks and dependencies support your target deployment platform before publishing your applications. This is important because some components may not function properly in different environments, leading to errors or even application crashes.

To ensure maximum compatibility, use tools like the Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit. These tools help you identify and resolve issues with your application.

5. Publish the Application

After you’ve finished configuring your settings, it’s time to publish your application to your selected deployment target. Follow these steps to publish your application:

– Right-click on your project in the Solution Explorer and select “Publish.”
– Select the deployment option that works best for you (Quick or Custom).
– Configure your preferred deployment settings.
– Click on “Publish.”

If your application is published successfully, you’ll receive a message indicating that it has been published to the deployment target.

Conclusion

Publishing applications in Visual Studio 2017 becomes effortless when you follow the correct steps. In this comprehensive article, we’ve outlined the best practices for publishing your applications, such as determining the deployment target, selecting a publishing option, configuring the Web.config file, verifying compatibility, and publishing the application. By following these steps, deploying your application will undoubtedly be a smooth and seamless process.