2016r4 Universal Windows Runtime DLLs

General
1

The 2016r4 Release Notes include the following:
• Windows builds now have a setting to automatically include Universal Windows Runtime DLLs

Can anyone tell me a bot more about what this means? My application is used by users running Windows XP, Linux Wine, Mac Crossover, and VMware Fusion.

I have to compile the XP release using 2013r3.3 and Windows releases with 2015r2.4 because the Mac and Linux users were getting Runtime DLL errors with releases built with Xojo releases after 2015r2.4

Will including Universal Windows Runtime DLLs solve some of these issues for Linux and Mac users ?

Thanks in advance.

Ron Bower

2

Mac and Linux users would not be getting Runtime DLL errors in relation to the Windows Universal Runtime.
You have a different issue there.

Per the documentation:

For more information about the universal runtime stuff, I would suggest reading over the whole WindowsUniversalRuntime.pdf document found inside the Documentation folder of your Xojo install.

3

Are you using an installer for Mac? What seems to happen in that when upgrading a .app bundle the contents of the new one are merged into the old one.

This causes a mixture of Frameworks from different versions of the IDE to be included so it doesn’t launch.

I’ve added a preinstall script which removes the original contents of the .app folder which works for new and upgrade installs.

2016r3 & 2016R4 no longer compiles for XP, Windows 7SP1 is the lowest version. The DLLs are only needed for Windows.

Lee

4

Lee - I use “Inno” to create a self-installing executable for Windows installations.

My application became quite popular in the target community and user started finding ways to use it on Mac and Linux OS machines.

When XP was finally deprecated, I had to start creating two builds - one for XP, the other for all others. After 2015r2.4 was upgraded (whatever that release was), users started reporting installation errors - print drivers missing, runtime DLLs not found etc.

I finally found that the 2015r2.4 release created builds that ran on post-XP Windows, Mac Cross-Over, and Linux Wine.

A couple Xojo Releases later caused more DLL problems - most unable to find runtime DLL. Currenty the Mac Users use the 2015r2.4 build for CrossOver and the Linus users us the Xojo 2013r3.3 build for Wine.

I may have to stop supporting non-windows platforms at some point. I have a full desktop license but have no way to test the Linux or Mac builds, so have not gone that route at all.

Thanks,
Ron Bower

5

Ah, I see now.

Wrapping the Windows .exe with CrossOver is not the way to make a Mac version.
I’m not surprised you’re having issues with that.

Unless you build an actual Mac app, I can’t say I would expect good results.

6

A few years back I bought an app from Fontlab that was a Windows program bottled for Mac.

I quickly requested the native Windows program. It was borderline unusable on Mac.

Sees to me rather odd to use fantastically able cross platform tool like Xojo to end up bottling the Windows version.

Ron, this is the time of year to offer yourself a used Mac and start doing native.

For Linux, VirtualBox on PC is very simple to use to install Linux Mint.