Windows Build Confusion

Targets Windows
1

I just compiled (on my Mac) an app for both macOS and Windows (64bit)
When it was done compiling I had THREE(3) folders

  • OS X 64bit
  • Windows 64bit
  • Windows

Now the OS X one had what I have come to know and expect, as in XYZ.APP
the Windows 64bit folder had a TON of files (including every icon and graphic [thought those were supposed to be inside the EXE?), and about 60 DLL files
the Windows folder had similar to the Windows 64bit but not so many DLLs (only 11)

So…

  • Whats the difference between the two Windows Folders? Not planning on making an installer… just want to zip the right stuff

And yes, I checked the “Include Runtime DLL” option.

Should I have NOT checked Win 7, 8 8.1 AND 10 (and just gone with 10?)

2

From http://developer.xojo.com/windows-universal-runtime

[quote]Including the DLLs with your App
For situations where you don’t use an installer but your app needs to run on machines without the Universal Runtime, you can include a local copy of the DLLs instead. In the Windows Build Settings you can turn the “Include Windows Runtime DLLs” property to ON (available on the “Advanced” (gear) tab of the Inspector). When you Run or Build with the property on, the 40 or so necessary Universal Runtime DLLs are copied alongside your app executable.
Additionally, when you turn this on a warning dialog appears to remind you that Windows Universal Runtime DLLs installed in the app folder do not get security updates. This is why Microsoft recommends installing the Universal Runtime by either Windows Update or the Visual C++ Redistributable when possible: further updates to it are handled automatically by the standard Windows Update mechanism.
[/quote]
Do you need to include them?

And for the 2 folders (Windows and Windows 64bit), maybe you previously build as 32 bit and that’s why you have a Windows folder?

I get the icons/graphics inside the Application Resources directory.

3

Do I need them? I don’t know that is why I asked… but it seems I probably don’t… I made a build without them, zipped it and physically moved it to my Win machine, and it works…

The Window folder it seems was created if you also indicate Win7/8/8.1 and is not there if you build for Win10 only

4

Weird, when I build for Windows 64 only the folder Windows 64 bit is created.

I just tried loading the Eddie’s Electronics sample app, just 1 folder created.

5

had been for years, then Xojo started leaving them as external and loading them on demand on first use.
When installing, I set the resources folder to be ‘invisible’, but thats not a reliable way of hiding them.
Annoying to have all the resources available for view… one competitor took my graphics and used them in their own app!

6

Well they’re not particularly well hidden on macOS. Right-click on myapp.app and open the Resources folder. Although I have to say that it’s more convenient how it’s all packaged on macOS.

If you delete the Windows and Windows 64bit folders, then rebuild for Win64bit, you then find a folder called myapp inside the Windows 64bit folder. It’s the myapp folder in its entirety that you need to move elsewhere for execution or zip up to pass to others.