5.1

ThinApp User’s Guide
56 VMware, Inc.
Link an application to Microsoft .NET
1 Capture the installation of the .NET 2.0 Framework.
During the capture process, you must select at least one user-accessible entry point.
2 Rename the.exe file that ThinApp produces to a .dat file.
This renaming prevents users from accidentally running the application.
The name of the .dat file you select does not matter because users do not run the file directly.
For example, use dotnet.dat.
3 Save the .NET project to C:\Captures\dotnet.
4 Capture the base application by using the same physical system or virtual machine with the .NET
framework already installed.
5 Save the project to C:\Captures\MyApp.
6Open the Package.ini file in the captured application folder for the base application.
7 Enable the RequiredAppLinks parameter for the base application by adding the following line after the
[BuildOptions] entry.
RequiredAppLinks=dotnet.dat
Application Link parameters must reference the primary data container of the application you want to
link to. You cannot reference shortcut .exe files because these files do not contain any applications, files,
or registry keys.
8 Build the .NET 2.0 and base application packages.
a Double-click the build.bat file in C:\Captures\MyApp.
b Double-click the build.bat file in C:\Captures\dotnet.
Running these batch files builds separate ThinApp packages.
9 Deploy the applications to an end-user desktop in C:\Program Files\MyApp.
aCopy C:\Captures\MyApp\bin\MyApp.exe to
\\<end_user_desktop>\<Program_Files_share>\MyApp\MyApp.exe.
bCopy C:\Captures\dotnet\bin\cmd.exe to
\\<end_user_desktop>\<Program_Files_share>\MyApp\dotnet.dat.
Set Up Nested Links with Application Link
ThinApp supports nested links with the Application Link utility. For example, if Microsoft Office links to a
service pack, and the service pack links to a hot fix, ThinApp supports all these dependencies.
This procedure refers to AppA, which requires AppB; and AppB, which requires AppC. Assume the following
folder layout for the procedure:
 C:\AppFolder\AppA\AppA.exe
 C:\AppFolder\AppB\AppB.exe
 C:\AppFolder\AppC\AppC.exe
For information about setting up required and optional Application Link parameters in this procedure, refer
ThinApp Package.ini Parameters Reference Guide.
Set up nested links
1 Capture Application A.
2In the Package.ini file, specify Application B as a required or optional application link.
For example, add RequiredLinks=\AppFolder\AppB\AppB.exe to the file.