Practical deployment with VS2010 Copy Web

[Tomica]

I've been using the RAD AJAX controls for many years.

I develop the project on my local machine (as IIS 7.5 web-site) and then copy to the client's live web-site with a standard FTP connection. I use the built-in Copy Website function within VS2010. Everything works slick,

Now, following your recommendations, I have had to add a class library to allow creation and editing of reports.

What is the recommended method for getting that class library to the production server?

I realize this might be a simple, elementary procedure that I am "supposed to know", but until now, just the web copy has been the most productive method of deployment. Therefore, I don't even know what search terms to use, so please give me a few hints to start.

Alternatively, I have found that I can create the reports, and when finished, copy them from the local class library to my App_Code directory, and with a few adjustments, run them on the production server. But at least deployment is simplified.

Does anybody else run into these complications?

[Steve]

Hi Tom,

As explained in the Best Practices help article, "MyReportLib" which is the class library containing Telerik Reports should be referenced in the web site in order to use the reports. Once you reference it, when you build the web site, the class library would be compiled to a dll into its bin folder. Thus, the reports now part of a compiled assembly are available for use and this assembly should be copied from the Copy WebSite feature as well. For more information, see How to: Add a Reference to a .NET or COM Component in a Web Site.

Kind regards,
Steve
the Telerik team

[Tomica]

Yes, this makes perfect sense. And as a Visual Studio user for many years, now I actually understand the distinction between Project and Solution in a meaningful way. So much for my "...need to know.." study strategy!

I have now moved on to the next level of trouble. On my report viewer page, I have a RadMenu and RadCombo box (v.2011.1.413.40)

The build for my class libarary fails with error BC30456: 'Report_Viewer_Menu' is not a member of 'report_viewer'. (RadMenu control and ASPX pages respectively)

Am I missing a reference or Import? The ASPX page builds clean and works properly within the site, at least until now when I have to build by report class library.

<%@ Register assembly="Telerik.Web.UI" namespace="Telerik.Web.UI" tagprefix="telerik" %>
<%@ Register assembly="Telerik.ReportViewer.WebForms, Version=5.0.11.510, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=a9d7983dfcc261be" namespace="Telerik.ReportViewer.WebForms" tagprefix="telerik" %>

---VB code behind---
Imports System.ComponentModel
Imports System.Drawing
Imports Telerik.Reporting
Imports Telerik.Reporting.Drawing

[Steve]

Hi Tomica,

What you've received is a Compiler Error Message and we can only guess what is causing the problem without looking at it. There are various reasons that can cause the error and most of them are listed on the net when searching for it.
If you are unable to identify the problem, provide us with a sample that exhibits the issue so we can investigate.

All the best,
Steve
the Telerik team

[Tomica]

I went ahead and created a new page, with the intention of demonstrating the error and attach to this thread..

I added script manager, menu and report viewer controls, basically the arrangement on my problem page, minus the menu logic.

However, when I rebuilt the solution to see if the error repeated for the new page, it did not, and it also made the error from the original page go away.

My guess is that something was not initialized properly on my setup for the report controls (first time user for your Reports) and now something else triggered a reference update or similar. I suspect it was in the area of <configSections> of VS2010 settings.

[Tomica]

Deleted, no longer an issue.