How to: Sign a Visual Basic or Visual C# Assembly (Devices)

The steps below assume you have a Smart Device Visual Basic or Visual C# project in your solution. For more information on creating these projects, see Programming for Devices Using the .NET Compact Framework.

These steps are the same for both EXE and DLL projects.

Note

The dialog boxes and menu commands you see might differ from those described in Help depending on your active settings or edition. To change your settings, choose Import and Export Settings on the Tools menu. For more information, see Visual Studio Settings.

To sign an assembly in a Visual Basic or Visual C# device project

  1. In Solution Explorer, right-click the Visual Basic or Visual C# project, and then on the shortcut menu, click Properties.

  2. On the Signing page, click Sign the assembly.

  3. In the Choose a strong name key file box:

    • If you want to use a strong name key file that already exists, click <Browse…> to open the Select File dialog.

    • If you want to create a new strong name key file, click New to open the Create Strong Name Key dialog box.

To delay sign an assembly

  • After completing the above steps, click Delay sign only.

    Use this feature when you do not have access to a private key you need. Delay signing provides the public key and defers adding the private key until the assembly is handed off. For more information, see How to: Delay Sign an Assembly (Visual Studio).

See Also

Concepts

Strong-Name Signing for Managed Applications

Other Resources

Security in Device Projects