Compile all C# files into one file?

Question

Is there a way to compile C# files into one single file that is ready to give to the user?

Answer 1

One way is to use ILMerge. This will merge multiple assemblies into a single one (think combining all DLLs and a main exe into a single exe).

Answer 2

Yes :) But you must put all your sources into a single assembly and compile it to an EXE. Also note that the target system must also have the required .NET infrastructure installed.

Note that security policies on the target system may prevent the user from directly running your app.

Lastly, unless you "NGEN" your code, it will be jitted the first time it runs. This will incur some startup time costs. THese can be considerable in some instances.

Answer 3

If your looking to also merge the .Net assemblies required by your app, you can use something like This to even compile in System.dll, System.Windows.Forms.dll, etc, so the end user wont even need .Net installed.