F# Redistributable Package
[This documentation is for preview only, and is subject to change in later releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]
The F# redistributable package contains the components that you need to run F# programs on any computer. This includes the FSharp.Core assembly and supporting files.
Versions of the Redistributable Package
The F# redistributable package contains the F# runtime. The package is available either as a stand-alone installer executable file called FSharpRedist2.0.exe, or as a package that you can select in deployment projects when you configure application deployment in Visual Studio.
There are two versions of the F# 2.0 runtime in the Visual Studio 11 Developer Preview version of the redistributable package. The versions of the F# runtime that get installed depend on the versions of the .NET Framework that are installed on the target computer at the time that the F# runtime is installed. If .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, or 3.5 is installed on your computer, the F# runtime that targets .NET Framework 2.0 is installed. If .NET Framework 4 or 4.5 is installed on your computer, the F# runtime that targets .NET Framework 4 is installed. Therefore, if you have both .NET Framework 4 or 4.5 and one or more of the previous .NET Framework versions (2.0, 3.0, and 3.5), both versions of the F# runtime are installed. The following table summarizes the versions that are available.
Version |
Description |
|---|---|
F# Runtime for .NET Framework 2.0 |
Required on client computers on which the 2.0, 3.0, or 3.5 version of the .NET Framework is installed. The core library (FSharp.Core.dll) included in this redistributable package contains some APIs in the System namespaces that are identical to .NET Framework 4 APIs that are required for F# development. |
F# Runtime for .NET Framework 4 |
Required on client computers on which .NET Framework 4 or 4.5 is installed. |
The F# runtime installs the FSharp.Core assemblies and other files to the path Program Files path\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\FSharp\2.0\Runtime\version, where version is v2.0 for the version that targets the 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5 versions of the .NET Framework and version is v4.0 for the version that targets version 4 of the .NET Framework. Note that Program Files path is Program Files (x86) on 64-bit operating systems. The FSharp.Core assemblies are also installed to the global assembly cache.
How to Set Up an F# Application to Run on Another Computer
The easiest way to deploy an F# application to another computer is to simply copy the FSharp.Core assembly along with your application's files. The single assembly, FSharp.Core.dll, is all that is needed.
Visual Studio lets you create installation packages that enable programs to be deployed to client computers. In addition to your program's compiled assemblies, target computers must have an appropriate version of the .NET Framework, and the appropriate version of the F# runtime.
The F# redistributable package can be added to a deployment project to create a packaged, installable F# application that installs the F# runtime components when an application is installed on a client computer.
For more information, see Deploying Applications and Components.
For step-by-step instructions, see Walkthrough: Using Visual F# to Create, Debug, and Deploy an Application.