Common dll(Windows and Web)

[Developer/Programmer]

I have a dll that was created using Class Library(vb.net) in visual studio.net. It's compiled to release version. Dll facilitates database access( Access 2000 read and write). This dll is being used by a windows application and web application on the same machine.

I am using visual studio to create the installer for my windows application and I am creating the web application on to the target machine by copying the web site. This web site has a bin directory with the dll. The same dll is also installed as part of the windows application in its directory.

I end up with same version dll's in different directories. Sometimes I seem to run into a problem of only application having access to the database. I didn't face this problem in
the debug versions.

What is the best way to share a dll between a web app and a windows application.

Thanks in advance.

[Developer/Programmer]

"Sometimes I seem to run into a problem of only application having access to the database."

I meant only "one application has access to the data base simultaneously, e.g when window application is logging the data from the instrument to the dataase my web based login page can't access the user name & pass word table in the same database"

[Elton Wells]

The way that you're sharing the assembly between the applications is fine. Since both of the applications are on the same machine, another option would be to install the assembly to the GAC and have both the Windows Forms and ASP.NET applications use the same assembly from the GAC. I suspect that the problem here is database locking rather than the shared assembly. What is the exact exception and exception message that you get? What is the code that generates the exception? Also, have you considered using MSDE instead of Access? If so, is there a reason that you chose Access over MSDE?

- Elton