URGENT Assembly.LoadFrom(http) == "Could not load file or assembly 'X' ... or one of its dependencies."

[Runtime Version v2.0.50727]

Question regarding Assembly.LoadFrom(http).

This really is URGENT; thank you for your time.

Hello,

I have three projects: X, Y and Z.

Project X is a class library-type project full of user controls that other developers monkey with; these controls obey a set interfaces we have defined in project Z.

Project Y is a winforms-type project. It does not contain a reference to Project X, but it does contain a reference to project Z - just like project X does.

Project Y loads Project X dynamically from a HTTP using the following code:

/// * start sample

string _Url;
_Url = "http://localhost/projects/ProjectX.dll";

System.Reflection.Assembly _ProjectX;
_ProjectX = System.Reflection.Assembly.LoadFrom(_Url)

/// * end sample

This works fine. In debugger, the properties of the assembly appear correct. Then we fetch a certain class by it's FullName using the following code:

/// * start sample

string _FormName;
_FormName = "MyNameSpace.MyClassName";

System.Runtime.Remoting.ObjectHandle _ObjectHandle;
_ObjectHandle = System.Activator.CreateInstance(
_Assembly.GetName().ToString(), _FormName);

Object _Object;
_Object = _ObjectHandle.Unwrap() as object;

Z.ICustomForm _ICustomForm;
_ICustomForm = (_Object as Z.ICustomForm);

/// * end sample

This works perfectly, but ONLY when Project X is contained as a reference to Project Y and, of course, then included in the Project Y bin folder. And since we had a design goal to allow Project X to change often while project Y would almost never be changed/rebuilt, I was forced to remove the reference of Project X from project Y because loading Project X resulted in the exception (the located assembly's manifest definition does not match the assembly reference). Which I interpreted as a conflict with the local reference. Maybe I was wrong, I do not know.

Anyway, when Project X is _not_ referenced in Project Y, calling the above code (specfically, the System.Activator.CreateInstance() part) results in the following exception:

/// * start exception detail

TYPE

System.IO.FileNotFoundException

MESSAGE

"Could not load file or assembly 'ProjectX, Version=1.0.2594.26944, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=41b1be53bdfc59e4' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified."

FUSION LOG

=== Pre-bind state information ===
LOG: User = <mydomain>\<myusername>
LOG: DisplayName = ProjectX, Version=1.0.2594.26944, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=41b1be53bdfc59e4
(Fully-specified)
LOG: Appbase = file:///C:/<project path>/bin/Debug/
LOG: Initial PrivatePath = NULL
Calling assembly : ProjectY, Version=2.0.0.3, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=41b1be53bdfc59e4.
===
LOG: This bind starts in default load context.
LOG: Using application configuration file: C:\<project path>\bin\Debug\ProjectY.vshost.exe.Config
LOG: Using machine configuration file from C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\config\machine.config.
LOG: Post-policy reference: ProjectX, Version=1.0.2594.26944, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=41b1be53bdfc59e4
LOG: The same bind was seen before, and was failed with hr = 0x80070002.

INNER EXCEPTION

null

/// * end exception detail

Honestly, I am stumpted.

So far I have:

1. Are the references for Project X in the same http folder
(yes, I checked)

2. Are the file types allowed by IIS
(yes, I checked)

3. Are all references pulled down with the ProjectX.dll
(no, they do not appear in the temp folder)

4. Can I manually download references
(I don't know, could not find mechanism)

5. Can I tell the assembly to go get its references
(I don't know, could not see how)

6. Do other people have the same issue
(I don't know, don't see where)

7. Can I compile references into a single dll
(I don't know, don't know how)

8. Must Project X be a local reference in Project Y
(I do not know, no documentation specifically on that)

It is important to remember that this DOES work when Project X is a local reference project Y. This means the assembly and its content load fine and that the CreateInstance code works correctly. But this is not acceptable. We need to load this remotely where other develoeprs can post new versions of project X at any given time and Project y will fetch the latest version across HTTP from a known URL.

Does anyone have any suggestions

Thanks, Jerry