SmartAssembly.Attributes required to be installed in the GAC

[eric-914]

Someone please explain this error message, and why in God's name is it required to be in the GAC of my client machines?

System Update Required
Unable to install or run the application. The application requires that assembly SmartAssembly.Attributes Version 6.0.0.0 be installed in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC) first.

Please contact your system administrator.

[Chris.Allen]

If you used a trial version- you won't be able to run the protected assemblies on your client's machine without installing smartassembly there too.

What happens on your own machine- does it work?

[eric-914]

I figured out what went wrong. Or at least what I needed to fix it.

I followed the instructions on this page about attributes:
http://www.red-gate.com/supportcenter/content/SmartAssembly/help/6.7/SA_UsingCustomAttributes

I started w/ the first option listed on the page, and added a reference to SmartAssembly.Attributes.dll, and then later used the 2nd option.

Even though the app no longer actually needed the reference to the S/A dll, it was still being referenced. And when deployed, insisted it couldn't run w/out the S/A being in the GAC.

I removed the reference, built, and deployed, and the problem went away.

Still weird that option #1 would cause this though.
Seems #2 would've been listed first.