Obfuscation

2 Feb 2006 10:11 AM

..:: Kevin ::..

Is it possible to perform obfuscation on code automatically as part of a
build in Visual Studio 2003?

For example, instead of building code in release mode, is it possible to
create a custom build configuration that will build the code in release mode
and then call an obfuscation program to obfuscate the newly built code?

Ideally what im looking for is a way to integrate obfuscation into the build
process so that when I create my setup program I can just point it to the
output of my other project, which I know will spit out obfuscated code once
its compiled.

Im pretty new to obfuscation so any help on the above, or suggestions or
ideas on how other people tackle this problem would be greatly welcomed.

Thanks in advance!

2 Feb 2006 10:29 AM

Anand[MVP]

There are ways to actually add Post-build commands. It can be done using the
Build Events Properties.

--
Rgds,
Anand
VB.NET MVP
http://www.dotnetindia.com

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"..:: Kevin ::.." wrote:

> Is it possible to perform obfuscation on code automatically as part of a
> build in Visual Studio 2003?
>
> For example, instead of building code in release mode, is it possible to
> create a custom build configuration that will build the code in release mode
> and then call an obfuscation program to obfuscate the newly built code?
>
> Ideally what im looking for is a way to integrate obfuscation into the build
> process so that when I create my setup program I can just point it to the
> output of my other project, which I know will spit out obfuscated code once
> its compiled.
>
> Im pretty new to obfuscation so any help on the above, or suggestions or
> ideas on how other people tackle this problem would be greatly welcomed.
>
> Thanks in advance!

2 Feb 2006 10:46 AM

Peter Macej

Unfortunately, Build events are not implemented in VB 2002/2003. They
are only present for C#. VS 2005 adds support also for VB. You can
download PrePostBuildRules Add-in which enables pre/post-build events.
Download it directly from MS
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=3FF9C915-30E5-430E-95B3-621DCCD25150&displaylang=en

Then you can define command line arguments to perform after or before build.

--
Peter Macej
Helixoft - http://www.vbdocman.com
VBdocman - Automatic generator of technical documentation for VB, VB
..NET and ASP .NET code

2 Feb 2006 11:05 AM

Carlos J. Quintero [VB MVP]

Hi Kevin,

Obfuscator companies sell different editions, and typically the basic
edition does not integrate with VS builds but the advanced edition does.
See, for example:

http://www.dotfuscator.com/products/dotfuscator/Editions.html

That said, with any edition you can always create a script to make the build
from the command line using devenv.exe /build, etc. and then obfuscate the
assembly.

There are also 3rd party products such as www.FinalBuilder.com that take
care of building the exe and obfuscating it using friendly tools instead of
forcing you to write a .bat/.vbs script.

--

Best regards,

Carlos J. Quintero

MZ-Tools: Productivity add-ins for Visual Studio
You can code, design and document much faster:
http://www.mztools.com

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"..:: Kevin ::.." <Ke***@discussions.microsoft.com> escribió en el mensaje
news:38688A90-12AB-46D2-8897-A9E6B36F6F5E@microsoft.com...
> Is it possible to perform obfuscation on code automatically as part of a
> build in Visual Studio 2003?
>
> For example, instead of building code in release mode, is it possible to
> create a custom build configuration that will build the code in release
> mode
> and then call an obfuscation program to obfuscate the newly built code?
>
> Ideally what im looking for is a way to integrate obfuscation into the
> build
> process so that when I create my setup program I can just point it to the
> output of my other project, which I know will spit out obfuscated code
> once
> its compiled.
>
> Im pretty new to obfuscation so any help on the above, or suggestions or
> ideas on how other people tackle this problem would be greatly welcomed.
>
> Thanks in advance!