ComponentOne Xap Optimizer

Description

Stand-alone utility that processes XAP files and generates an optimised Silverlight application by removing unused classes from the assemblies used by applications.

ComponentOne XapOptimizer is a utility that optimizes Silverlight applications by making XAP files smaller and more difficult to reverse engineer.

Reducing application size is always a good thing because small applications load faster and are easier to distribute and install. This is especially important in Internet scenarios, where applications are deployed as part of Web pages and are constantly downloaded and updated.

Preventing reverse engineering is also a common concern, especially for .NET applications which are easy to disassemble using popular tools such as the Red Gate .NET Reflector.

ComponentOne XapOptimizer accomplishes these optimisations using two techniques:

• Pruning: Pruning (also known as dead-code elimination) consists of analysing the application and removing classes and resources that are not used. Dead code is common in applications that use libraries. Libraries typically include many controls and classes of which each client application only uses small subsets.
• Obfuscation: Obfuscation consists of changing the names of classes and fields in order to deter reverse engineering. This process also reduces the size of assemblies by using obfuscated names that are shorter than the original names.

ComponentOne Xap Optimizer – Features

Key Features:

• Customise the Optimisation Output: See what’s going to be removed from the assembly before it is actually removed. You can also manually “Pin” some elements to keep them after the optimisation process. You can now pin entire assemblies, namespaces and resources.
• Obfuscation: Choose to enable or disable obfuscation and choose the specific elements to obfuscate. Obfuscation is the deliberate act of making your source code difficult for others to reverse engineer.
• Sign Assemblies: You can specify strong-names for the assemblies in the application. You can choose whether to sign elements in the assembly and which specific elements to sign.
• Save Projects: XapOptimizer allows you to save projects allowing you to reopen the project at a later date or easily try different options.
• Integrate with Your Build Process: Integrate XapOptimizer as part of the build process in Microsoft Visual Studio. This is easy to do using a post-build event to automatically optimise your app every time you perform a release build. Note that previously you could use the /cmd command line argument to run XapOptimizer in command mode for batch runs. Now, you can use the separate XapOptimizerCmd.exe application included in the XapOptimizer installation.
• Use with Any Third Party Controls: Use XapOptimizer with any Silverlight assembly including third party controls; it is not restricted to ComponentOne controls.
• Windows Phone and Silverlight 5 Support: XapOptimizer now includes enhancements to support Windows Phone 7.2 (Mango) Silverlight 5 applications as well as Silverlight 4.

ComponentOne Xap Optimizer – System Requirements

System Requirements:

• NET 3.5 Framework or later
• SN.exe (Optional; The Strong Name Tool, typically installed with Visual Studio, is used to create strongnamed
  assemblies and is only required when signing optimized assemblies.)