Installing MonoDevelop on Windows: workaround for Gtk# requirement?

3
votes

I have already installed Mono (version 2.11.4) on my Windows 7 system, and now I intend to install MonoDevelop (version 3.0.4.7). However, when I start the MonoDevelop installer I get the following error message, and the installation is terminated:

MonoDevelop installation error

OK, this can be easily fixed by obtaining the Gtk# installer from here. However, the Mono installation already includes Gtk# 2.12.11, so it really seems like an unnecessary step to also install Gtk# separately.

When Mono including Gtk# is already installed, is there any way to instruct the MonoDevelop installer to (additionally) look for the required Gtk# files in the Mono installation directories?

UPDATE I have tried to install "dummy" registry settings for Gtk#, specifying the Mono root directory as the Gtk# installation folder. This allows me to install MonoDevelop without having to install Gtk# separately, but I am not able to run MonoDevelop afterwards...

1
windowsmonoinstallationmonodevelopgtk#

1 Answers

7
votes

You need to install GTK# for .NET, because the GTK# included with Mono is in Mono's GAC, not .NET's GAC, and the MonoDevelop installer is specifically designed to install MonoDevelop such that it runs on the .NET runtime. Although it should be possible to run MD on Mono on Windows, running on .NET is all that's tested and officially supported.

You can still target Mono while running on .NET - MonoDevelop will detect installed Mono runtimes. and they'll show up in the "target runtime" menu.