Troubleshooting deployment problems

In order for a task assembly to be used it must be downloaded. For the download to be successful, the NMF file which the user is opening must have the correct information. These same rules apply whether the use is opening a map file using the Open item on the File menu, using the 'ArcGIS Explorer Files' tab in the Open Content dialog, or using the Get Tasks button in the Manage Tasks dialog to add a task to the existing map.

• The custom task description element in the NMF file should contain the correct assembly name, culture, public key token, and version. 
• The DownloadLocation included in the NMF file must point to the location at which the file is located, and must use the appropriate protocol prefix.
• The location must be accessible by the current user, as those credentials will be used to connect to the location. Only anonymous logon is supported for http and ftp downloads.
• Ensure the user is not accessing an out-of-date NMF which has been saved locally; since the file was saved you may have updated the task information or location.
• Strong-name your task assemblies to help ensure unique task folder names. When you strong name your assembly, ensure that all relevant NMF files are updated with the appropriate version.

• The 'assembly version' is not the same as the 'file version'; these two version attributes are specified separately, therefore they may be different. Assembly version can be specified using the assembly-level attribute AssemblyVersion and is compiled into the metadata of a .NET assembly. File version can be specified using the assembly-level attribute AssemblyFileVersion, and is compiled into a standard windows module resource. To avoid problems, it you may wish to ensure that AssemblyFileVersion and AssemblyVersion are always set to the same value. 
• The custom task description element in the NMF file should contain the correct assembly version, which should match the actual assembly version of the file specified in the  DownloadLocation element. If a newer version of the assembly is found in the download location, ArcGIS Explorer will prompt the user to ask if they wish to download the newer version instead. However if an older version of the assembly is found in the download location, ArcGIS Explorer will fail to download the task and inform the user of the failure.
• Another type of version problem is the version of the E2API. E2API versions are backwardly compatible, but not always forwardly compatible, as at some releases the API is enhanced. When ArcGIS Explorer attempts to load a custom task, it checks the API version the custom task was compiled against. If ArcGIS Explorer detects that a custom task has been compiled against a newer version of the API than currently installed version, the custom task will not be loaded and a message will be displayed. See the API Versioning Considerations topic for more information on dealing with different API versions.

• Each task zip file should contain exactly one task assembly. This task assembly should match the details specified in the  custom task description element in the NMF file.
• A task zip file should not include full path information.

If the tips above have not helped you to troubleshoot your problems, you may wish to visit the following resources:

• See also the Troubleshooting E2API programming issues topic
• ArcGIS Explorer user forums at EDN
• ArcGIS Explorer comunity website
• ESRI Support Center