PreEmptive Protection Dotfuscator exe files

Question

What is Map.Xml and Dotfuscator1.Xml files of PreEmptive Protection Dotfuscator exe file. Should I keep them for some reason or maybe it is needed for project exe file assembly?

Answer 1

The Dotfuscator1.xml file is the Dotfuscator project (i.e., configuration) file. It is an XML file that defines what assemblies will be processed by Dotfuscator, where the protected assemblies will be written, and any custom configuration of the protection process (e.g., any names that will be excluded from renaming). You should keep this file checked-in to your version control system, so that you can re-apply Dotfuscator's protection to your assemblies when you make code changes.

The Map.xml file is the renaming map file. Dotfuscator's renaming obfuscation changes the names of classes, methods, etc. in your assembly. This file maps the original names to the new, obfuscated names. You should archive this file in a private location when you release your assemblies. This is because if a customer gives you a stack trace, the names there will be the obfuscated names. In order to understand the stack trace, you will need to reverse the renaming process; this file gives you the necessary information.

You should NOT distribute either of these files to users.

Note 1: The above links assume you are using the Community Edition (free SKU) of PreEmptive Protection - Dotfuscator that is included in Visual Studio. The concepts are the same in the Professional Edition, but there's a separate documentation for that SKU available here.

Note 2: I am a developer on the Dotfuscator team at PreEmptive Solutions, and am answering this question in that capacity.