I figured this out by brute force. I looked on the net and found all kinds of ways, using mage.exe or using mageui.exe. All that is crap. Here is how I did it.

First, add the files you want to include the directory your visual studio project is in. Then, in your project, add the file as an existing item. Finally, click on the file you added and set it’s build action property to “Content” and the copy to output property to “Copy always.”

Then when you publish your application, that file will be included. Rinse and repeat for any other files you want to include.

Details: I was using the following system to determining the steps. You’re steps may differ. Windows XP SP3, Visual Studio 2008 SP1, .NET 3.5. If you need any help or want to ask a question, just leave a comment. I’ve included some screenshots for reference.

Right-click at the arrow to get to the existing item option.

These are the properties you need to set.