Suppose I have two application - App A and App B which are already created and are working fine. Now I want to create a new setup project which can be used to create a setup file for both of the applications. Can this be possible of creating a setup file for installing both apps? Also I want to perform the installation in such a way that - once the App A is installed then only the installation of App B should begin.
Thanks.
With VS setup projects you can create one setup (I assume you mean an MSI setup and not ClickOnce) that contains "everything" from both apps - the files, the shortcuts, dependencies etc. Then you will have a single setup that will install and give you one entry in Programs&Features. There's often no need to have a "A must install ok before B installs" because that single combined setup is transactional, like all MSI installs - if anything fails then the entire install rolls back.
If A just contains functionality that happens to be packaged as an MSI that B and other products are going to use, then sometimes people just build A as a merge module and include it into B (and the other setups) but that depends on why there are two setups and the business/workflow requirements.
There's no VS support for combinining separate MSI files into one setup and conditioning B on the success of A. You may as well just write a launcher that runs both MSIs, but you'll see two sets of UI and two entries in Programs&Features, but you don't say if these are things you want to avoid or not. Obviously if B depends on A and there are two entries in Programns&Features it's possible a user could uninstall A and break B.
The main issue is whether you just want a launcher that will install some number of MSI files each with their own UI and entry in Programs&Features, or you want an integrated experience that makes multiple MSI files install and uninstall as a single product.
Apart from that, I've known people build their MSI files with something like VS and then use the WiX Burn bootstrapper to combine them into one product, where the Programs&Features entry combines all the MSI files.
There used to be the Bootstrap Manifest Generator tool that would let you add A as a prerequisite so setup.exe would install prerequisites, including A, and then install B, but that tool and its docs are hard to find since setup projects got taken away in VS 2012.
Related
I have three windows based application. I need to deploy them into a single msi file. The first two files are kinda like the check for the proper computer, like the specific computer name and login username. The problem I have is that how can I deploy all these three application into one msi file. And the installation goes like this ?:
1: Install the window application A
2: If application doesn't install properly then stop installation and delete application B and application C. However if everything goes fine then install the final main application, Application C.
Addition information: The application A and Application B is basically kinda checking the username and proper name of the computer and then printing out the specified values into the registry.
Appreciate help in advance :)
If you're using the VS Setup Project installer, this is a little more difficult than it has to be but not by much.
The first thing you should do is pick a "primary" application. This application's installer will be the one invoked by the user to install all three and will control the other two.
Now, deploy the other two applications into their MSI files. This process is relatively straightforward; the only thing you must do is ensure that any custom information that may be needed by the setup wizard can be defined using command-line parameters, and that the installation can be performed in an unattended manner. VS Setup Projects allow both of these; you have to define the parameter name of any custom field in your wizard, but given that the unattended feature is "free". Once these MSIs are built, add them as files to be installed to the main application directory of the primary app.
Now, you must define custom actions in the installer of the primary application. This is done by creating a class inheriting from System.Configuration.Install.Installer, decorating it with a RunInstaller attribute, and specifying this Installer class's project as a set of Custom Actions for the installer.
In the Installer class, override the OnAfterInstall, OnBeforeUninstall, and OnRollback methods. In the OnAfterInstall method, call Process.Start to invoke MsiExec.exe with the /I option to install, passing the path and name of the first application's MSI, and specifying the "/q" option to perform the install silently as well as any properties which must be set (installation parameters; path, install level/components, app settings, etc). Repeat for the other application, then repeat the process with the OnBeforeUninstall and OnRollback methods, but specifying the /x option to uninstall the MSIs.
When you're done, you should have a single MSI containing the other two MSIs, that when installed will silently install the other two and when uninstalled will uninstall the other two. For more advanced installation control, you can differentiate between an "install" and a "modification/repair" by examining the savedState dictionary in the handlers (during a repair, you should repair the child apps instead of trying to reinstall them), and you may make installation of the other two applications optional using a Components dialog in the install process (the information will be passed to the custom action handlers, and can also be used to choose whether to copy one or both MSIs to the primary app directory). Finally, you may choose to override OnAfterCommit and remove the MSIs (but if you do so, you will have to uninstall the child packages using Windows' retained copy of the MSI, which can be tricky to find).
I am looking at making an application more modular and accessing dlls so that I can change them if the client was wanting different functionality.
I know how to create the dlls and reference them, but I am trying to find a way to create an executable that will install a different version of a dll into the required application folder. I want to avoid having to put the new dlls into the original project and build a new install file and I want to keep things simple for the end user.
Currently I am using visual studio 2010
You could create MSI files for each of your dlls and use the standard installer process to update the dll. It is also possible to write an exe that downloads and extracts which will have an arbitrary amount of logic (licensing, download location now and then...).
A combnation of both might seem an interesting thing. A bootstrapper downloading msi files and silently installing them. You could have advanced features in the installer while having the freedom to decide what and when to install on your own.
Technical aspects popping into my mind: files in use may not be changed and if you change the interface theunchanges main program won't be able to use the new library.
It seems you're searching for a plugin architechtecture, you might want to look at MEF or Unity to perform the compositiom, but that is more a side comment.
There are few SO thread available on this great website. You should explorer them and try the best way to implement whatever situation you have..
Check these reference links:
from: Creating a patch to upgrade .NET application
If you already use a a VS Setup Project you can deploy the new version
of this project and it will upgrade existing installations. Have a
look at the setup and upgrade ids. The stop and start of the service
can be done by custom actions that can be defined in the project and
will be executed i.e. when your setup is committed or rollbacked etc.
Patch development in DotNet
How to make Patch-able/Update-able application?
create patch file using .net windows application
Note: Ref this For clickonce how to build a patch for existing installer
I have created a piece of software to download data from finger-scanners and write them to a database. The drivers of them should be installed first, so the driver setups should be installed while he installs the software. I don't know how to do it. It is written in C#.
You may create a setup for your app using Visual Studio Setup Projects. It helps you to run external exe s or msi s when your setup runs.
Go to File -> New -> Project -> Other Project types -> Setup and Deployment to create a setup project as you prefer. Then you may use Custom actions to add the feature you requrire. (The 3rd and 4th links below shows about custom actions).
Refer to:
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/dotnet/Win_App_Setup_Project.aspx
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/install/ExtendVSSetupProject.aspx
http://devdump.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/setup-project-custom-actions/
http://www.simple-talk.com/dotnet/visual-studio/visual-studio-setup---projects-and-custom-actions/
Also you may create a script based installer for your app, which will let you create an installer with with high customizability and features.
Refer to
Main Page - NSIS
Embedding other installers - NSIS
Hope this helps...
You can't run an MSI based install from a Visual Studio custom action. MSI doesn't permit that kind of recursive install (because it's a transaction, and because it tries to use system restore points per install etc). That's part of the reason why other prerequisites are installed by the setup.exe program. The bootstrap manifest generator can be used to generate custom prerequisites (first topic in this forum).
From:
https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/dfb5de84-a0f0-4639-958e-8cbf4cba6e90/setup-deployment-project-cannot-launch-another-installation?forum=winformssetup
i wanna deploy a C# Windows Application project using Setup and deployment project technique
but i don know what should i use
after i open File > New > Project > Setup and deployment > ....
then what ,, what should i do next
In the past I've used the Visual Studio Setup Project or Innosetup for my programs. I prefer to build .msi's over exe's so Visual Studio Setup Project has been my goto for a while now. It is however, very lacking in capabilities. The interface is not intuitive either in my opinion. Every time I build an installer there is a lot of trial and error install/uninstall to get it right. Other's have pointed out WIX and I've looked into it. It appears to be very flexible and since it is open source, we should be able to count on it for the long term.
Here is a recent article about WIX. What I found interesting is the article claims (see link in article) that Visual Studio Setup Project is being End Of Life'd in VS 2010 + NEXT_VERSION. This is a little disconcerting to me. Since I don't want to begin to rely on the new Install Shield "Lite" in VS, I'm going to put effort into learning WIX. I hope it'll pay off in more flexible builds for my applications as well.
All that said, when creating a VS Setup project, I usually use the wizard to put in the initial plumbing. You'll point it at the files you want in the .msi. Typically for me this means the "outputs" of one or more programs in my solution. Any managed assemblies referenced in the programs will automatically get picked up as dependencies and included. Unfortunately unmanaged assemblies don't and I usually have to add them manually using the "File System Editor" mode in the Setup Project UI. Adding shortcuts is a little hokey as well. You right click under the start menu and desktop section of the "File System Editor" mode and select create shortcut. This is all by memory so hopefully I'm getting this right. You will certainly have to test your installer multiple times before you get it just how you want. I like to test under a VM as well.
Finally, the VS Setup project produces a setup.exe and .msi file. Setup.exe is used for detecting and installing dependencies (such as .Net) before unpacking the actual DLL.
When u do this File > New > Project > Setup and deployment >
then right click Application folder> Add > File...and add your app's .exe file and also you can add shortcuts of your app in desktop and program's menu
I would recommend you to go for some tool for creating msi.
I am using WIX
What you need depends on... what you need.
For a large percentage of applications, all you need the installer to do is let the user choose an install location, copy files to a directory structure at that location, and create a few shortcuts. For that, a Visual Studio Installer -> Setup Project is fine. It can handle this basic functionality, as well as installing prerequisites like the .Net Framework redistributables, providing custom install options, and/or writing simple registry keys. The Setup Wizard creates a Setup Project as well, but runs you through a wizard to set up the basics. This is a good option if you've never created an installer before.
If you want this application to be controlled by a larger, more custom install, choose the CAB Project; it will simply pack the necessary files into an archive that is easily accessible from another setup project.
If you are publishing a class library, use a Merge Module. Merge Modules work within install programs themselves, providing files needed for the main application to work.
If you need serious customization, or you want to interface with existing InstallShield logic, I'd get a third-party installer. I've worked with InstallShield before, and it's pretty full-featured, but by the same token, the installers it creates are applications in their own right and can take days or weeks of logic programming to "tweak" to your satisfaction.
I have made a application using c# database and sucessfully made a setup projects that outputs setup files needed to install that application but when i install it on other machine first I have to update installer then framework 2 sp2 and then SQL server and when I tell my client that he would have to do the same he just ........... so I want a way to embed these things in that installer wizard so that in a one go every thing gets installed without prompting for each thing . for example when we install visual studio every thing gets installed without asking permission as we select what to install.so is there a way?
If you have a setup wizard for each of the parts you need to install, you may want to take a look at Inno Setup, as you can embed those installers in a new one which in turns executes Database/.NET Framework/application setups in correct order to properly configure all the pieces of the solution on a machine.
As setup applications usually have a way to configure options by command line parameters and run silently, you can collect all parameters you need in the new wizard page and call any of the needed installers just by adding a line in the [Run] section of the script.
With Inno you can even embed a pascal script to run code at wizard run-time, for example to inspect destination machine in order to run or not run some installers. You are able to download required extra-files on demand also.
When you compile a Inno setup project with default options, you get a single executable containing all what you need to install your project, making deployment very easy.
This options may be available for the tool you're using now to produce your installer.