I create a small application and I would like to create one MSI file.
In Visual Studio 2010 you have this project type under:
Other Project Types -> Setup and Deployment -> Visual studio Installer -> Setup Project
But the only thing you got in Visual Studio 2012 is "Enable InstallShield Limited Edition".
You can change the .NET Framework, but nothing changes.
Why is it not there any more? And how can I get it back? Is there a new way to do this?
Please see:
Visual Studio setup projects (vdproj) will not ship with future versions of VS
Windows Installer Deployment
It was announced 1 1/2 years ago that the project types were being killed. Alternatives are:
Use A VS2008/2010 Solution to build your installer
Switch to another tool such as InstallShield or Windows Installer XML
To create setup projects in Visual Studio 2012 with InstallShield Limited Edition, watch this video.
The InstallShield limited edition that cannot install services.
"ISLE is by far the worst installer option and the upgraded, read -
paid for, version is cumbersome to use at best and impossible in most
situations. InnoSetup, Nullsoft, Advanced, WiX, or just about any
other installer is better. If you did a survey you would see that
nobody is using ISLE. I don't know why you guys continue to associate
with InstallShield. It damages your credibility. Any developer worth
half his weight in salt knows ISLE is worthless and when you stand
behind it we have to question Microsoft's judgment."
By Edward Miller (comments in Visual Studio Installer Projects Extension).
The WiX Toolset, which, while powerful is exceeding user-unfriendly and has a steep learning curve. There is even a downloadable template for installing Windows services (ref. VS2012: Installer for Windows services?).
For Visual Studio 2013, see blog post Creating installers with Visual Studio.
Have you tried the "Publish" method? You just right click on the project file in the solution explorer and select "Publish" from the pop-up menu. This creates an installer in a few very simple steps.
You can do more configuration of the installer from the Publish tab in the project properties window.
NB: This method only works for WPF & Windows Forms apps.
Microsoft has listened to the cry for supporting installers (MSI) in Visual Studio and released the Visual Studio Installer Projects Extension. You can now create installers in Visual Studio 2013; download the extension here from the visualstudiogallery.
ISLE (InstallShield Limited Edition) is the "replacement" of the Visual Studio Setup and Deploy project, but many users think Microsoft took wrong step with removing .vdproj support from Visual Studio 2012 (and later ones) and supporting third-party company software.
Many people asked for returning it back (Bring back the basic setup and deployment project type Visual Studio Installer), but Microsoft is deaf to our voices... really sad.
As WiX is really complicated, I think it is worth to try some free installation systems - NSIS or Inno Setup. Both are scriptable and easy to learn - but powerful as original SADP.
I have created a really nice Visual Studio extension for NSIS and Inno Setup with many features (intellisense, syntax highlighting, navigation bars, compilation directly from Visual Studio, etc.). You can try it at www.visual-installer.com (sorry for self promo :)
Download Inno Setup (jrsoftware.org/isdl.php) or NSIS (nsis.sourceforge.net/Download) and install V&I (unsigned-softworks.sk/visual-installer/downloads.html).
All installers are simple Next/Next/Next...
In Visual Studio, select menu File -> New -> Project, choose NSISProject or Inno Setup, and a new project will be created (with full sources).
There is some progress for Visual studio 2013 developers :-D woot woot! See blog post Visual Studio Installer Projects Extension.
Link and information were retrieved from Brian Harry's blog post Creating installers with Visual Studio.
Have a look at the article Visual Studio Installer Deployment. It will surely help you.
You can choose the correct version of .NET framework on the page.
So for you, make it .NET 4.5. I guess that would be there for Visual Studio 2012.
I think that Deploying an Office Solution by Using ClickOnce (MSDN) can be useful.
After creating an Outlook plugin for Office 2010 the problem was to install it on the customer's computer, without using ISLE or other complex tools (or expensive).
The solution was to use the publish instrument of the Visual Studio project, as described in the link. Just two things to be done before the setup will work:
Install the PIA (Primary Interop Assembly) of Office 2010
Install the VSTO 2010 runtime
Related
UPD: I found old article that I used a few years ago and followed me step-by-step with deploy using Windows Installer Deploying a VSTO Solution Using Windows Installer. Problem solved
I wrote a custom add-ins menu for Office using Visual Studio Community 2019. Now I'm trying to deploy it. In this article Deploy an Office solution by using Windows Installer they used VS2013 and InstallShield Limited Edition, which doesn't work with VS Community 2019. I installed Advanced Installer but in the Help section "Create a package to deploy an Office Add-In developed in Visual Studio" says "The following article uses options that are available starting with the Professional edition and project type." what means I need to upgrade free version to commercial.
Could you please recommend any other Windows Installer for Office solution for Visual Studio Community 2019? Or any step-by-step article how to deploy solution by using Setup Project in VS Community 2019?
I remember I tried to do some deploy in old version of VS a few years ago, but nowadays it seems more complicated. I just want to try and see if my add-ins work in another computer and then I'll think about commercial versions of VS or Installers
Thanks,
Elena
You can build the package using the free version of Advanced Installer too, but you will have to create all the registry entries (those related to your addin) manually and also the same for adding the files in the package, as documented in the MS article.
The wizard that you mention above does this automatically by reading the necessary info to make the configs from your Visual Studio solution.
Disclaimer: I work on the team building Advanced Installer.
Is there no better Installer project in Visual Studio 2013 than the Setup projects or WiX?
I have a .vdproj and some WiX projects since Visual Studio 2008 which I now need to migrate to Visual Studio 2013. Do I still have to use the same two project types or is there a better solution?
Setup projects are still not supported with MSBuild and the WiX projects are still XML (although I see a visual designer is now available to purchase).
I am sick of both of them. I need something that is visual and that is supported by MSBuild. We have many custom actions too.
There is also Advanced Installer which have a Visual Studio Installer extension (with UI) which is available in their free edition (from what I know). Their Installer extension for VS is also MSBuild compatible.
WiX is the default way to go for free solutions that need to do advanced steps and must be able to integrate into Team Build and MSBuild.
Product Free/Paid VS designer MsBuild Support
InstallShield LE free yes yes
InstallShield Pro paid yes yes
InstallAware paid yes yes 3)
Advanced Installer free yes yes
NSIS free no no
MS VS Installer Projects free yes no
Wix Toolset free no 1) yes
InnoSetup free no no
PS App Deploy Toolkit free no 2) no
Remarks:
There is an extension that seems to support a user interface for WiX
Since it's PowerShell based you could use the Visual Studio PowerShell Tools.
Advanced Installer can generate an MSBuild compatible .*proj file on request.
Links to products:
InstallShield
Install Aware
Advanced Installer
Microsoft Visual Studio Installer Projects 2013
WiX Toolset
WiX Visual Studio extension
NSIS
InnoSetup
PS AppDeploy Toolkit
Remember that Team Build 2013 has a set of native extension points that allow you to execute PowerShell scripts after build which can trigger pretty much every type of installer project you need. Non-MSBuild-based systems like the PS AppDeploy Toolkit or NSIS can be triggered with relative ease this way.
XML and script-based UI's are generally easier to merge and branch and provide better maintainability over time as you're pretty much free to define the modules in separate files and provide comments on why certain files are deployed where or which commands are executed when.
I used the extension Visual Studio Installer Projects Extension: VSI_Bundle.
See the The Visual Studio Blog
It worked good for me.
First of all I'm new to visual studio. I need to develop a Setup (.exe) using Visual Studio C#. In order to create a setup, we need Windows Installer wizard. While searching on google I got a link from msdn Here
I tried to create a new project as described, but I wasn't able to find "Other Project Types". I searched google again and finally I got: InstallShield Limited Edition template provided by flexerasoftware.com. I registered and downloaded InstallShield 2013 Express Edition, and installed it. Restarted the machine and opened Visual Studio 2013, still I couldn't find other project type templates.
Everyone simply says choose setupwizard under "other project types", but no one provides any description on templates setup.
What am I missing here, and why this much complexity to create setup file wizard. Guide me If I am missing anything, I'm in a serious trouble.
Note : Currently am using Visual Studio 2013 Express edition.
Thanks.
This link explain where to find it:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn531020.aspx
From the link below:
>
To enable InstallShield Limited Edition On the menu bar, choose File,
New, Project.
In the New Project dialog box, expand the Other Project
Types node, and then choose the Setup and Deployment node.
In the template list, choose Enable InstallShield Limited Edition, and then
choose the OK button.
In the browser window that opens, read the
instructions, and then choose the Go to the download web site link.
This link explain where to find it:-https://diptimayapatra.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/create-setup-and-deployment-of-wpf-application-step-by-step-with-visual-studio-2012/
InstallShield Limited Edition for Visual Studio InstallShield Limited Edition can be integrated into all edition
This ist you answer:
Instructions for installing and activating InstallShield Limited Edition
for Visual Studio InstallShield Limited Edition can be integrated
into the following editions of Visual Studio: Professional, Premium,
and Ultimate. Note that Visual Studio Express Edition does not support
integration with InstallShield Limited Edition.
I try to see if it is possible anyway...
I have Visual Studio 2010 Professional installed. But for a client I do need Visual Studio 2008 (to avoid some upgrades that are note compatible with vs2010)
It is my job's notebook, so everything must be original and legal. And both, the client and my boss want to avoid licences costs. ANYWAY... it seems that my notebook already has some version of vs2008, I need to know if it is too muche reduced or if it will work to develop.
I can open a vs2008 that seems pretty much the same, also the about screen. But at "Add or Remove Programs" I just only have "Visual Studio Tools for Applications 2.0"
Finnaly when I run the app, it works, but the code is not recognize, it is shown as it is notepad.
Here are some screenshots that may help... THANKS ALL!!
VSTA is sort of a replacement for VBA, i.e. you can use VS to write .NET code to extend and automate thrid-party applications that are designed to support it. It appears that that is the only VS 2008 component that you have installed so you cannot open VB or C# projects or any of that stuff. If you want a legal copy of VS 2008 that you don't have to pay for then you'll need to look at an Express edition, although that may lack some features that you need. 2008 Express editions are hard to come by now too, as they are not offered for download any more by Microsoft.
What are these non-upgradeable parts of your project?
I want to create setup for my application and I want to know the differences and advantages of creating setup with Visual Studio Installer and InstallShield LE. Which of these is better?
I use visual studio 2010.
See Choosing a Windows Installer Deployment Tool for a comparison of features.
The page also cautions that Visual Studio Installer project templates will not be included in future versions.