[learningc#]

hi there! im trying to create a .msi for my project created in c# in visual studio 2008 .iv tried following the instructions for visual studio 2005 but they dont seem to apply to the 2008 version. its so confusing. will someone please be able to help me on this! thanks!

This post has been edited by learningc#: 18 December 2008 - 03:33 PM

[Jayman]

Look in the Debug/Bin folder in your solution. This is where the EXE will show up once you compile your program.

[learningc#]

hey thanks a lot!! that really worked!
i also need to know how to convert it to a .msi format..would you know how to do that?
Thanks in advance

Jayman, on 18 Dec, 2008 - 11:23 AM, said:

Look in the Debug/Bin folder in your solution. This is where the EXE will show up once you compile your program.

[Core]

If you want to create an installer for your project (as MSI files are Microsoft Windows Installer packages) in Microsoft® Visual Studio®, you must have Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition or higher (Professional or any of the Team System series).

First of all, open the project you want to create an installer (MSI) for. Then, go to File > Add > New Project and select Other Project Types > Setup And Deployment > Setup Project. Then you can customize your setup project (set the default paths, icons as well as files you want to include in the setup package). When ready, build the setup project and you will find the MSI file in the folder you specified when creating the setup project.

[KeyboardKowboy]

Another option is to consider using an installer solution. One that I currently work with and that has worked great is Advanced Installer by Caphyon. You can check it out here. It includes a great set of options and preferences. Including system prerequisites, allowing you to include other necessary libraries or packages if the installer recognizes that those files do not exist on the current system. It also allows you to import visual studio and java projects. It automatically includes the files necessary for the install.

[Core]

What is the point of getting another product if all the features mentioned (well, besides including Java projects) are available in the default Visual Studio setup project.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Well, considering my assumption of this user's level of expertise, I would assume that the VS-based Setup and Deployment project would be more than sufficient. Anything more complicated is greatly assisted by using one of the professional (and expensive) tools for creating an MSI file, such as InstallShield or Wise.