Visual Studio Setup and Deployment: Add Prerequisites

Question

How can I add to the installation and deployment project that I want the client to have more components, for example:

Microsoft Chart Controls Microsoft SQL 2008 Express Edition (not 2005) 

etc...

alt text http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/2586/200902021225eu9.png

These parameters are not relevant to VS 2008, and in the window (image above) it only has a link to “ Check Microsoft Update for additional components distributed by mailing list ”, but it goes to the page with two bootstrapper packages (I don’t even know what is it)

any ideas on how to add this to the project, instead ask users to install it manually?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Look at the article

Create a custom Bootstrapper package for Visual Studio 2005

If you find the folder C: \ Program Files \ Microsoft Visual Studio 8 \ SDK \ v2.0 \ BootStrapper \ Packages (VS 2005) or, for VS 2008, C: \ Program Files \ Microsoft SDK \ Windows \ v6.0A \ Bootstrapper \ Packages

Each folder in the "Packages" section is a prerequisite that you see in the list, as shown in the screenshot.

So, if you want to add the MyPrereq application as a prerequisite, you need to create your own MyPrereq folder in the Packages section. Then you create a product.xml file similar to this

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <Product ProductCode="MyPrereq" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/2004/01/bootstrapper"> <PackageFiles CopyAllPackageFiles="false"> <PackageFile Name="MyPrereq.exe" /> </PackageFiles> <InstallChecks> </InstallChecks> <Commands Reboot="None"> <Command PackageFile="MyPrereq.exe" EstimatedInstallSeconds="90"> <InstallConditions> </InstallConditions> <ExitCodes> <ExitCode Value="0" Result="Success"/> <DefaultExitCode Result="Fail" String="GeneralFailure" FormatMessageFromSystem="true" /> </ExitCodes> </Command> </Commands> </Product> 

and your package.xml file similar to this one

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <Package Name="MyPrereq" Culture="Culture" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/2004/01/bootstrapper"> <Strings> <String Name="Culture">en</String> <String Name="DisplayName">MyPrereq</String> <String Name="GeneralFailure">A fatal error occurred. The installation failed.</String> </Strings> </Package> 

and put these files and the installation package (MyPrereq.exe) in the folder. Check existing packages as an example to see where to place the files.

If you do everything right, you can see your MyPrereq option in the "Choose which prerequisites for installation" list.