When you create an application-level add-in project by using Visual Studio Tools for Office, a Setup project is automatically added to the solution. The Setup project for add-ins generates a Microsoft Windows Installer (.msi) file that configures the target computer and installs the add-in. For more information about Setup projects, see Setup and Deployment Projects.
Setup Project Overview
By default, when you build the Setup project, Visual Studio creates a Windows Installer file that performs the following steps:
-
Verifies that the .NET Framework 2.0 is installed on the client computer.
.gif) Note |
|---|
| By default, the Setup project does not check for other prerequisites, including the Visual Studio Tools for Office runtime and the primary interop assembly (PIA) for the Microsoft Office application. For more information about the prerequisites, see How to: Prepare End User Computers to Run Office Solutions. |
| Note |
|---|
| By default, the Setup program will not run if the .NET Framework 2.0 is not installed, even if a later or earlier version of the Framework is installed. The installer will not run because the AllowLaterVersions launch condition property for the .NET Framework in the Setup project is set to false. For more information about launch conditions in Setup projects, see Launch Conditions Editor and Properties for the Launch Conditions Editor. |
-
Creates the required registry keys on the client computer. For more information about these registry keys, see Deploying Application-Level Add-ins.
-
Copies the files generated by the build process, including the add-in assembly and the application manifest, to a user-specified directory on the target computer.
The add-in assembly and any referenced assemblies must also be granted full trust in the security policy of each end user. The Setup project does not set the security policy by default. You can add a step to the Setup project to configure the security policy, or the appropriate security policy can be set by an administrator. For more information, see Security Requirements to Run Office Solutions.
Changing Default Registry Keys for Microsoft Office 2003 Add-ins on Windows Vista
If you use the Setup project to deploy a Microsoft Office 2003 add-in to a computer that is running Windows Vista, you must change some of the registry keys in the Setup project in the following scenarios:
For more information, see Deploying Application-Level Add-ins.
To modify the registry keys in the Setup project
-
Open the add-in project in Visual Studio.
-
In Solution Explorer, right-click the Setup project, point to View, and then click Registry.
The Registry Editor opens.
-
In the navigation pane, expand the HKEY_CURRENT_USER and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE nodes.
-
Under HKEY_CURRENT_USER, expand the Software node.
-
Drag the Classes node from the Software node under HKEY_CURRENT_USER to the Software node under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
| Note |
|---|
| Do not move the registry keys that are under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft in these scenarios. |
See Also