Authoring a Windows Installer Package

Data drives the Windows Installer model. Rather than writing a procedural script to copy files and write registry entries, for example, you author rows and columns in database tables that contain file and registry data.

Database Entries

To install a VSPackage, a Windows Installer package must contain database entries to perform the following tasks:

• Search the system to locate the versions of Visual Studio your VSPackage supports (using Windows Installer tables that include AppSearch, CompLocator, RegLocator, DrLocator, and Signature).

• Cancel the installation if no supported version of Visual Studio is installed or if another system requirement of the VSPackage is not met (using the LaunchCondition table).

• Install the VSPackage and dependent files (using the directory, component, and file tables).

• Add appropriate information for the VSPackage to the registry (using the Registry table).

• Integrate the VSPackage in Visual Studio by calling devenv.exe /setup (using the CustomAction table).

  For more information, see Windows Installer.

Setup Tools

A variety of third-party setup tools provide a development environment for Windows Installer packages. Two free tools are the following:

• InstallShield Limited Edition

  You can get a limited version of InstallShield through the Visual Studio New Project dialog. Expand Other Project Types and then select Setup and Deployment. Select the InstallShield template.

• Windows Installer XML Toolset

  The Toolset builds Windows Installer packages from XML source files. The Toolset is a Microsoft open-source project. You can download the source code and executables from http://sourceforge.net/projects/wix.

  For commercial products that integrate into Visual Studio by using the Visual Studio SDK, see https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/.

See Also

Installing VSPackages With Windows Installer