i created an application using c# language. this application is doing a task like report generation.i am using that application exe file directly to run the application.i never installed that application in my system. without installation of that application, i can use it in my system.then why people are installing a software/application in systems.please clarify me. so that i can differentiate the MSI installation and direct use of exe file.
Install in cs jargon means guided setup, so what you do is already, basically, installing. Installing may involve much more complicated steps than simple copy/paste of bin directory or unzipping in some folder. installation process may contain the below processes:
Controlling user license
Registry key control
Database creation
Com components registration
....
and much more.
But the core concept remains the same: guided setup of all necessary components of your program to run it properly. So, if the only thing your program needs is a binaries folder, copy/paste is your install.
What you are doing is called an "xcopy" deployment. It was all the rage when .NET came out but it has serious limitations.
Windows Installer (MSI) is a windows platform service / SDK that aimed to create a declarative framework for consistent installer behavior. Simply put instead of learning how to write script to automate install/uninstall (and making a lot of mistakes along the way) you leverage MSI to tell it I have a product named X with feature Y that has these files Z in these directories along with a shortcut and some registry entries and let MSI do the rest for you.
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Asking similar question because no one answered previous question asked
I have a solution with a class library project, a WPF project (start up project) and a Windows Service project. I would like to create one installer so that when the user installs the application then both WPF (UI) and Windows service gets installed.
Most of the resources I found online only talk about one or another but not both. For example this:.
I checked some question on stackoverflow but either they are not answered by any one or vague answers like this question or this one.
Any suggestion how to achieve this?
I'm not an expert on various installer solutions, but yes, this can be done. I know because my project does it.
We've historically used InstallShield, but we are actively moving to InstallAware for reasons unrelated to this discussion. Frankly, I suspect any installer solution (e.g., InstallShield, InstallAware, Wix, etc.) could be used to do this providing that it has the means to execute a batch script as part of the install process (more on this in a moment). In fact, while we are building our new installer using InstallAware, we are temporarily delivering our WPF-based application and Windows Service using a WinZip self-extracting executable. The WinZip self-extractor puts the WPF application in the C:\Program Files\<application>\<version> folder, puts the Windows Service in the C:\Program Files\<application>\Common folder, and then installs and starts the Windows Service.
The trick to all of this, of course, is getting the Windows Service installed. Initially, we used the InstallUtil.exe utility to do this, but we had to err on the side of caution and deliver it with our installer because we couldn't verify whether or not we could depend on the utility being available on the target system. At some point along the way, I read this answer by #Marc Gravell. This provided the springboard to my answer here, which provides detailed instructions for having your Windows Service install itself from the command line without the need for InstallUtil.exe.
So as a set of instructions...
Update your Windows Service based on the details here.
Create a .bat file with the following commands:
cd <PathToWindowsServiceInstallationFolder>
<YourWindowsService>.exe -install
Build the installer for your WPF Service and Windows Service. Note that this should focus on deploying the files to their correct locations. You'll need to include the .bat file as part of the installer. If your installer solution allows you to copy files to a temporary folder that gets deleted at the end of the installation process, copy the .bat file to that location since you won't need it after the installer is finished.
Finally, execute the .bat file from your installer during installation. This will install the Windows Service.
It's really not that complicated all things considered.
The one thing to be aware of is that your users should plan on running the installer as an administrator. Since installing the Windows Service updates the registry, users without administrative privileges might run into problems when trying to install your product.
HTH
I am a software developer and currently I am having requirement to develop such data management software for one retailer that doesn't require installation. Means client want software that should be pre installed in pen drive and while my client access that pen drive from any pc then he must be able to access whole software without any kind of cause or installation.
How could I develop such software? Is it possible to develop such software in .net (I am familiar with it)?
If the machines that you're working with already have the .NET framework installed that you required, then no problem. You can just run the .NET code from your pend drive.
However, if you can't guarantee that the .NET framework is already installed, .NET is not going to work in this scenario. A solution that comes to mind in that scenario is a bare bones Win32 C++ solution.
Yes, you just put the exe (and dll) files onto the pen drive. You don't need to build an installer.
This is not a problem at all, as long as you don't try to use the registry, or any local folders on the PC without expecting problems.
That's not an install.
An install is where you tell the operating system about the software.
.net out of the box is XCopy deploy. ie Build, open File manager click on the exe and it should just work.
So it you copy the build files to a clean machine, pen drive, cd, of just a foklder and it works, then job done.
No permanent registry, no appdata folders, no shortcuts.
Of course you can. For instance, if you develop a software that does require installation, and you want to ask a co worker to test the app for you, you could go into your debug folder (or release) and give him the .exe + eventually the DLLs. He will be able to run it without any problem.
Just remember to keep all save files, ressources and dll's in the same folder.
The only thing is, without an installer, you wont have access to all the features an installer has, such as checking for prerequisites, installing prerequisites, inserting keys into the registry etc ...
You will have to do without these "integrated" functionnalities
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What are the specific differences between .msi and setup.exe file?
I am working on an installer for a new version of my project (C#).
Previously, I've used Inno Setup to create .exe files for installing my projects on other computers in the workplace. While reading through some tutorials, though, I came across Windows Installer XML, which uses XML files to build a .msi installer.
My project will be available on a network share that all the employees have access to so they can install the software (I'm currently working on an update checker as well)
What are the major differences between .exe and .msi installers? Why would I want to chose one over the other? Would either make more sense given my specific environment?
I found some of the information at this question, but there was not a lot of information.
I wouldn't use WiX for a new project. I'd use an 'Installer Project' in Visual Studio to build an MSI. An installer project is much, much easier to put together.
Many exe installers are actually stubs or containers that hold an MSI, btw.
I guess you've checked out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Installer?
MSI's give administrators the ability to restrict installs, rebase installs, change or add custom actions, automate installs/reinstalls/uninstalls, standard logging and switches. It just really integrates into a corporate IT environment ( http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb742606.aspx ).
A custom installer may have many of those features, but that would depend on the installer package.
Most EXE installers available today are simply stubs to verify that the target machine has just enough support to launch an MSI stored within the EXE. They do basic windows version checking and Windows Installer version checking, then essentially invoke msiexec and let Windows Installer handle the rest.
For a very basic installation, the Installer Project in Visual Studio can get you by, but for just about any kind of real customization or tweaking you'll need a real MSI editor. We use WiX and love it - but it's a bear to learn. If you've got the cash you can invest in InstallShield - but that has it's own set of quirks.
MSI is configurable while EXE is not. I know this doesn't answer your question directly, but I thought I should point towards the ClickOnce technology.
MSDN: See example here.
Simply stated, a ClickOnce application
is any Windows Presentation
Foundation, Windows Forms, or console
application published using ClickOnce
technology. You can publish a
ClickOnce application in three
different ways: from a Web page, from
a network file share, or from media
such as a CD-ROM. A ClickOnce
application can be installed on an end
user's computer and run locally even
when the computer is offline, or it
can be run in an online-only mode
without permanently installing
anything on the end user's computer.
For more information, see Choosing a
ClickOnce Deployment Strategy.
IndigoRose's MSI factory is extremely powerful and much, much cheaper than InstallShield.
It uses WiX internally and allows you to modify the XML files in any way you like. The bootstrapper (.exe, if you add one) has a powerful scripting engine based on Lua to do... well anything.
I have .NET exe, I want to create a setup for this and after any login or restart this exe should be called automatically.
As you are deploying a .NET application, there are multiple ways in which you can approach this challenge.
There are many questions you have to consider when choosing an installer strategy. These include:
How do I plan to distribute this software?
Is the software supposed to be connected to the internet in any way?
What users is the software targeted towards?
Do these users have specific computer installations, such as all having .NET Framework already installed?
How should I approach the problem of updates to the software?
After answering some of these questions, you can get a general idea of how you should distribute the software. Then, you need to consider the various installers, and Wikipedia has a convenient list that compares them, which might help you.
Below are some examples of what might work for you:
ClickOnce deployment built into Visual Studio - my current favorite way, as this is the most easiest for users and for developers because updates and interaction is extremely simple
NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System), an open source scripting system for such installers. A great tutorial on packaging and checking for the .NET Framework with NSIS can be found here.
InstallShield (from Macrovision) - a heavily used installer system, but this one is not free, unlike other solutions
DreamShield - I haven't tried this one, but it appears to be a viable solution.
WiX (with Visual Studio plugin)
Deployment of applications is a very tough part of software development, especially in .NET, because how can we know, for example, whether the potential user already has the .NET Framework installed on their system or not? Or what version is installed? Thus, we must use tools like ClickOnce and NSIS to help.
To your question about how to start your application immediately at login, there are four ways to approach this:
Add registry key to start at login/bootup - MSDN explains that very well here. However, most installation systems allow you to automatically configure the registry key for bootup addition.
Use the Windows Task Scheduler to schedule a "task", in other words, to create a task that runs at startup. There is a .NET library for that here, I've used it in two of my applications that run on a specific schedule, it works great!
Adding the path to your executable into the Startup folder located at C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup(that is for all users - for single users you can customize the username in that path). By the way, that location is in Windows XP, it may be different in other version of Windows.
If your application is a Windows Service, you can already automatically start at bootup, through svchost! There is a simple service configuration that will allow you to accomplish this.
Hope I helped!
You can use Inno Setup for the specific tasks described in the other answers.
By setup, I'm going to assume you mean the conventional installer. A good open source solution is NSIS. If that does not work, here is a more complete list.
As for having it start whenever the computer restarts/you login, that is platform specific (the installer can be platform specific if the program is). On windows, the installer needs to add a shortcut to your program in the folder
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
(that is the easy method, there are surely more complicated registry settings).
This blog post lists a few useful links to info about Setup and Deployment projects using Visual Studio.
You could also google with the keywords ".net deployment project".
Although not .NET specific, you can try InstallJammer. Its open source and multiplatform.
How can I deploy a C# Visual Studio 2005 project so that I can run the application in another system? My project has a few dependencies and files that have to be integrated while deploying the project.
What is the best way to handle this?
You need to know what dependencies you have.
you need to have .Net framework installed
you have to explicitly install all dependencies that you used from the GAC on your target machine (some 3rd party components)
and then you just need to copy files from your \bin\Release folder
install all services, etc. if you have any
In the simplest cases only copying files should be enough.
Have you looked into ClickOnce deployment?
It's far from perfect, but for projects without a huge amount of overhead, it's generally good enough.
What kind of project?
Assuming it's a regular winforms application, just copy everything from either the obj\debug or obj\release directory to the new computer. Then run your executable
You can right click on the project file in visual studio and publish to a different location. This will build the site and copy it to the specified directory.
Also, if you need to do anything extra during the build, you can specify custom build actions on the build tab of the project's properties.
EDIT: now that I see you added that it's a windows application my answer doesn't matter. I'd try adding a setup and deployment project in visual studio to handle installing/deploying your windows application.
You more or less have three options (maybe 4?) as I see it.
Windows Installer
ClickOnce
Just distribute
the exe itself
In your particular case I would suggest ClickOnce as long as the project is not massive with too many dependencies.
For other alternatives.
The right answer depends on many criteria.
The simplest way to deploy is by copying files. Just put your .exe, the dependent .dll's, and the .config file in a directory and copy it onto the target machine. It's simple, but there are many restrictions to this approach:
It assumes that the target machine has the right version of the .NET framework installed
It assumes a certain technical competence on the part of the person installing the software.
The installation won't do basic things like create start menu items.
Publishing the program for ClickOnce deployment addresses a lot of these issues, but it's got its own set of limitations. I haven't used it much, so there are probably more than these, though these alone are pretty significant:
Programs are installed into the ClickOnce cache, not the Program Files directory.
If your program does anything outside of the ClickOnce sandbox, you have to deal with security elevation and code signing.
You can create a VS Setup and Deployment project and build an .msi file to install the program. The most obvious drawback to this is that it's complicated: .msi files can do many, many things, and the Setup and Deployment object model is complex, with documentation that is, let us say, fanciful. But there are things you can do with .msi installation that you can't readily do with other approaches, including (and certainly not limited to):
Cleanly uninstall the program through Add/Remove Programs.
Provide an actual UI for installation that lets the user decide where to put the program.
Support scripted installation via MSIEXEC.
Install components besides the program, e.g. databases, COM objects, etc.
Put components in the target machine's GAC.