How to create an installer for a .NET site, Windows service, etc.?

Question

I need to create an installer program that does the following:

• ASP.Net Website
• Windows service
• SQL Express if it is not installed and the user does not have SQL Server
• Dundas Charts
• ASP.Net AJAX v.1.0
• ReportViewer Control (for 2.0 Framework)
• Check Framework Preferences (2.0)
• Configure IIS and app.config (data connection strings, etc.).

How realistic is it to be able to do this with the VS installation project? Or should I look at other installation tools?

Answer 1

You can use WiX

Answer 2

Most of the best open source tools and programs for Windows are distributed using NSIS

ASP.Net website (without listing - error in stackoverflow - the code is not formatted, but the list is higher ..)

CreateDirectory $INSTDIR SetOutPath $INSTDIR ; HERE UNZIP ACTUALLY THE FILES (ADD *.js files if needed ) ; PACK ALL THE FILES EXCEPT THOSE WITH FILE EXTENSIONS after the /x File /r /x *.suo /x *.MDF /x *.exclude /x *.ldf /x *.pl /x *.nsis /x *.cmd "siteFolderName\*.*" 

• Windows service and here
• SQL Express if it is not installed and the user does not have SQL Server
• Dundas Charts - Quiet Installer Challenge
• ASP.Net AJAX v.1.0 - a silent installer call
• ReportViewer Control (for 2.0 Framework)
• Check Framework Prerequisites (2.0) - Verify NSIS Functionality
• Configure IIS and app.config (data connection strings, etc.). I do this by pre-configuring the files in the installer and writing them during installation.

Answer 3

I used WiX. I hit my head on the wall for several days, and then hung up. The WiX mailing list is key if you've never worked with WiX before.

Answer 4

As my previous speakers have said, I also recommend that you use WiX . Visual Studio (prior to version 2008) also has its own built-in installer system. But I would avoid using it because you need to use the full Visual Studio environment to compile it. You cannot use command line building scripts, and therefore it is useless when working with an automatic build server.

WiX gives you all the flexibility you might need. And as far as I know, Microsoft will use it as a standard installation tool in Visual Studio 2010.