Customizing Web Setup Projects

You might want an installation program to provide custom features and perform custom actions, such as creating Registry entries and providing a customized user interface for installation. Visual Studio .NET provides various editors to customize the installation process, as shown in Figure 14.2.

Figure 14.2. You can launch various editors for a Web setup project via the Solution Explorer.

The File System Editor

The File System Editor specifies where the project output and other files will be installed on the target computer. The File System Editor provides a mapping of the file system on the target machine. For example, at the time of installation, the special folder Web Application Folder is converted to the actual path of the Web application on the target machine.

The Registry Editor

The Registry Editor enables you to specify Registry keys, subkeys, and values that are added to the Registry in the target machine during installation. You can also import Registry files to the Registry Editor.

The File Types Editor

The File Types Editor enables you to associate file extensions and actions with an application.

Using the User Interface Editor

The User Interface Editor enables you to customize the user interface provided during the installation process. The user interface is divided into three stagesstart, progress, and end. You can add different types of dialog boxes for each stage, but each stage enables only certain types of dialog boxes to be added.

The User Interface Editor displays the user interface applicable to both the end user and the administrative installations. You can customize the user interface for both of these types of installations. The administrative installation occurs when you run the msiexec command-line tool with the /a option.

Using the Custom Actions Editor

The Custom Actions Editor enables you to run compiled DLL or EXE files, script files, or assemblies at the end of an installation. These files can be used to perform vital custom actions that were not carried out during installation. If the custom action fails, the entire installation process is rolled back. For example, you might have to install the database that is required by your application during the installation process.

The four phases in which custom actions can be performed are install, commit, rollback, and uninstall. Follow these steps to create a simple custom action that launches the WebSqlApp application toward the end of the installation:

1. Add a new, Visual C# Project ( LaunchWebSql ), based on the Empty Project template, to the solution. Add a new class file ( LaunchWebSql.cs ) to the project.

2. Modify the class definition as shown here and build the LaunchWebSql project:

    using System; using System.Diagnostics; public class LaunchWebSql {   public static void Main(string[] args)   {     // Start the process by passing the filename and argument     Process.Start("iexplore", "http://localhost/ExamCram/315C14/     WebSqlApp/WebForm1.aspx");   } } 

3. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the WebSqlSetup project and select Add, Project Output from the context menu. This opens the Add Project Output Group dialog box. Select LaunchWebSql as the project, and select Primary Output from the list box. Click OK.

4. Open the Custom Actions Editor for the WebSqlSetup project. Select the Install node under the Custom Actions node; then select Action, Add Custom Action. This opens the Select Item in Project dialog box. Navigate to the Web Application folder and select Primary Output from LaunchWebSql (Active). Rename the action LaunchWebSql .

5. Select the custom action LaunchWebSql and open the Properties window. Set the InstallerClass property to false .

6. Build the WebSqlSetup project and install the Web application. The WebSqlApp application will be launched after the installation process is completed.

The previous example uses the static Process.Start() method to launch Internet Explorer with the given URL. You also set the InstallerClass property to false because the LaunchWebSql class did not inherit from the Installer class. The .NET Framework supplies the Installer class to provide a base for custom installations.

Using the Launch Conditions Editor

The Launch Conditions Editor enables you to set conditions to be evaluated when the installation begins on the target machine. If the conditions are not met, the installation stops.

The Launch Conditions Editor enables you to perform searches on the target machine for a file, a Registry key, or Windows Installer components. For example, you could add a condition that Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) version 2.7 or higher should be installed for the installation to continue.