Adding Add-In to larger Install .msi

[Crash]

Hi,

Framework v1.1
VS 2003
Installer 2.0
Tablet XP

Need help with doing this by hand or if anybody knows a doc link with
steps it would be greatly appreciated:

I have a WinForms application with an Installer project. Part of my
application is an Outlook 2003 add-in project. I am ready to deploy.
I would like to make the add-in install part of my application's
installer; aka I would like user to run only 1 installer.

Is there an easy way to convert the add-in's installer .msi project
into a merge module so that I can add it to the application installer
..msi??

I have been looking for instructions on how to deploy an office add-in
as part of another installer project but have not found too much.
Assuming that I have to merge the add-in install into my application's
install "by hand", from what I have been reading I gather these steps
are needed in my installer:

- add myaddin project output to my application installer project
- regsvr32 myaddin
- add office add-in registry entries for myaddin
- adjust registry codebase entries for myaddin to my install location

Does that sound correct?

 

[Carlos J. Quintero [VB MVP]]

For the add-in part, yes, you have:

1) To copy the files
2) To register your dll as ActiveX
3) To register your dll as Outlook add-in

However, using

regsvr32.exe myaddin.dll

is not correct. Regsvr32.exe is used for ActiveX components, and .NET
assemblies are not ActiveX components, they can pretend that they are, but
they are not. To register .NET assemblies for COM Interop you need to use:

regasm.exe /codebase MyAddinNETAssembly.dll

where regasm.exe is an utility of the .NET Framework (see the docs).

About installers, I would recommend the free InnoSetup installer
(http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php) with the IsTool
(http://www.istool.org/default.aspx/). It is much simpler that MSI
installations, merge modules, MSI database/tables, MSI orca.exe utility,
etc.

--

Best regards,

Carlos J. Quintero

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