I recently developed a program in VB.net with Access Database. And I want to create setup file of it.
I'd searched on "How to create setup file". And I got that using "Deployment and Installing" we can. After that I'd install "InstallShield". But that option does not appear inside Visual Studio.
I'm using "VS Express 2012 for Windows Desktop".
Visual Studio Express 2012 does not support extensions, as such 3rd party products will not be able to provide additional functionality. The InstallShield LE page on MSDN spells this out clearly:
InstallShield Limited Edition is free for users of all Visual Studio editions except the Express editions.
Source: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn531020.aspx
Your options are:
Install Visual Studio 2013 Community Edition (if you are allowed by the license) or buy Visual Studio Professional. These can be extended with either Wix or the Visual Studio Setup Package extension or Installshield.
Create a click-once installer
Use an installation system that is independent of Visual Studio and have it pick up your project output from a specific directory. You would have to author your installer outside of Visual Studio, e.g.:
NSIS
Wix and Wix Editor
Related
I have installed Visual Studio 2015 Community Edition on Windows Server 2012.
I am working on a VSTO outlook plugin, I need to create installer for the plugin. I found the following documentation to create the deployment installer at microsoft:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc442767.aspx
Documentation talks about enabling the InstallShield Limited Edition.
I clicked on File, New, Project.In the New Project dialog box, expanded the Other Project Types node, and then I don't see "Setup and Deployment".
I have already tried devenv.exe /resetsettings.
devenv.exe /InstallVSTemplates is not supported anymore.
I installed Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Installer Projects from https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=VisualStudioProductTeam.MicrosoftVisualStudio2015InstallerProjects
Now I am able to see the following under other project types --> Visual Studio Installer -->
Setup Project
Web Setup Project
Merge Module Project
Setup Wizard
CAB Project
Still I don't see "Setup and Deployment" as per Microsoft documentation.
Please help.
This is not available for Community Editions of Visual Studio
http://learn.flexerasoftware.com/content/IS-EVAL-InstallShield-Limited-Edition-Visual-Studio
InstallShield Limited Edition for Visual Studio supports the following
Visual Studio editions:
Professional
Premium
Enterprise
Ultimate
*Visual Studio Community Edition is not supported.
I installed WIX in my machine.
I followed the video of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoFPyIbcqN8enter link description here
I can not find any way to add File Systems, no icon for it, no context menu entry on project.
I am using Visual Studio 2012.
That's the Add-In Express designer for WiX in the video. It's a paid for component.
Installing WiX on your system only adds project templates to Visual Studio. It's a free installer/packaging engine that uses XML (scripting) to build MSI's and etc and doesn't come with a designer.
WiX is quite a steep learning curve, if you want the editor then I suggest you check out the Package & Deployment add-in Microsoft re-introduced for VS2013, it's on VisualStudio Gallery. Brian Harry blogs about it here: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/bharry/archive/2014/04/18/creating-installers-with-visual-studio.aspx
Visual Studio 2013 has a free Community Edition that you can use. You add the Installer add-on:
https://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/9abe329c-9bba-44a1-be59-0fbf6151054d
Then what you have is the same Visual Studio installer setup projects as you had in VS 2010.
I have a windows form project and I want to create an installation package for this project. How can I create a setup file in Visual Studio 2012 ? My project is without data base.
How to create a Setup package using Visual Studio 2012.NET?
Microsoft released the Visual Studio Installer Project extension in April of this year, the catch is it's for VS2013, not VS2012.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/visualstudio/archive/2014/04/17/visual-studio-installer-projects-extension.aspx
The 'lite' InstallShield option remains in VS if you need something with more flexibility.
Advanced Installer also has a free version that includes an extension for VS. This is a commercial tool but the extension is included in the free edition as I said, for more advanced features you need to purchase a Professional or higher licenses and edit the project direct from Advanced Installer GUI, not from VS. (but you can still use the project in the VS solution, so you get the MSI built at the end of your build process)
Visual Studio setup projects (vdproj) are not supplied with VS 2012
There are several solutions for you:
You could use InstallShield instead.
If you don't want or
can't use InstallShield for any reason, you could try WiX. This
toolset builds Windows installation packages from XML source code.
If you only use Windows Presentation Foundation (.xbap), Windows Forms (.exe), console application (.exe), or Office solution (.dll) you could look at ClickOnce. To use this you should right click on the project file in the solution explorer and select "Publish" from the pop-up menu.
Alternatively you can use previous version of Visual Studio (2010).
Can i use any installation software in visual studio 2012 to create setup projects?
Because many options in setup projects with install-shield limited edition is disabled. I cannot customize those?
what can i do to get full customization support in VS 2012?
can i use any other installation software,then how can i do it?
It looks like the following posts do address your setup project support issues:
Where is Visual studio 2012 Setup project template?
Create MSI or setup Project with visual studio 2012
However, if you are looking for a previous "basic setup and deployment project type Visual Studio Installer" - then they are NOT supported anymore :(.
I would like to make a template for F# lib + XNA 4.0 + Xbox360 for visual studio 2012.
All I have is Visual Studio 2012 Express Edition for Web.
When I try to install the Visual Studio 2012 SDK, it stops after reporting that it requires Visual Studio 2012. The log seems to indicate it's looking for the Professional edition.
I'm not interested in buying a professional license for hobby work, and I am a bit surprised Microsoft would want to prevent hobbyists from extending their product.
I do have a professional license for Visual Studio 2010, though. If there's a way to make extensions for 2012 using 2010, that would work for me.
You can use VS2010 to develop extension compatible with VS2012.
All you have to do is to manually change vsixmanifest to make it work with newer version:
<SupportedProducts>
<VisualStudio Version="11.0">
Note however that Visual Studio Express does not support extensions, so you won't be able to install it in VS2012 Express anyway.