VSTO Addin Creates 2 items in Add/Remove programs - ms-office

I have created a vsto addin in VS2012. I have added an installation project to the solution using Installsheild LE. After installing the exe that I get, I get the expected item added to my add/remove programs. However when I open Word, I get prompted with a Microsoft Office Customization Installer prompt which says the publisher is unknown. I click OK to this and it adds my addin as expected, which all works fine but I also get a second item appear in my add/remove programs.
Can anyone tell me why I am getting the second item in add/remove programs and offer any advice about what I should do to avoid this?

You have to add "|vstolocal" to the addin registry value that points to your addin file. This tells ClickOnce to run it directly and not install it per-user.
You also want to digitally sign the addin using a certificate issued by someone in the users trusted root. This could be VeriSign or others. If you create your own certificate you have to use custom actions to install the root certificate in the certificate store and to register the publisher cert as a trusted publisher.
I've created about a dozen of these installers over the last 8 years and it's tricky at first but gets easier over time. Several of my customers are using InstallShield LE to get the prereqs installed but then I factor all the components out into a WiX merge module where I can use things like the Util extension to install certificates.

It looks like you use ClickOnce and MSI installers to deploy the add-in. You need to remove any of them. Both kind of installers are described in the following articles in MSDN:
Deploying an Office Solution by Using ClickOnce
Deploying an Office Solution by Using Windows Installer

Is that your dev machine and got Visual Studio in it? I have seen this happened with Windows 7 during development the addin is added in to add/remove programs. This has gone later when I updated my Windows 7 machine. Some updates from Microsoft has removed this later.

Related

clickonce auto update issue

I have an excel vsto add-in. I am distributing this add-in by sharing the clickonce installer file. Later, I tried to make this application auto update. for auto updating my application, I created a c# console application, which
downloads the latest clickonce installer
closes the excel
uninstalls previous version of addin
opens the clickonce installer
the first 3 steps are working fine.
for the fourth step I used Porcess.start('file_location to clickonce setup.exe)
if the user account is admin, there would be no problem, otherwise it would ask for admin password, if the admin password is given, the addin gets installed in the admin account and not in the user account.
I am struggling to actually understand how to auto update vsto addins if clickonce is used and distributed manually.
I think you may have misunderstood how ClickOnce is intended to be used with VSTO.
Basically all you have to do is deploy your addin using ClickOnce see
here which it sounds like you're already doing and then under Project Properties - Publish look for:
Install Settings - Updates - Set to your update interval (e.g. every time the customization runs)
This will then cause your VSTO addin to update automatically every time Excel starts (or based on your interval). There's no need to manually fire off the installer, close Excel, etc. it's all handled by ClickOnce.
That being said, according to this and that MSDN link, ClickOnce is not suitable for multiple users, but I assume that your use case is to have the same user both install and use the Addin.

Does installing VSTO addin with ClickOnce edit the registry?

I currently have a VSTO Excel addin which is installed via Installshield but was looking at using the ClickOnce installer (on the publishing tab) instead.
I've tested building it through ClickOnce and it does load in Excel. I'm slightly confused however as I have not specified the registry keys in order for excel to load the add in.
Is ClickOnce editing the registry or is it using a different mechanism to load the addin?
Secondly, does installing an add in via ClickOnce require admin privileges?
No ClickOnce does not require admin rights. HOWEVER, if you specify a dependency in your setup program such as .NET framework or Visual Studio Tools for Office, then the ClickOnce program WILL prompt for admin credentials to install those prerequisite components if they are not already installed. Also, if you need to install for all users on the computer, then I'm pretty sure ClickOnce won't be able to do that since installing for all users requires writing the HKLM registry, which is a privileged operation.

How do I create an InstallShield LE project to install a windows service?

I downloaded Visual Studio 2012 yesterday when it was released on MSDN. I have noticed that a few of the project types that we had in 2010 are gone or different. The biggest difference for me right now is the removal of the Windows Installer project. Now we are being forced to use the InstallShield LE (Limited Edition). The problem here is that I write a ton of Windows Services and I can't see how to setup InstallShield LE. It appears that we (my company) will have to invest in licenses for the professional edition.
Has anyone found a way to install services in InstallShield LE? When using the Windows Installer project, you just set the custom actions.
For Visual Studio 2012 & InstallShield LE, do the following:
Run through the InstallShield project assistant and add the primary output of your service to the Application files section.
After you are done with the project assistant, double click the "Files" item under step two of the setup project.
Right click on the primary output of your service, and go to properties.
Click the "COM and .NET Settings" tab, and place a check in the "Installer Class" checkbox.
Click Ok
Now, once you build and run your install, your service will show up in the Windows Services snap in.
Note that this assumes you added a "Project Installer" to your service project (Right click on the service design sheet and click "add installer"). I can confirm this work on Windows 8 with Visual Studio 2012 / InstallShield LE.
I've recently installed VS 2012 with Install Shield LE. At first I kept getting a ISEXP -5036 internal server error after a build (this was after setting up a ISLE project and running through the Install Shield Project Assistant). Eventually I found out that it was trying to create the MSI in the DVD-5 media type which is where it was failing. For some reason, creating the solution again from scratch somehow recognizes to only build to the CD_ROM and SingleImage media types which works.
Anyway to rectify the 5036 error, click the Build tab in VS 2012 (top menu), select configuration manager and you should see that your IS setup file is selected on the DVD-5 configuration. Change this to CD_ROM and click close. Once you build/rebuild it will complete with no IS 5036 error.
While using the installer class checkbox may work for some instances, you may experience the following error:
Error 1001.The specified service already exists
Here is an excerpt from this link on how to resolve this issue:
For Error: Error 1001.The specified service already exists
This error will occur if the component installing a .NET Service is
incorrectly configured with ".NET Installer Class" set to Yes. The
method to install a .NET Service is to use Component\Advanced
Settings\Services view, not the ".NET Installer Class" setting.
Making definitions in the Component\Advanced Settings\Services view
creates entries in the Windows Installer ServiceControl and
ServiceInstall Tables. These entries are used by the Windows
Installer "InstallServices" action to install the Service.
If your project is .NET, then try then you can use the ServiceProcessInstaller class with InstallShield LE.
To get it to work with InstallShield, you have to go into the InstallShield "files" tree and right click on your file. Then check the checkbox for "Installer class" on the "COM and .NET settings" tab.
I have gotten it to work, but I've had problems on some OS's like Windows 2008R2. Your mileage may vary.
Here is an example: http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/14353/Creating-a-Basic-Windows-Service-in-C
I had all sorts of problems with this.
As follows.
InstallShield takes ages to download
the registration process is a pain.
the configuration options are confusing and overly complex.
the accepted solution on this thread is a hack and it doesn't always work - see 1001 in the documentation - essentially you need to get through the paywall to get the right configuration options to install a windows service.
Solution for me as mentioned elsewhere - was to abandon InstallShield
Very easy from that point.
Edit: Update - install the latest version from here https://wix.codeplex.com/releases/view/115492 for vs 2013 / 2015
Visual Studio setup projects are back in VS 2013 as a visual studio extension.
https://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/9abe329c-9bba-44a1-be59-0fbf6151054d
Please update your solution and projects to VS 2013. If you are still in VS 2010, you are probably better off by upgrading directly to VS 2013.
My experience with Installsheild LE is that it is very quirky but once you figure out the tricks, it is easier to use. However, I think that the limited edition is a way by Microsoft and Flexera to sell the fully featured edition. In other words, first we pay Microsoft a lot of money for Visual Studio and then their partner (in crime) more for Installsheild. Bad strategy which did not work out since they had to bring back the setup projects in VS 2013.
I've written about this subject:
Augmenting InstallShield using Windows Installer XML - Windows Services
Basically you create a merge module using WiX to encapsulate the service and then add it to your installshield project. ( Be sure to associate to the INSTALLDIR directory to make sure your file goes where you expect ). Build and test on a VM. Piece of cake.
I'm using VS2012 and Installshield LE Spring Edition. I did not have to use Wix.
If you encounter the error "Could not create _isconfig.xml for use with InstallUtilLib.dll", please create a folder with the same name as your setup project and inside the setup project folder.
Credits to http://community.flexerasoftware.com/showthread.php?165929-Could-not-create-_isconfig-xml-for-use-with-InstallUtilLib-dll
I just got some problems finding where to add installer as referred in the answer. So here it is how.
Double click on your service class within your Windows service Project
A blank screen with the text "To add components to your class, drag them from the Toolbox and use the Properties window to set their properties..."
Right click anywhere but on the links and select "Add Installer"
see ya
Bear in mind that all the above explanation will not help you if you plan to create later an upgrade of that setup. InstallShiled LE can't stop the running service when you upgrade. You can't do it either from Window Service Installer -> BeforeInstall event.
Wanted to put this here;
On VS 2015, when doing this, I ran into the 1001 error upon installation repeatedly.
Answer on this page explained that on the newer versions (anything past 2012), apparently you need to explicitly leave the installer class option unchecked, and then add your windows service under the Services section under Step 3 of the installer project:
Error 1001 when installing custom Windows Service

Deploying Com Interop into sharepoint server

I have a com interop dll (zkemkeeper.dll) that i have to register and use, i wonder how can i deploy that to the SharePoint server using SharePoint package?
You cannot deploy COM or COM Interop DLL to SP farm by SP solution. You need to install the component on every SP server in the farm by other means.
Create an MSI installer to be executed on every machine. MSI can be rolled out automatically too.
Provide a PowerShell script to be executed on every machine. PowerShell can be run remotely too.
Deploy a timer job with your solution that would be executed after the installation automatically or manually and would write to the registry the necessary COM stuff.
The first two options are my favourite because they shouldn't cause technical problems at the customer. The third one appears to promise installation without visiting every machine but the Timer Service user identity would need permission to write to the local registry which may not always be granted; and you'd have to resort to 1. or 2. anyway.
You should think about switching over to ASP.NET or .NET components on the long term. There are many components available in pure .NET that can be deployed by SP solutions. You can also consider pure HTML/JavaScript controls. I would probably go for the option 1. and invest the saved time to other architecture without the COM Interop.
--- Ferda
If you are using Sharepoint 2010, see How to: Add and Remove Additional Assemblies.
See also:
Deploying custom dll's in SharePoint 2010
Visual Studio - SharePoint 2010 - Include Assembly > Quick Question
Include 3rd party dll in the Sharepoint project while packaging the wsp
visual studio does not copy assembly into gac
How to install a WSP that has dependant assemblies?
Interop.zkemkeeper.dll regsvr32 error or InitializeComponent
Then you need done the step following:
Go to the website: http://www.zktechnology.com
Download ->Software Download->ZK Access for C3 panels
Extract files
Install
Open visual studio -> Solution Project->references-> Add Interop.zkemkeeper.dll
Good luck

Subsonic 3 templates in VS 2010 Beta 2

I am trying to setup Subsonic ActiveRecord in a web application in Visual Studio 2010 beta 2. In any scenario I get the same error:
Warning 1 The path 'D:\Work\Project\tt\SQLServer.ttinclude' must be either local to this computer or part of your trusted zone.
Everything works just fine on the same machine with VS 2008.
Does anyone else have this problem? Is it supposed to work with VS 2010 and .net 4.0 or I should stick with vs 2008 for the time beeing?
Ok, figured out one solution. I'm sure there could be others out there. I got around this issue by opening VS.NET 2010 and selecting 'Tools | Extenstion Manager' and clicking on the "Online Gallery" option. I selected the Tangible T4 Template Editor and installed the plugin/extension. If you don't see the extension then try sorting by highest rated or perform a search for it.
I closed VS and re-opened the tt file after closing it and voila! No more compile errors ;)
HTH
I had this exact same error "must be either local to this computer or part of your trusted zone", I did get it to work without adding anything to the Trusted Zone, the only thing I did was remove the "language" setting in the SQLServer.ttinclude file, and then edit the files a little (add a space, remove it, save etc.) not sure if this was enough to convince it to build properly the next time I did "Run Custom Tool" on each of the T4 files, but it worked, phew!
I recently hit this on a new Windows 7 (64 bit) install. Once you download the archive, right click on the file and select Unblock before you extract it and all is well. Note that this applies to the VS 2010 release as well.
Add the network share to Trusted sites. First uncheck the Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone checkbox.

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