deployment - including database files

[Guest]

I would appreciate your help with this problem

My project includes two database files in the same directory as the project
My deployment project - I am using the Setup Wizard under Setup and Deployment Projects (VS.Net Enterprise) - includes these two files.

The application runs fine on a computer that already contains those two database files. However, it will throw an exception on any computer without copies of those database files. (The error message says that the files cannot be located.)

How do I deploy an existing database file using the Setup Wizard? I know there is a way to save an existing file on the target computer. How is it done

Thanks for your help

Ursula

 

[Guest]

All you need to do is to add your two database files as additional files to your setup project. Create the setup first using the wizard and then after it has created the project you can then add your additional files..

Locate your newly created the Setup project in the Solution Explorer window of the VS.NET IDE and then simply right-click this, select 'Add', then 'File...' and select your desired database files. By default, the setup will install these in the same destination folder on the target machine as your application but you can change this if you want by right-clicking your setup project, selecting 'View' and then 'File System'

Gar

 

[Guest]

Hi Ursula

I am slightly confused. Is the issue you have with the actual creation of the setup project or is it with the installation of a successfully created installation package? In other words, are you able to create an MSI Package that you can run on a client machine or can you not even get as far as completing a compiled MSI Package file

I have created a number of MSI Packages using the MSI Setup Packager included with VS.NET 2003 and have not come across any problems where I cannot create an MSI Package file. That does not mean to say that all my setup packages have installed and worked correctly on a target machine, it just means that the actual package creation itself was successful

As far as I am aware, the packaging process is only capable of working out what dependency files are required for a package. It is not capable of scanning your code to work out f you are using any external database files or other types of files which is why you have to add those manually. If you do not include a file you need then the package will still be created but it just won't work properly when installed on a target machine. Is this where your problem is (i.e. the installed application on the target machine)

Can you please clarify again the actual problem (maybe with a step by step description of what you are doing and at what point you get a failure) and I will try and help you out if I can

Gary