How Do I Specify Install Path for a VB2008 Express App I HaveWritten? Options

[Patrick A]

All,

I've searched high and low, both online and through VB 2008 Express,
and I can not find any way to specify the install path for an app
(EXE) I have created.

Our user accounts don't have the permissions required to install the
app where VB seems to want to put it by default, and when I install
using an Admin account, the app is only installed for the Admin.

I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to make this work.

Thanks,

Patrick

Oh, and by the way, am I asking this in the proper forum?

 

[Patrick A]

FYI, The install path is C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local
Settings\Apps\2.0\~~~~~~~~~

So when I install it, it puts it under my username.

 

[Wilson, Phil]

How are you installing this? The Express editions don't have
Setup&Deployment projects IIRC.

 

[Miro]

As far as I know, you cannot. ( im assuming you are using clickonce ).
I beleive Express version only offers the clickonce install option.

It is done this way because of cilck once updates.

Each user on each machine installs his own copy on the same machine in their
own 'user' folder.

You would have switch from "clickonce" to "installshield".

Some other information on clickonce, you might run into ( if it is a
standalone prog).

FYI - if you have a datafile, it will also have an alternate path for the
datafile as well.
You can hit this datafile by code to know the folder like this:

Dim mdbDataPath As String = ""
If ApplicationDeployment.IsNetworkDeployed Then
'Assign the connection string to be a new folder.
mdbDataPath =
System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationDeployment.CurrentDeployment.DataDirectory

You can also do things on the very first run as such:
If
System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationDeployment.CurrentDeployment.IsFirstRun
Then

** take note, if you have a file marked as 'datafile' and you run a 'patch'
with a new version of clickonce, there will be a ".pre" folder created in
your mdbDataPath ( see above ) that you must grab that data and move it to
the mdbDataPath, or patch it and move it.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Patrick A]

Thanks for the information.

Yes, I am using Click Once. No, I don't see any other options in
Express.

Can you help mw understand the highest level of what is possible with
installers? Can I write an app in Express and use another
installer? Is that a waste of time?

Should I upgrade to VS 2008 Standard? I am developing "small"
"helper" applications for use by 200-250 people at my firm.

Thanks,

Patrick

 

[Miro]

There might be another option...

Install it on your machine...
In the program... on a hidden link ( or however you want )...
get your program path like this: In this example ill just open up windows
explorer.

System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(Application.StartupPath())

Each time you install a new version - it gets a differet path so you will
need to dynamically get it off your machien ( or searc for it thru
windows ).
Copy the files out of there...and make your own xcopy / whatever zip file
to pass around.

**** Make sure you setup in your clickonce so it "NEVER" checks for updates.
Your only problem now / or hope ...is to make sure that they have the .net
framework installed.
If you are positive they have it... this might be an option for you.
If they do not have it...they will get an exception error ( i beleive )
....so just tell them to go install it off the website.


Miro

 

[Patrick A]

Thanks Miro, I may have to resort to this, though I do really like the
idea of auto updates.

If Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition allows me to specify the
install path, I may just upgrade to that.

Anyone know if it does? I called MS pre-sales tech support and they
couldn't tell me...

Thanks,

Patrick

 

[Patrick A]

Chuck,

Thanks for the referral. Looking into this and reading the tutorial,
I'm still unclear as to how to tell Wix what to install, and how to
get those files out of VB08Ex...

Am I missing something? Do I use the .application file as what gets
installed by WIX? I can't use the .exe file VB08Ex creates, right?

I'm not looking for detailed instructions, I just want to know if I
can walk through the big steps using WIX and VB08Ex, and how many
hoops I need to jump through.

Thanks,

Patrick

 

[Miro]

With CLICKONCE you cannot specify the install path.

It falls under the User Folder.

You would have to create an install shield - which the standard edition and
up allows you to create.

At that point however you would have to manually handle your "auto update"
feature that is built into clickonce.

Miro

 

[Patrick A]

OK, we're going to go the brute force way and open up the folder in
our new image.

Thanks, all.