InstallSite Blog

ClickOnce Tips and Tricks Article in CoDe Magazine

In the Nov/Dec 2006 issue of the CoDe magazine, MVP Julia Lerman writes about her experience with ClickOnce and shares some tricks.

ClickOnce for the Real World, Not Hello World

After four years of trying out every iteration of Web server application deployment that Microsoft created for .NET, ClickOnce has finally allowed me to succeed in deploying one particularly complex smart client application. But I still had to tear a few more hairs out before I got it working and came to love ClickOnce. I’m writing this article to share some of the not-so-obvious ways (including a hack or two) to use ClickOnce for application deployment.

The article explains how to add additional files to your ClickOnce deployment, and how to create updates for them. She also touches topics like authentication and creating desktop shortcuts (which has to be done by the application itself on first run). She closes with some troubleshooting tips and FAQs.

For non-subscribers only one third of the article is available for online reading:
http://www.code-magazine.com/Article.aspx?quickid=0611041

You can subscribe to CoDe Magazine here at amazon.com

Specify a physical location for Virtual Directories in Web Setup Projects

Visual Studio users may find this article at CodeProject.com helpful.Note however that in general I don't recommend using Visual Studio to build MSI setups.

When generating a MSI Installer with Visual Studio 2005 through a Web Setup Project, there is no possibility to specify the physical path of the Virtual Directory that is created. The location defaults to a subdirectory below the root of the Web Site (typically this home directory is ‘C:\Inetpub\wwwroot’).

This article explains how to add an edit box for the physical location, using Orca.

http://www.codeproject.com/useritems/ChangeVDirWebSetupProject.asp

Important Windows Installer WebCast: Designing Installations for User Account Control (recording available)

Windows Vista includes a new feature call User Account Control (UAC) which has the potential to break many existing MSI-based setups.

UAC is a really, really important topic. Although Vista isn't released yet, I'm seeing multiple reports of broken setups. It's time to understand UAC and prepare your setup for Vista NOW!

In this presentation, the Windows Installer team at Microsoft will cover the new installation features that specifically relate to User Account Control, such as marking a package as UAC-compliant, taking advantage of UAC patching, and adding the "shield" icon to your user interface. They also address common UAC debugging issues pertaining to application installation and servicing.

Usually there's a Q&A session at the end of the presentation, so you may want to have your UAC questions and problem descriptions at hand.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006
10:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada) which is equivalent to 17:00 UTC, 18:00 BST, 19:00 CET (other time zones)

Registration: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032307311

Update: 

A recording of this webcast is now available at the same URL.

A log of the Q&A chat that took place during the webcast has been posted at
http://blogs.msdn.com/windows_installer_team/archive/2006/10/19/new-windows-installer-4-0-webcast-scheduled-and-q-a-from-lua-webcast.aspx

Three articles about ClickOnce at CodeProject.com

Malpani Amol, .NET developer and conference speaker from India, has published three articles on ClickOnce at CodeProject.com:

• Add your own (custom) prerequisite to "ClickOnce" application
• Restore Application to Previous State Using Clickonce
• Publish an application using ClickOnce, without VS 2005

Software Protection and Activation using the .NET Security Infrastructure

An article on CodeProject.com that claims to protect desktop applications "very very easily" with a "fairly enough" level of security.

I haven't looked close enough to decided how easy, robust and secure it really is. But if you are looking for a non-commercial copy protection solution you may want to have a look.

http://www.codeproject.com/csharp/swactivation.asp

Calling JavaScript From a Visual Studio Installation Project's Custom Action

Most custom action samples for MSI setups are in form of a DLL (which is the most robust form in my opinion). However sometimes it may be useful to write the custom action in a scripting language. Windows Installer natively supports VBScript and JavaScript. This article at CodeProject.com shows how to write a custom action in JavaScript, how to pass parameters to it, how to work with objects such as the File System Object, and how to display a message box the Windows Installer way: using the Installer.Message method.

http://www.codeproject.com/useritems/JavascriptFromInstaller.asp

RSA Security Inc (Bedford, MA) is looking for an Installer Development Engineer, Installshield or InstallAnywhere knowledge required

Mitchell Schneir, the in-house technical recruiter for RSA, asked me to publish the following job opening:

Senior Software Development Engineer (Installer)

Position Description
The Senior Software Engineer will develop installation modules for a complex J2EE-based product using an embedded Oracle database. Responsibilities include designing, developing and maintaining Installers in Windows and in various flavors of UNIX and will be involved in the design and analysis of other programs and systems that affect the installers, such as system configuration and the system build process. This position involves interacting with other engineers, communicating technical concepts and challenges and soliciting input from other development groups, as well as members of the Quality Assurance and Build teams, Product Management and other Engineering groups. Estimate resources required (time, equipment, other engineers) for own project tasks. Assist development manager in scheduling tasks for most effective project completion and resource usage.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 2 years work experience in product installation using InstallShield Developer is required.
• Good programming expertise in Java is required.
• Experience in the installation and basic configuration of Oracle, SunOne, and Active Directory-based solutions is highly desirable
• Familiarity with Windows & UNIX system administration, as it impacts installer tasks, is required.
• Scripting skills in shell or Perl is required.
• Skills in setup, administration and use of application servers such as Websphere or Weblogic is highly desirable
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 3-5 years experience with Installshield or Install Anywhere and Java.

Location: Bedford, MA
Requisition Number: 1990BR

For more information please contact Mitchell Schneir, CPC at (781) 515-7031 or email at mschneir@rsasecurity.com or Schneir_mitchell@emc.com