Deployment - vdproj editor

  • Thread starter Thread starter jon morgan
  • Start date Start date
J

jon morgan

Hi,

The format of vdproj files looks like good old ini files. Where can I find
any documentation that tells me what the line item options are ? And is
there an editor that works on these files directly ?

The SDK section on the msi seems pitched at ground up deployment software
development - where do developers with less time (and money) go for an
intermediate solution that offers something more hands-on than the IDE
editors ?

Thanks for any help

Jon
 
OK - let's see if I can get any debate going.

Here's what I've discovered in the meantime:

1. The vdproj file format is "proprietary".

2. vdproj settings are converted "internally" to the MSI database format

2. You can use Orca.exe to examine the MSI database and change values.
Orca.msi is supplied with the SDK (run it to install Orca) but the
documentation gives no information on the meaning of the installer database
settings.

4. There are various free and shareware products around but so far as I can
see none give advice on how to manipulate vdproj files. There is an open
source project called WiX/Votive on Source Forge which looks promising but
seems very buggy.

5. The various standard dialogs in the Setup Wizard are in wid format -and
guess what, that's "proprietary" as well. You certainly can't edit them
using the .net dialog editor.

I'm not asking for the return of the packaging and deployment wizard, but
at least you could do simple things with it like put your own forms in where
you want them to appear - not at the end as is the requirement with Custom
Actions.

So is anyone listening out there ??

Jon
 
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