4 replies to this topic

[Max Coyle]

We are moving some of our VB apps to Windows XP where we will be using the Microsoft Windows Installer technology.

To produce the .MSI files we would like to use a standard 'merge module' (.MSM file) for the Oracle 9 client layer for all our VB apps that use it.

Do Oracle (or anybody else?) provide a pre-built merge module or should we be looking at building our own?

[Kurt Schneider]

Greetings,

If you haven't been able to find anything on the Oracle download site, you'll probably want to develop your own.  At least when you dev your own you'll know what you get and how you get it.  Nothing worse than 2 days to ship and the Merge Modules don't work! and you don't know why!

Good Luck

Kurt

[dotMSI]

Why would you want to create a MM?!?!

I have done the 8.1.7 Client and it was a 64Meg file.. you maybe want to rethink your strategy?  Ideally MM's should be neat and compact.  If your app requires this then maybe you should have it as a dependency rather than a MM..

James

[Max Coyle]

The minimum client sotware for Oracle 9i is about 300Mb. Therefore, as you say, it is not appropriate to make a merge module for this.

We are currently building a MSI for Oracle using Wise.  My next quetion then is, how do I get one MSI to be dependent on another?

[hteichert]

I can't tell you how to make one MSI directly dependant on another, but you can search for already installed files, registrykeys, components, etc.

You may make your MSI use the AppSearch action to look for needed prerequisits and stop your installation with a Type 19 custom action which displays a specified error message, returns failure, and then terminates the installation. This Type 19 CA must be conditioned with a property evaluated during AppSearch and could show your user a message telling him what's missing.

For further info on searching for apps etc look for "Searching for Existing Applications, Files, Registry Entries or .ini File Entries" in the Windows installer documentation.

Holger