3 replies to this topic

[mikelo33]

OK, this seems simple, but maybe I'm just overlooking the obvious....

I have a FILE GROUP called components which requires me to set a Destination in the IDE. I want to install that file group numerous times depending on the customers environment. They could have up to 4 iterations of the same set of files. I give them the option of Production, Test, QA and Development and install the files to a subdirectory under Program Files\Company\Product\ with the same name.

Here's what I want to do, but don't know how.
Have 4 COMPONENTS (Production, Test, QA, and Development)
Have each COMPONENT point to the SAME FILE GROUP
Install the FILE GROUP several times to different DESTINATIONS depending on the COMPONENT selected
Change the DESTINATION of the FILE GROUP on the fly.

Example, customer runs install and selects Production & QA from COMPONENTS list. Upon transferring Files, I put a copy of this FILE GROUP into Program Files\Company\Product\Production\ and another copy under \Program Files\Company\Product\QA\

I would like to use the same FILE GROUP for 2 reasons: a) to cut down build time and to cut the size of the cab files

Currently I have 4 FILE GROUPS pointing to the same folder and when I build it builds all 4 as separate entities. Not pretty!

Sorry to be so long winded and hopefully this makes sense.

THANKS FOR THE HELP!

[Taco Bell]

If these Production, Test, QA, and Development subdirectories are really all the same, then why not just install it to one of them and then use InstallScript to XCopy across the remaining subdirectories. That would certainly simplify your setup.

[mikelo33]

Thanks for the suggestion, and I thought about that....the drawback is that I do not know which environments will be installed. A customer can chose any of the 4 in any combination. 1 Could have Prod and Test while another has all 4 while a 3rd has just development.

This would require me to lay down the pieces to a temporary directory, copy them to a new directory based on the environments they chose and then remove the temp directory. Doesn't seem very clean and what would it do to uninstall??

[Taco Bell]

Okay, in that case, how about you modify your media configuration so as not to compress your data files into CABs.

That way you can always XCopy from the same source directory, regardless of the chosen environments, and not deal with an intermediate/temporary directory.