1 reply to this topic

[zmfcat1]

Hi I have a component in my project that holds one big file (100+ MB), I run and deploy it to the machine based on a property set at the time of install - so the file gets deployed only if the user sets that property. Now my issue is if they decide later on to have this file.

I know after install through the ADD/REMOVE programs you can select the application, advertise and select the component and run the install again - does this deploy the file where i want it to go to. Is there any other means to do this task.

Also if the above works is thsi 100MB file stored locally (thereby taking up sapce) if at a later time they want to deploy it? Pls. advice.

[Stefan Krueger]

You should create a separate feature for this component, so users can select whether to install it. You can set the feature's install level to something > 100 to make it un-selected by default, but note that setup type "complete" will select ALL features automatically (as the name implies).

Then users can go through Add/Remove Programs to select that feature later.

If your setup is a self-extracting exe then you should cache the setup permanently, which means that the file will take up disk space (but only the compressed size) even if not installed. If your setup is running from a CD you don't need to cahce it. Windows Installer will ask the user to insert the CD if they later want to install this fetaure.

If your setup is uncompressed you could even set this component to run from source instead of installing it locally. Then the file will not be copied to the program folder. Of courser this means that your application must be able to handle this case wherte the 100 MB file is in a difefrent location, and if your setup is on a CD then the user must insert the CD before launching your application.