Re: Deploying Access 2007 Runtime / developer extensions / basic MSI installer questions

By the way, Sascha, one feature that impressed me, and I thought would be
very slick, was the ability to prompt the user to download the runtime. That
would save bunches of space on my domain host! It's too bad, as I'm sure the
Sagekey script won't have that feature.

Ciao to you too,

Andy
"Sascha Trowitzsch" <ng@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:fbukja$s77$1@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi,

I analyzed the msi created by the extensions reverse engineering it.
That's what I can say:

"ARC" <andy@xxxxxxxxx> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:ndlEi.1944$Sd4.1593@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm currently looking at the access developer extensions for creating an
MSI installer package for a 2007 runtime app. Couple of observations and
questions.

1) Doesn't look like we have the ability to set a packaged file to always
overwrite, or never overwrite, unless I'm missing something. This could
be a sticking point, as I would always want the program to overwrite on
re-installing, but NEVER the back end database. I have a few more files
where I would want to Always overwrite. Am I missing something simple? I
tried right-clicking on a file in the "additional files" box, but no such
options.

IMO there's no possibility to do file checking for existing versions.
AKAIK any existing file will be overwritten.

2) What good is the "Feature information"? Ideally, I'd like to have an
install option for Full version with blank back-end databases, or an
option during install to only install a new program file, and no back-end
databases. I guess I would need to have 3 installs: 1) Full (program and
database), 2) Program Only, 3) Dedicated Server only (back-end database
files only)

It's not possible to specify more than one msi feature. Likewise no
facility to specify userdefined conditions.

3) The ability to add extra registry keys seems to point to a solution of
adding the program path as a trusted location, so the user doesn't get
the macro disabled warnings. However, if you choose "Program Files", for
some reason it says: ("All Users - Read Only for Vista"). Does that mean
you can no longer install programs to c:\Program Files for vista? (Since
I'm coming from Access 97 runtimes, I'm a bit out of date here, I admit)

In general there's no need here to add a reg key for your trusted
location. The extensions automatically adds this key for the place you
assign for the root install folder.
Beyond this I haven't tested under Vista. I have no experience with the
extensions behaviour under it.

4) This may be the biggie: For adding a few .dll's to your install
package (I have an e-mail .dll for an e-mail add-in util), and I have a
registration .dll (this registration .dll will write the key to the win
registry, which I hope isn't a problem in Vista). But I don't see a note
that additional files will be self-registered. Do they get registered
automatically in the win registry?

No. Definitely no selfregister flag is set for activex components.
You would have to run a batch file or something else after setup to
register your components.

Overall I can only see the extensions as a solution for very simple
databases.
They do not supersede the use of a professional installation system.

Ciao, Sascha



.