[wix-users] Delay installing (application) pre-requisites

[Phill Hogland]

I don't think this runs against the Burn ethos at all, and the SO post is more confusing than informative.

The 'mbaprereq' installer for Burn, only comes into play when you have a managed BA application, in which case .Net is needed for the installer to run.  But all other prereqs, including a different version of .Net than the version used by the installer, are listed in your bundle chain and completely under your control as to whether they will be installed.  The exact approach depends on whether you are using a mba or WixStdBA and other factors.

I originally used WixStdBA (which is all c++) so there is no .Net dependency (or wix provided prereq).  I have one app that requires NetFx3 and others require NetFx4, so in a WixStdBA one approach is to use Variables with Overwritale="yes" which you BA then sets, to condition your ExePackage/@InstallCondition using the variables.  For WixStdBA you can use a BAfunctions.dll for most Detect and Plan scenarios, (or you could write a c++ BA).  But generally the common approach when more flexibility is needs is to create a managed ba.  The Setup\WixBA in the wix source is not a tutorial, but is a functional example that is useful to study.   In my case I let the wix mbaprereq install the NetFx4.5 that my installer needs (and most of my apps also need), but I still have the pesky app that needs NetFx3, which I only install optionally by using PlanPackageBegin handle.  And I take a similar approach for other optional packages (msi or EXE) like SQL Server.  And if you look at the structure of other wix based installers, like the ones produced by Microsoft they also have optional dependencies which are selectable at runtime in a Burn chain.

-----Original Message-----
From: wix-users [mailto:wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org] On Behalf Of George Legge
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2015 10:38 AM
To: wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org
Subject: [wix-users] Delay installing (application) pre-requisites

Hi,

 

I have been looking around for a solution to this all afternoon and have not come up with much so far except that what I want to do appears to go against the whole ethos of Burn.

 

I realise Burn was designed as a bootstrapper to get pre-reqs installed and found a similar question on Stackoverflow which was pretty much shotdown in flames (http://stackoverflow.com/questions/31754761/can-i-install-net-using-wix-wit
hout-creating-a-burn-project)

 

The problem I have is that my application has 2 parts which can be installed together or on their own. One is a web application and the other an executable.

 

They each need .Net 4.5 however only one of them requires IIS.

 

So I need the pre-reqs to not be installed until after the user chooses the options in the UI. So if they choose the exec only, then there is no need to install IIS at all. The pre-reqs are for our applications and not a pre-req for the installer.

 

Can this be done and easily and if so, how ? 

 

Hope this makes sense.

 

Thanks, George.

 

 

 

 


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