Custom installer dialog

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Scott Zabolotzky - 19 Apr 2004 20:52 GMT

I've got a VS.NET installer project where I need to prompt the user
for a path to use for a cache directory. I currently use one of the
custom "Textboxes" dialogs to allow the user to manually type in
the path to use. I'd like to have a "Browse..." button so that the
user can select the path from a directory tree rather than manually
typing in the path (basically a dialog just like the "Installation
Folder" dialog.

What would be the best way to accomplish this? There doesn't appear
to be a way to re-use the "Installation Folder" dialog (BTW, the app
is a web app so it uses "Installation Path" instead). I also can't
figure out how to add a "Browse..." button to the "Textboxes"
dialog that I'm currently using. Is there a way to add a custom
dialog to the installer project?

Thanks...Scott

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Phil Wilson - 24 Apr 2004 17:47 GMT

VS.NET gives you a few canned dialogs you can add to the UI. The contents
set properties you can use for folders (you'd need a custom folder).
Advice: My attitude to these kinds of choices are that I'd rather the
installation just chose the "right" one. If the user picks a secured one
you'll get a security error unless running with Admin privilege, for
example. It depends on your clients of course, but developers are notorious
for building installations where every little thing has to have a choice to
be fiddled with.

Signature

Phil Wilson
[MVP Windows Installer]

> I've got a VS.NET installer project where I need to prompt the user
> for a path to use for a cache directory. I currently use one of the
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Thanks...Scott

Reply to this Message

Scott Zabolotzky - 26 Apr 2004 15:58 GMT

I know about the canned dialogs. Unfortunately none of them meet my
needs (I need a dialog like the Installation Folder dialog, with a
text box for manually typing in the folder and a Browse button for
selecting it with the mouse). Is there any way to use the built-in
Installation Folder dialog for custom purposes (rather than selecting
where the installer is going to copy the files)?

Scott

>VS.NET gives you a few canned dialogs you can add to the UI. The contents
>set properties you can use for folders (you'd need a custom folder).
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>>
>> Thanks...Scott

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Phil Wilson - 26 Apr 2004 18:14 GMT

The Windows Installer SDK will let you edit MSI files to do that, but I
suspect you don't want to go there. There are tools here that can add
dialogs, and there might be one that lets you add a dialog to an existing
MSI file.
http://www.installsite.org/pages/en/msi/authoring.htm

Signature

Phil Wilson [MVP Windows Installer]
----

> I know about the canned dialogs. Unfortunately none of them meet my
> needs (I need a dialog like the Installation Folder dialog, with a
[quoted text clipped - 29 lines]
> >>
> >> Thanks...Scott

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Custom installer dialog

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