2005 Deployment including zip file

We have a client who is asking if it's possible to have the installer unzip a zip file to a folder in the target path that's created by the installer.

The zip file will always have the same name and will be located in the same folder as the MSI file.

Is this possible?

What's going on is, the installer makes a a couple of folders inside the user specified target path. Then after the installer extracts it's files (the exe file and supporting dlls and templates) they want a separate zip file to be extracted by the installer (they want to be able to change the files in the zip file without recompiling the installer) to a directory made by the installer.

Moved to application deployment

That does not make any sense unless the files that you are talking about changing in the zip file are data files...

Why would the files in the zip change? If it's like randem stated and they're data, why would they be put into the Program Files location? If they're not data, why are they changing so much that you can't incorporate them into the installer? Why not rebuild it and make it easier on the user by only needing to run one file? Your method would require the user to make sure the zip file is in the same directory which can be a pain if this is a downloadable.

The files in the zip file are excel spreedsheets and at least 1 access database. They're scenario files for the main program. They want 1 program installer (this have the exe/main database/supporting dll&ocx files) with the scenariofiles in set of zip files. Each zip file will have the same name, but different scenarios in it.

So is it possible to have the MSI installer extract the zip file into the "scenarios" folder which is located in the same folder as the exe file, which is specified by the user during the installation wizard?

The zip file will be in the same folder as the MSI file on the cd when it's distributed.

Bad idea. This will not work under Vista or any version of Windows with securities setup due to the fact that you're attempting to modify files within the program files directory.

I'd suggest installing them to a user directory.

If it's the installer extracting the files from the zip file, it already has the permissions otherwise it wouldn't install the exe file either.
I'm simply asking if it's possible for the installer itself to extract all files in the zip file.
No one's even attempting to answer the only question I'm asking.

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Originally Posted by JuggaloBrotha

No one's even attempting to answer the only question I'm asking.

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Because it is a wasted effort to do it that way and it won't work...

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Originally Posted by JuggaloBrotha

If it's the installer extracting the files from the zip file, it already has the permissions otherwise it wouldn't install the exe file either.

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In every company I've worked for, they have permissions setup so no one can install software except the administrators. So if someone installed your application for a user, once the user logs in, it wouldn't work for them (at least not updating data).

That's a serious design flaw and I wanted to point it out before you start distributing the software to anyone. Even though it works by default in 98/2000/XP doesn't mean it should.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JuggaloBrotha

I'm simply asking if it's possible for the installer itself to extract all files in the zip file.
No one's even attempting to answer the only question I'm asking.

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I have no experience with installers but I don't see why this couldn't be done. I just don't know how. I just wanted to help address a possible issue I noticed.

Quite frankly, I don't understand your need to do this. It just creates another dependency for the installer (another point of failure if you will) for no reason. If you're zipping files or building an installer then it's going to take the same amount of time. I would opt for creating a Setup and Deployment project for each scenerio. Then you can easily replace the necessary files and rebuild everything rather than manually digging through zip files.

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Originally Posted by kasracer

In every company I've worked for, they have permissions setup so no one can install software except the administrators. So if someone installed your application for a user, once the user logs in, it wouldn't work for them (at least not updating data).

That's a serious design flaw and I wanted to point it out before you start distributing the software to anyone. Even though it works by default in 98/2000/XP doesn't mean it should.
I have no experience with installers but I don't see why this couldn't be done. I just don't know how. I just wanted to help address a possible issue I noticed.

Quite frankly, I don't understand your need to do this. It just creates another dependency for the installer (another point of failure if you will) for no reason. If you're zipping files or building an installer then it's going to take the same amount of time. I would opt for creating a Setup and Deployment project for each scenerio. Then you can easily replace the necessary files and rebuild everything rather than manually digging through zip files.

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Now we're getting somewhere. Everything pointed out in this thread (which I agree is majorly flawed) I already know about, especially the Vista permissions.

Here's the full scenario I'm put into, we have a supply chain scenario program which is the core that's maintained with .Net code. This scenario program reads inputs and supplies outputs, which then becomes inputs and again we get more outputs, etc...

The client owns everything, except the source code. The client's willing to let us use his zip file in the distribution, and we maintain the installer for the app. So we can only hand him the installer (no scenarios are in it cause those aren't ours) and it would be nice if the installer could unzip the zip file as part of the installation process (which from the sounds of this thread, it might be able to but no one knows how if it's even possible) But the client's going to have a different set of scenarios for different groups of people so there will be a different zip file, so we cant make separate installers for the different scenarios because it's legally not possible.

Flawed design yes, but legally we have to do it this way.

This does not look like an installer but a front end where you select the scenario you want and have the app unzip the files.

It does allow you to select which scenario, but the scenarios have to be "installed" well extracted to the folder that the installer creates. Once the scenarios are in that folder, when you run the program they are shown on the list. When you start playing a scenario, the outputs are created in the user's application data folder.

The hard part is:
The admin(s) install the program with the installer and they usually don't do anything with zip files. So once it's installed, the scenarios need to be placed in the installed folder and then the admin can log out and the users can then use our supply chain training tool with their accounts.

So for each different scenario you have to run the installation package again? Can two scenarios be active at the same time?

Each zip file contains a set of scenarios, only 1 zip file per computer is needed.

So either you will have to create an installation with all the scenarios contained within or a setup that will read the scenarios from the CD or installation folder and deploy them.

Well I've found the solution. In the MSI installer use a custom action that points to a vbs file (the vb script resides in the installer itself) this vbs file then launches the unzip process based on a target path that's passed into it from the installer.

Thanks for supporting me on my endeavor