Creating a subset of a larger installation - any ideas?
Hi
I'm facing a customer request about providing a stripped-down version of our installation package. The smaller package should contain only the client components instead of client and server components contained in the full package. I guess a transform is not sufficient as one of the use cases for the separate package is reducing the package size, and as far as I know, a transform does not actually alter the original package.
So a preferred solution would be something like first building the full package and then creating the smaller variant with minor UI changes and unnecessary files excluded. One solution that comes to my mind is using release flags and building the project twice with different configurations. However, as I'd need to exclude some dialogs and add at least one new dialog, is it possible to define release flags for dialogs as well? I guess this can be done at least by creating hidden features for the releases, flagging them appropriately and then using the feature's presence as a condition for the dialogs, but I'd like to hear if there's a more straightforward way.
Using release flags is the way forward, but the UI changes will be a problem, there is no support for this aspect and you cannot exclude support files either with release flags - so for example if you are installing SQL Server with the main installer, you can't exclude it from the Client build, in addition any CA's dependent on excluded features also fall over in the cut down build.
The way I do this is put everything in the main installer with the release flag options but don't actually build the cut down installer there, instead copy the project and then delete off the unnecessary Support files and CAs.
In your case you would also need to create the new dialog in the main installer and then condition it into the cut down installer and do your other UI changes there. It is a pain, but if you regularly change the main installer and need to rebuild the cut down one, it is possible to write a .bat file to do these changes.
If anyone knows an easier way, please post, this is quite a bane in my life.
