Is it possible to create a single component that contains both files and sub-directories? For example, can a single component create this structure?
screens +-- ap +-- +-- ar +--
Our software package is very large and our screens directory alone has over 70 sub-directories which in turn house more than 300 more. All of the files in these directories are non-versioned.
Is it possible to tell IS2009 to simply recreate this structure on the target machine without creating over 400 separate components (one for each directory). In Wise we could do this with one line of script.
I shutter at the thought of what this is going to end up looking like if we are required to create a new component for each directory we need on the target machine. I can easily forsee that number reaching 1500 components.
The MSI definition of a component says that all files in a component have the same properties (including the Destination), so multiple components will be necessary to install multiple files to different destination folders.
That being said, InstallShield will allow you to define components using Dynamic File Links. This means that at build time InstallShield will create all of the necessary components for you.
Dynamic File Links to have "issues" associated with them. You can read about them in the help topic "Dynamic File Linking".
