One of the requirements for my installation is that it be launched from a single msi file, and no other files are included. So I've been using the Basic MSI project type since InstallScript launches from setup.exe.
I notice in the directory for my Basic MSI project there is a msi file and setup.exe. Can I launch my installation if I only have the msi file? I thought this is what Basic MSI did, but looking through the reference pages I noticed that setup prerequisites require the setup.exe file to run. So I guess I can't use those? Can I use custom actions or is that going to cause a problem?
It seems like only having the msi file to launch the installation should be a common requirement for many people.
You can use just the MSI if you are not using the prerequisites. If your application does have a requirement for other software to be installed you can use the launch conditions to force an abort of the installation in the event that required software is not present.
okay, so I can't use my prerequisites then. Is there any other major functionality of a Basic MSI project I'm unable to utilize if launching directly from the msi file? InstallScript function custom actions will still work, right?
Correct. Prerequisite behavior, as well as some downloading scenarios, are part of the bootstrap; almost everything else is contained in the MSI itself. There shouldn't be any surprises.
For a list of various scenarios that require a Setup.exe file, see the following: Creating a Setup Launcher
The "Displaying an Error If an End User Launches the .msi Package Instead of the Setup Launcher" section in the following help topic suggests that you may want to add an error custom action (type 19) to your project, just in case someone launches the .msi file directly but does not have some of the prerequisites already installed: Setup Prerequisites vs. Feature Prerequisites You could use launch conditions or type 19 actions to abort if necessary. I think that the type 19 actions may offer some added flexibility over launch conditions, since you can sequence them in whatever order makes the most sense. (If you have multiple launch conditions, you can't define the order that they should be evaluated.)
