2007 ADE distribution guide

[ajetrumpet]

I have been using the ADE's to package solutions and deploy them for a while now, so here is a guide for people that want to use it to distribute their solutions as well. It took some time getting used to this packager, and I could not find suitable instructions when I was learning how it worked, so maybe this thread will be useful for beginners.


The destination is where the installer will create a folder with the setup MSI installer file, and a compressed folder with all application files in it:

The ROOT INSTALL FOLDER is the common location on computers where the MSI will copy your files to. If you choose PROGRAM FILES as your destination, be aware that the packager will copy files to the PRIMARY directory on 64-BIT machines. If you have files that are necessary for the application to run, this may pose a problem if your code references the wrong program files directory. 64-BIT machines have these directories with different names than the 32-BIT machines do.

The INSTALL SUBFOLDER is the sub directory of the ROOT where the MSI will copy your files to (if the subfolder does not already exist, it will be created):

The INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS will create different files depending on your choice. Under each option, it tells you what will be installed. If you choose the third option, the runtime program will be installed on the destination machine regardless of any access version that's present. If the full version of 2007 is already on the machine, the application you install will open with runtime by default:

Program icons need to have the .ICO file extension:

Additional files can be packaged from anywhere (the source can be anywhere on your machine). The install subfolder COLUMN here tells the packager which sub directory of the INSTALL SUBFOLDER (if there is one) to send the file to. In the example below, the backend file called ListenData.accdb will have the following path once it is installed: c:\program files\jab\listendata.accdb. "JAB" is my install subfolder that I specified, so the sound files would be installed with a path like so: c:\program files\jab\voicemale\yellow.wav

The product name is what will appear at the top of the first screen when the user runs the installer package:

 

[DCrake]

Vey intuitive Adam, can you clarify if third party ActiveX (.ocx) files can be included, and if so, does it register them for you or will this have to be none programatically?

 

[ajetrumpet]

you can include any types of files David, but registering them is something i'm not familiar with. you can always test it yourself though. see that they have to be registered, as you have said, in order to produce the desired result, i would assume that it does not register them. that would only make sense too. putting files in the package does nothing more than just that. i doubt that the MSI is programmed to recognize .ocx and realize that they have different needs than other extensions. that would really be uncharacteristic of microsoft. that would be way too much work for them anyway. they wouldn't bother.

 

[Lady Gragor]

Sounds like an association problem. Your computer does not know which program is associated with the file so you need to tell it.
Maybe try this...

From Windows Explorer
Tools
Folder Options
Make an association here between the file extension and Access and it might recognise it.

Cheers