Deploying First App

[Greg]

Hello,

I am using Visual Basic .Net 2003 to build and distribute my first
application over the internet. The application will add one button to
Microsoft Outlook. I interface with the user with some forms so they can
customize the installation to their own desire. I am designing one
application for each version of Microsoft Outlook that I will be supporting.
I have taught myself Visual Basic using a book called "Microsoft Visual
Basic .Net Step by Step" written by Michael Halvorson. It is an excellent
book for beginners like me, but maybe I need an advanced book for what I am
trying to do?

I have a few problems that I am running into.

1. The application is a simple one that will only be used by the user one
time to add the button in Outlook. It seems kind of silly to install this
as a program that is registered in the registry with a button on the start
menu to launch the application. That would be fine for a game or something
that a user would use more than one. But for my simple application, is
there a better way to distribute this application?

2. I have successfully built my project, but it contains 3 files (setup.exe,
myApp.msi, and setup.ini). Which of these should I distribute on the
internet? If all 3 (which I assume), how do I do that? I know I have
downloaded simple little one-file programs myself in the past. I would like
my project to be that simple.

3. When writing the code, I referenced a text file for the help form. In
the code, I referenced the file on my hard drive at
E:\myApps\Project1\.help.txt. When I wrote the code, I wondered how the
program would work on a different computer. After building the release
version, which works great on my computer, I tried it on another computer.
Sure enough, the code looked for the file on the E: drive and crashed! How
do I get this to work on other computers?

Thanks for any help.

Greg

[Phil Wilson]

1. That's your choice - there's no requirement that you add a shortcut on the
start menu, so just don't add a shortcut to the setup project.

2. I'd recommend only the MSI file. If you're doing Internet distribution, you
can tell clients they need Windows Installer, but if they have Office then they
already have Windows Installer because Office is installed using MSI.

3. Use standard folders like Common Application data that your app can find with
Environment.GetFolderPath and that are also in the setup project, for example
File System on Target Machine, User's Application Data Folder
--
Phil Wilson [MVP Windows Installer]
----
"Greg" <gr**@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:um**************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

Hello,

I am using Visual Basic .Net 2003 to build and distribute my first
application over the internet. The application will add one button to
Microsoft Outlook. I interface with the user with some forms so they can
customize the installation to their own desire. I am designing one
application for each version of Microsoft Outlook that I will be supporting.
I have taught myself Visual Basic using a book called "Microsoft Visual
Basic .Net Step by Step" written by Michael Halvorson. It is an excellent
book for beginners like me, but maybe I need an advanced book for what I am
trying to do?

I have a few problems that I am running into.

1. The application is a simple one that will only be used by the user one
time to add the button in Outlook. It seems kind of silly to install this
as a program that is registered in the registry with a button on the start
menu to launch the application. That would be fine for a game or something
that a user would use more than one. But for my simple application, is
there a better way to distribute this application?

2. I have successfully built my project, but it contains 3 files (setup.exe,
myApp.msi, and setup.ini). Which of these should I distribute on the
internet? If all 3 (which I assume), how do I do that? I know I have
downloaded simple little one-file programs myself in the past. I would like
my project to be that simple.

3. When writing the code, I referenced a text file for the help form. In
the code, I referenced the file on my hard drive at
E:\myApps\Project1\.help.txt. When I wrote the code, I wondered how the
program would work on a different computer. After building the release
version, which works great on my computer, I tried it on another computer.
Sure enough, the code looked for the file on the E: drive and crashed! How
do I get this to work on other computers?

Thanks for any help.

Greg

[Phil Wilson]

1. That's your choice - there's no requirement that you add a shortcut on the
start menu, so just don't add a shortcut to the setup project.

2. I'd recommend only the MSI file. If you're doing Internet distribution, you
can tell clients they need Windows Installer, but if they have Office then they
already have Windows Installer because Office is installed using MSI.

3. Use standard folders like Common Application data that your app can find with
Environment.GetFolderPath and that are also in the setup project, for example
File System on Target Machine, User's Application Data Folder
--
Phil Wilson [MVP Windows Installer]
----
"Greg" <gr**@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:um**************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

Hello,

I am using Visual Basic .Net 2003 to build and distribute my first
application over the internet. The application will add one button to
Microsoft Outlook. I interface with the user with some forms so they can
customize the installation to their own desire. I am designing one
application for each version of Microsoft Outlook that I will be supporting.
I have taught myself Visual Basic using a book called "Microsoft Visual
Basic .Net Step by Step" written by Michael Halvorson. It is an excellent
book for beginners like me, but maybe I need an advanced book for what I am
trying to do?

I have a few problems that I am running into.

1. The application is a simple one that will only be used by the user one
time to add the button in Outlook. It seems kind of silly to install this
as a program that is registered in the registry with a button on the start
menu to launch the application. That would be fine for a game or something
that a user would use more than one. But for my simple application, is
there a better way to distribute this application?

2. I have successfully built my project, but it contains 3 files (setup.exe,
myApp.msi, and setup.ini). Which of these should I distribute on the
internet? If all 3 (which I assume), how do I do that? I know I have
downloaded simple little one-file programs myself in the past. I would like
my project to be that simple.

3. When writing the code, I referenced a text file for the help form. In
the code, I referenced the file on my hard drive at
E:\myApps\Project1\.help.txt. When I wrote the code, I wondered how the
program would work on a different computer. After building the release
version, which works great on my computer, I tried it on another computer.
Sure enough, the code looked for the file on the E: drive and crashed! How
do I get this to work on other computers?

Thanks for any help.

Greg