Access™ 2007 VBA Programmer's Reference

21.2. The Package Solution Wizard

The Package Solution Wizard is an extremely handy tool for building Access application installation programs. It creates a standard Microsoft Windows Installation package (MSI) file that can perform a number of useful setup tasks, such as deploying Access Runtime and developer-specified application files, adding Windows System Registry keys, and even including digital certificates for the client machine. Employing this wizard greatly reduces the cost and headache of building a streamlined setup process for almost any Access application. And best of all, because the output of the wizard is an MSI file, other commonly used setup editors can make modifications to the package.

The Package Solution Wizard is a standalone application that is invoked from the Windows Start menu. It is a seven-step process that walks you through a series of tasks to build the MSI setup file. Once a setup routine has been created, it can be saved for future use. Keep in mind, however, that if the files for the application change, the setup script may need to be modified as well.

21.2.1. Step 1: Starting the Package Wizard

To start the Package Wizard for Access 2007, click the Office button in an instance of Access and select Developer. Click the Package Solution button and choose the Package Solution Wizard option.

21.2.1.1. Target System Requirements

Be sure to note the system requirement remarks in the second paragraph on the welcome page warning that the target system ...