Microsoft® Visual Basic® .NET Programmer's Cookbook

Create a Windows Installer Setup Project

Problem

You want to deploy your application using a setup program that can copy files, create shortcuts, and add registry entries.

Solution

Create a Windows Installer setup project using Visual Studio .NET.

Discussion

Thanks to the .NET zero-touch deployment model, you can copy your compiled application to any other computer without registering components or modifying the registry. However, most professional applications require an automated setup program that can copy files to the appropriate locations and add program shortcuts to the Start menu. Visual Studio .NET allows you to build this type of setup program by creating a setup project.

The setup project is a special type of Visual Studio .NET project. Unlike ...