Danger of Multiple Installers?

Add-in Express™ Support Service
That's what is more important than anything else

Danger of Multiple Installers?
 
Subscribe
Ken Puls




Posts: 36
 Joined: 2014-12-17
Hi there,

I currently use a ClickOnce setup to deploy my addin. I've recently got a couple of requests from potential clients who say their IT department requires an MSI installer (or that the add-in must be deployed via the MS store.)

My main questions here are:
1) Can I publish multiple different installers for a release of my addin?
2) Is there any danger in doing so that I should be aware of?
3) Does using an MSI force a user to have to do manual updates rather than the auto-prompting we get with ClickOnce?

At a minimum, this seems like a duplication of work on my part, but I'd obviously like to try and support more clients if possible.

Thanks for any insights!
Ken Puls, FCPA, FCMA, MS MVP
Posted 28 Jun, 2024 16:38:16 Top
Andrei Smolin


Add-in Express team


Posts: 19138
 Joined: 2006-05-11
Hello Ken,

1. Yes.
2. See below.
3. Yes, exactly. In your terms, this can sound like a danger.

Still, I have an impression that admins prefer MSIs: for starters, check https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4304425/whats-the-prime-advantage-to-having-an-msi-installation-package.

Regards from Poland (GMT+2),

Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader
Posted 01 Jul, 2024 08:37:03 Top
Ken Puls




Posts: 36
 Joined: 2014-12-17
Thanks Andrei,

Thanks for this. I appreciate the info there. One thing I was wondering... every time I go to Publish, I do so via the ClickOnce tab. I notice that in the same Publish dialog, there is a tab for "MSI-based Web Deployment". I guess what I'm trying to figure out here is:

If I created a setup project and got all the fields configured correctly there, could I Publish a Click-Once .application file, then just flip tabs and also create the web-based MSI without breaking the other one?

And if so, does this allow for the auto-updating, or it is still a manual process?

I'm sure the adx documentation has the steps to deploy via the second setup, my main concern is about breaking what I have in place...
Ken Puls, FCPA, FCMA, MS MVP
Posted 02 Jul, 2024 17:45:26 Top
Andrei Smolin


Add-in Express team


Posts: 19138
 Joined: 2006-05-11
Hello Ken,

Ken Puls writes:
If I created a setup project and got all the fields configured correctly there, could I Publish a Click-Once .application file, then just flip tabs and also create the web-based MSI without breaking the other one?


Yes.

Ken Puls writes:
And if so, does this allow for the auto-updating, or it is still a manual process?


Auto-updating.
Note. The process may include signing the version_info.xml with your certificate. The point is: when switching to another certificate, you would also need to change the Installation URL - the URL where your new and old installers are located. That is, before your old certificate ends, you should publish a version pointing to a new Installation URL. Later, you publish a new version signed using your new certificate and make it available to end users via the new Installation URL.

Regards from Poland (GMT+2),

Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader
Posted 03 Jul, 2024 10:33:38 Top