Windows Installer Editor Reference
129
Assembling an Installation
See also:
Editing File Details
on page 123
Creating a Win32 Assembly
Your can use Win32 assemblies to isolate applications on destination computers running
under Windows XP or later. Isolating an application .EXE means its dependent, shared
.DLL and .OCX files are placed in the application directory or in the WinSxS directory
rather than in a non-side-by-side location. This ensures that your application always
uses the version of .DLL or .OCX with which it was installed. It prevents overwriting of
previous versions of the .DLL or .OCX and ensures that other applications do not
overwrite your version of shared files.
You isolate a Win32 assembly by means of a manifest file, which describes the assembly
and any resources it depends on. Options for adding a Win32 assembly and its manifest
to an installation are:
z
Create a manifest for a Win32 assembly outside Windows Installer Editor, then add
the assembly and its manifest to the installation as you would any other files. On
the Assembly tab of the File Details dialog box, mark it as a Win32 assembly and
specify the manifest file.
z
Use the procedure below to create a Win32 assembly and manifest on the Manifest
File Details dialog box. This populates the MsiAssembly and MsiAssemblyName
tables.
Warning
Isolation does not work on all applications. Applications must be written according to
Microsoft programming guidelines to work with operating system isolation methods.
(Example: If an application hard-codes paths to support files, isolation might not work.)
For details, see the following topics in the Windows Installer SDK Help: Isolated
Components, Installation of Win32 Assemblies, Side-by-Side Assemblies. Also, search
for “assembly manifest” and “isolated applications” in the MSDN Library
(
msdn.microsoft.com
).
To create a Win32 assembly and manifest
1. Add the application file and its dependent files to the installation.
2. In Installation Expert > Files or Web Files page, double-click the application file in
the lower-right list box.
The File Details dialog box appears.
3. Click the Assembly tab.
4. From Assembly Type, select Win32.
Attributes are read from the file and displayed in the Assembly Attributes list, and
a manifest file name is entered in Manifest.
5. To add dependencies to the manifest file, click Edit.
The Manifest File Details dialog box appears.
6. Click Add, then select an option:
Installed File
Adds a dependency to a file that is in the installation. On the Select File dialog
box that appears, select the dependency file and click OK. The dependency file
