User Guide

Before You Create an Installation

To avoid interruptions during installation development, gather the following information

before you begin creating an installation in Wise for Windows Installer.

! All the files to install on the destination computer. This includes program files, files

necessary for optional features, related .DLLs, drivers, and other support files.

(Visual Studio integrated editor only.) Some of these files (examples: .DLLs, .OCXs,

and .EXEs) might be added automatically when you create the installation project.

! Any third-party installations that the installation will provide. Example: Adobe

Acrobat Reader.

! Which files and other system changes comprise which features. (In Windows

Installer, a feature is a distinct part of your application’s functionality. Examples: a

spell-checker, a thesaurus, or a collection of clip art.) If the installation will let end

users select optional components, you must organize files into features when you

create the installation.

! A list of the changes that must be made to system information files (examples: .INI

files, the registry, and so on) for your application to run properly.

! The application’s system requirements in as much detail as possible. Consider not

only memory and disk requirements, but also the minimum screen depth and

resolution, and the minimum required version of the operating system.

! Any custom graphics, referred to as billboards, that should be displayed during

installation.

! Any changes that should be made to the dialogs that will be displayed during

installation. See Using the Dialogs Page on page 428 for a list of dialogs.

! If applicable, a Readme file and a license agreement file.