Distribute with options

hi ! I found link this very intresting http://www.codeproject.com/dotnet/dotNetInstaller.asp

I found one on the web somewhere. I cannot remember from where i got it, but its only a 22k email away. You run THIS setup at the top, it'll check for the version of .NET Framework (version that you specify in an ini file) then run the install if its not installed, or you'll never see it if it is installed.

if it's not need to install .net framework ,but a .mdb file,how can i reach it? i mean that i should add a form to provide a function for user to choose a path to install the file, not the program.how ?

shoot me an email at [email protected] I'd be interested in this...

Is anyone interested in this project? Basically, I need an app to act as a front-end for the .net framework and my setup program: It would be a form with a place for a logo (the path of which would be set in a .ini, .xml, or some other file). There would also be three buttons on the form 1. A button to install the .net framework (grayed out if already installed). 2. A button linking to my main setup program (grayed out if framework not installed). 3. A button linking to a readme or something. It would be great to have the program read all the settings from an external file (e.g button text, app to link to from button, logo path) That way, I could also reuse the program. I know this program can't be hard to write (Gosh, I'd write it myself if I had VB6). All that said, I hope I didn't just post this in the wrong forum?!

I'm sure you could hire out someone to write that for you that would be faster and cheaper than buying VB6. There are enough consultants around this forum that I'm sure you'd find someone willing to do it for ya :) -James

Well, as promised, Thanks all for your help. I guess I need to go out and buy VB6. sigh, sometimes life is hard.

You could do this in VB6 in about 10 minutes Just write a little app that checks the registry for the framework, if its found, launch your install app, otherwise, launch the .Net Redist package, then launch your install app... -James

James (or anyone else), Do you have any suggestions (writing my own, or using a prewritten one)? Anything to keep me from learning C++ (yes, that's right, I don't know C++).

That's correct. You simply write an application that will check registry if .NET is already installed on that machine. If yes, then don't run the .NET Framework distributable setup.

The catch-22 is that if you build your deployment package in C#, then it won't run unless the framework is already installed. So you need some other install package to check for and install the framework. -James