Software Deployment

Hi,

Creating merge modules is very simple using the Wise Template for Merge Modules.
Some things that you need to remember are:
1. Ideally you must include one file per merge module especially i.e. if it is .exe, .dll, .ocx. This practice is not a mandate but I prefer following it for that fact that it keeps you application neat n tidy and for the sheer re-usability of MSMs.
2. Increment the share count for the file (something which most new people forget).
3. Shared Components are files which are used by other applications. Such files are: .DLL, .OCX, .TLB, .OLB, .EXE and other support files as required (e.g.HLP).
These files are usually files that install to:
Windows\System32
Windows\System
Program Files\Common Files\
or Program Files\Common Files\System\
or Program Files\Common Files\Shared\
or Program Files\Application Folder\Shared\
Files found in WINDOWS\System32\Dllcache are used for Windows File Protection. Also files found in this location should not be in any package.
4. Manully register the file if it is a dll/exe/ocx/tlb and then add them to your module. In the past I have found a lot of problems when Wise captures the registry information in a file. Again not a mandate but something which I prefer. You can choose from a variety of tools that register files like regspy, regsvr32, etc.
5.Compile and Validate and add them to your .msi

hi
Can you please give me the complete procedure of creating a merge module from the template bcoz i am not so good in that method too...

Hi,

I am afraid I cannot provide you the details steps for creating merge modules as I am not working on packaging anymore [:(] but I suggest you try finding out on the net or even start Wise -file open-new-template-MergeModule-new. This would get you to a GUI which is very similar to the one when we work on MSIs. Just treat it as a normal msi. Add file, name the module validate, comile etc are just similar to the .msi only that the end result is wsm, which is later a .msm post compilation.

ORIGINAL: rayz_0020

Can you please give me the complete procedure of creating a merge module from the template bcoz i am not so good in that method too... By all means return here if you get issues with your packaging but this really isn't the place for step-by-step walkthroughs of the fundamentals of application packaging. WPS has an extensive help file: use that.

ORIGINAL: India_Repackaging
4. Manully register the file if it is a dll/exe/ocx/tlb and then add them to your module. In the past I have found a lot of problems when Wise captures the registry information in a file. Again not a mandate but something which I prefer. You can choose from a variety of tools that register files like regspy, regsvr32, etc.No, no, no, no, NO! NEVER manually register files (with RegSvr32, RegTLB, or whatever), ESPECIALLY if they're going to end up in a merge module. This is because you may get errors in the final package owing to missing dependencies.

Use the tools provided with your authoring software (e.g. WiseComCapture in WPS) to produce .REG files for the files in question and import the .REGs into your project. When prompted, elect to use the advertising tables instead of the registry table.

Well, thanks for that info..

The dll file for which i created a merge module, for my application, is dependent(1st level) on an other dll file(not a system file).... Am i supposed to include this file also into the same merge module or do i have to create one more merge module for that file and include that too into my wsi...
Can you please help me out in this....

Are these files going to be shared by more than one of your applications? If not, why bother with a m/m at all? Merge modules are designed to be self-contained implementations of shared files. Just include the files with your app. If they *are* going to be shared and the same DLLs are required then they belong in one m/m.

Take a look at the contents of the m/m installed by your authoring tool. They're as good a guide as to what they're about as anything.

Let me first explain my requirements clearly....
1. I have been asked to do a package in which i should be creating a merge module for every shared, self-registered files... A separate merge module for each of them..
2. My package should be having zero errors and zero warnings.. [the reason why i posted my other query, ice33].... I know it sounds wierd and that its a general practice to avoid warnings... but ......

Now let me come back to this discussion.. the file for which i created a merge module is a shared one.. with dependency walker tool, i found that this file is depending on an other shared file.. So my question is -
Do i have to create two different merge modules and include them into the msi(as i have been asked to) or create one MM with both the files included in it(as they are dependent)..
To be more precise is there any compulsion that two shared files if dependent should be included into the same MM ????
I am completely new to this MM concepts and it is needless to explain about the state i am in for the past two days as you can very well guess it from my questions themselves..
Kindly help me out of this,...

I think you must including the dependency file in the same merge module as the main file that installs to the shared location.
You can included as many files as you want in a MM, but just that if an application needs only one of those files it would be needless to add the entire bunch. So just for the sake of reusability it is recommended to include only one file per MM.

If you don't need to register the dependent DLL and if it's not located under any search location I would stick it in the same merge module for the file requiring it. If it must be in in example System32 then use a separate MSM.

Hi..

I am including a merge module in to my package and gave the default directory as the place mentioned by client.I am adding my merge module into this location and the selected it for my package.After i closed and reopened the mst i am unable to see this merge module in the "merge module" section.But the component regarding this merge module is present in the package and my package is working fine after installation also.But will this create a problem as i am unable to see the merge module in that section.

Pls help me in this regard....

Thanks in advance.