Should an installer run automatically with a setup project

Question

I have a windows app (app.exe) build with visual studio 2008, for which I have created a custom installer class. When I run installutil.exe on app.exe, the custom installer is executed OK. I then added a setup & deployment project to create the windows installer file app.msi - this works fine but it does not run the custom installer.

How is my custom installer class supposed to get linked to the setup MSI file?

Answer 1

I figured it out. Its not at all obvious.

Right-click the Setup project in solution explorer, select View... then Custom Actions...

Add a custom action, add the primary output. This puts the primary output under each of the install phases Install, Commit, Rollback and Unistall.

Rebuild the Setup project and the installer will be executed with the msi.