C# Generic Setup Wizard

Question

I have been tasked with creating a program what will create take files in specified folders and create an installer based on those files.

For example, having a folder for "All User's Desktop", "Start menu", "Application Data", and "Program Files"

My boss wants to put the files into each folder, then click a button and it automatically builds the installer.

I am limited to what is in the default install of VS2005.

I have looked into the Setup Project/Setup Wizard project templates, but it looks like they have to be created specifically for each project that is going to be used to install them.

Is this possible under VS2005?

EDIT:

I like the suggestions, but I forgot to say that we cannot install another product to help.

Answer 1

Well, with C# on its own an VS2005 its going to be hard.

But you could use WiX as way to go, complete the XML for the installer with c# and build it from your tool using candle and light from the wix-toolkit.

Answer 2

you might take a look at nant (http://nant.sourceforge.net/) and consider using some custom tasks: http://www.atalasoft.com/cs/blogs/jake/archive/2008/05/07/writing-custom-nant-tasks.aspx. a google for "custom nant task" gets about 800 hits.

Answer 3

I know it goes completely against what you're asking for, but depending on your usage it'd probably be many times more efficient to just buy a product that creates windows installers. Installer software does so much more, and if you build something with limited functionality now the chances are that your boss will then want feature X, then feature Y, etc and you'll end up reinventing the wheel at far greater cost and frustration.