Merge Module using Advanced Installer

Question

I created 2 .msi files using Advanced Installer. Then I created a Merge Module project in Advanced Installer and added these 2 msi files. I then added the Merge Module into my main installer.

I have the following questions:

1. When I execute my main installer,the merge module also executes but the msi files that the Merge Module contains do not execute, instead they are just copied to the installation folder. How van I execute both the msi files within the Merge Module when the Merge Module is executed?

2. I am unable to use the Advanced Installer Merge Module Option and it appears to be grayed (not highlighted). What could be the reason?

Answer 1

As Glytzhkof said this is the wrong way to use merge modules.

For what you want to do Advanced Installer offers two options:

1) either you add the two MSI packages as feature-based prerequisites

2) or you can add them as chained packages (chained packages get installed only on systems with Windows Installer 4.5 or higher, on older machines they get ignored)

Both options are available in Prerequisites page from Advanced Installer. In both cases the main package you get as output from AI will be an MSI package.

Answer 2

This is the wrong way to use merge modules. They are essentially a way to install shared runtimes and shared data in a way that can be included in several MSI files. In other words merge modules are included in MSI files and not the other way around.

If you want to install two msi files in sequence, use a bootstrapper application or a batch file to install them in sequence. One bootstrapper / bundler for MSI files is WIX's Installation Package Bundle: http://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/bundle/