how can i use iExpress to have single setup from multiple .msi and .exe?

Question

I have two applications which has its own .msi & .exe . I need a single .exe/.msi that can install my two application on after the other.

Say MyApp1.msi/setup1.exe MyApp2.msi/setup2.exe

These two should be included in one setup called MyAppFull.

How can i achieve this in iExpress, i am allowed only this to use in my company. To use other tools, licensing is required. I also have an Installshield in my VS 2010 premium but it ask for its licensing. Can you also suggest some tool to accomplish this?

I am using win forms C# 4.0

Answer 1

Provided that your two setup files are named differently (eg setup1.exe and setup2.exe, as in your example), this is fairly straightforward.

Because IExpress can only launch one file (pre- and post-extraction), you'll need a batch file that launches the two in order. The batch file can be quite simple:

@echo off
setup1.exe
setup2.exe

Build your IExpress package; include both setup files, plus the batch file (eg setup12.bat). Set the Install Program to: cmd /c setup12.bat

Thus both files will be executed in the order specified. You can get fancier (eg having the batch file display some kind of output with echo or using VBScript, etc) but this should give you some idea.