How do I add a prerequisite in an InstallShield installer

Question

I have created an InstallShield installer where it has a dependency on a SQL Server 2008 Express R2. I am trying to add a reference to this redistributable but it does not appear in the list of redistributable packages.

This will be installed on 32 and 64 bit platforms.

I am using VS 2010 with InstallShield 2011 LE (Limited Edition).

I would like to avoid including the SQL Server setup MSI in my installer, because including 32 and 64 bit versions of SQL Server will cause the size of the install to be too large and will be unnecessary if the target computer already has these installed.

I would like the correct version to be installed, depending on the platform. I.e. 64 bit SQL Server on 64 bit machines, and 32 bit SQL Server on 32 bit machines.

Looking through the Redistributables section in my installer there is an option for SQL Server SP1, but no option for SQL Server R2, and I cannot see anywhere to add other installs.

What is the recommended way of including this prerequisite? Is there some kind of bootstrapper I need to add to my project. I would like to avoid having to add any custom script/code if possible and keep the installer simple.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

InstallShield prerequisite description files are stored in:

C:\Program Files (x86)\InstallShield\2011LE\SetupPrerequisites

If you're desperate, you might try to copy/rename the "2008 SP1" pre-requisite, and see if you can make a custom one.

There is a lot of information on how to make custom pre-requistes for InstallShield out there. I suspect this is likley to work in InstallShield LE, even though it is not supported.

Answer 2

InstallShield LE doesn't have an SQL Server 2008 Express R2 predefined prerequisite, so you cannot add one to your package.

A solution is to add a launch condition in "Requirements" page. This way your installer will stop if the condition is not met, showing a custom message to the user.

Another solution is to use a different setup authoring tool which allows you to create custom prerequisites.

Answer 3

InstallShield LE doesn't have an SQL Server 2008 Express R2 predefined prerequisite, so you cannot add one to your package.

A solution is to add a launch condition in "Requirements" page. This way your installer will stop if the condition is not met, showing a custom message to the user.

Another solution is to use a different setup authoring tool which allows you to create custom prerequisites.