Any of those "merge tools that are available from independent software vendors" are actually just wrappers around mergemod.dll. WiX itself uses mergemod.dll to merge MSMs.
Sure in theory it should be possible to duplicate the logic of mergemod.dll, because everything it does can be done with MSI API calls. But as you say it is a black box, so how would you know you were duplicating everything correctly? I think you're better off relying on 10-year-old widely-used code than trying to guess at what is happening inside the black box. -----Original Message----- From: Christopher Painter [mailto:chr...@deploymentengineering.com] Sent: Friday, April 24, 2009 4:22 AM To: General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset. Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Using DTF to merge a merge module into an msi package If Mergemod is such a irreplaceable black box, why does the MSDN topics state that the best practice is: "Merge modules must be merged into an installation package by using a merge tool. The best practice is to obtain a freely distributed merge tool, or purchase one of the merge tools that are available from independent software vendors, for example, you can use Mergemod.dll." To me that says mergemod.dll is only one possible choice. It would seem that the MSI API should expose everything needed by mergemod.dll to get the job done. Would it really be that hard to write your own business logic in managed code instead of relying on a 10 year old COM object that has proven to have buggy releases over the years? I know I try to avoid COM interop in my C# code as a general principal. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa372400(VS.85).aspx Christopher Painter, Author of Deployment Engineering Blog Have a hot tip, know a secret or read a really good thread that deserves attention? E-Mail Me --- On Fri, 4/24/09, Rob Mensching <r...@wixtoolset.org> wrote: > From: Rob Mensching <r...@wixtoolset.org> > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Using DTF to merge a merge module into an msi package > To: "General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset." > <wix-users@lists.sourceforge.net> > Date: Friday, April 24, 2009, 1:35 AM > Database.Merge is to merge two MSI > files together not to "do the merge > process for a Merge Module". There is a collection of other > interfaces > for doing that.... not sure that DTF exposes it but you can > see the WiX > toolset does it. > > Frank Neumann wrote: > > Christopher, > > > > you perfectly described the situation: Using WiX is > not an option > > because the MSIs/MSMs I have to deal with, are > provided by a third > > party. In addition the merge action should be > automated because it has > > to be done again when new releases are available. > InstallShield would do > > the job here but I am not an expert in InstallShield > automation. > > > > The DTF's Database Merge method looks promising: > Unfortunately there are > > no arguments to provide a root directory and primary > feature. Orca > > offers these options when using the "Merge Module" > command. > > Do you know how to circumvent that problem? > > > > Thank you for your help, > > > > Frank > > > > > > Christopher Painter schrieb: > > > >> DTF is meant for creating build automation / > installer authoring tools also. My guess is he has an > MSI that wasn't built using WiX and he'd like to use DTF to > merge a module (perhaps built using WiX, perhaps not ) into > the database. > >> > >> DTF's Database class has a merge method to handle > this. You can also look at the MSI Windows Platform > SDK example ( WiMerge.vbs ) for a general overview of how > this is used. The examples are in VBScript using the > WindowsInstaller.Installer automation interface but it'll > port over to C#/DTF pretty easy. > >> > >> > >> Christopher Painter, Author of Deployment > Engineering Blog > >> Have a hot tip, know a secret or read a really > good thread that deserves attention? E-Mail Me > >> > >> > >> --- On Tue, 4/21/09, Frank Neumann <frank.neumann.karlsho...@web.de> > wrote: > >> > >> > >> > >>> From: Frank Neumann <frank.neumann.karlsho...@web.de> > >>> Subject: [WiX-users] Using DTF to merge a > merge module into an msi package > >>> To: wix-users@lists.sourceforge.net > >>> Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 8:29 AM > >>> I consider using DTF to merge a merge > >>> module (msm) into an msi package. > >>> Would you recommend DTF for this purpose? > Where can I find > >>> additional information (tutorial, examples) > for it? > >>> > >>> Regards, > >>> > >>> Frank > >>> > >>> > >>> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >>> Stay on top of everything new and different, > both inside > >>> and > >>> around Java (TM) technology - register by > April 22, and > >>> save > >>> $200 on the JavaOne (SM) conference, June 2-5, > 2009, San > >>> Francisco. > >>> 300 plus technical and hands-on sessions. > Register today. > >>> Use priority code J9JMT32. http://p.sf.net/sfu/p > >>> > _______________________________________________ > >>> WiX-users mailing list > >>> WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > >>> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > >>> > >>> > >>> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Stay on top of everything new and different, both > inside and > > around Java (TM) technology - register by April 22, > and save > > $200 on the JavaOne (SM) conference, June 2-5, 2009, > San Francisco. > > 300 plus technical and hands-on sessions. Register > today. > > Use priority code J9JMT32. http://p.sf.net/sfu/p > > _______________________________________________ > > WiX-users mailing list > > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Crystal Reports - New Free Runtime and 30 Day Trial > Check out the new simplified licensign option that enables > unlimited > royalty-free distribution of the report engine for > externally facing > server and web deployment. > http://p.sf.net/sfu/businessobjects > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crystal Reports - New Free Runtime and 30 Day Trial Check out the new simplified licensign option that enables unlimited royalty-free distribution of the report engine for externally facing server and web deployment. http://p.sf.net/sfu/businessobjects _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crystal Reports - New Free Runtime and 30 Day Trial Check out the new simplified licensign option that enables unlimited royalty-free distribution of the report engine for externally facing server and web deployment. http://p.sf.net/sfu/businessobjects _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
