[Mono-list] Application installation on Windows

[Andreas Färber]

Robert,

Am 31.08.2006 um 13:57 schrieb Robert Jordan:

> Alexander.Nolting at Bertelsmann.de wrote:
>> Hello to the list,
>>
>> i'm new here and my question my be sounding a little bit stupid: Is
>> it possible (at the actual development status of the mono framework)
>> to go and install an msi package with a .net application in it. My
>
> I'm not sure if I understand you correctly.
>
> You can deploy a .NET app with MSI, but this requires either Mono
> or MS.NET on the target machine.
>
> Since Mono doesn't provide a MSI installer for its runtime,
> you either have to repackage the runtime or provide a MSI
> custom action that installs the official installer.
>
>> question points also in direction windows registry and a workaround
>> if this feature is not supported. I'll miss also a search function to
>> do my my own investigations on the different lists.
>
> The registry classes are supported in Windows and Unix.

I asked a similar question some time ago, and this issue is simply  
being ignored. The point is how to detect a Mono installation from a  
Windows Installer package. For Microsoft .NET this can be determined  
using the Windows Installer technology itself, and the shortcuts  
point directly to the .exe, the CLR being integrated into Windows.  
Both is impossible with Mono.

a) How does one determine whether Mono is installed somewhere on the  
system? (registry?)
b) How should the shortcut be constructed? (assume Mono will be on  
the user's path? or determine absolute Mono path somehow?)

This lack of information is keeping me from providing a Mono version  
of my Windows software.

Another thing is that with Microsoft .NET there's a library  
InstallUtilLib.dll that can be used as part of a Windows Installer  
package to run managed Installer classes (e.g. for Firewall  
configuration) - Installer classes are apparently not available in  
Mono, no equivalent to InstallUtilLib provided and no workaround  
published.

Regards,

Andreas