Error importing merge modules in InstallShield

[CherieM]

I developed an application using Visual Studio 6 and some NiGraph and NiSlider controls from Measurement Studio.  I am trying to create an installer to distribute my application.  I am unable to find the MStudioUI.msm merge module.  I am also getting an error merging the NiPaths.msm merge module.  Another problem I am having is that when I try to run the installer I am getting an error 2705, even though I have a ProgramFilesFolder entry in the directory list.  Are there other versions of the merge modules that will work with InstallSheild Developer 8.0?

Thanks,

Cherie

[JonathanN]

Hi Cherie,

You need to be including NIMesaDLL.msm, MStudioUI.msm, and niMetaUtils.msm (NIPaths.msm is merged into that merge module).  Now you can get the appropriate MStudioUI.msm file from the KnowledgeBase Error Importing Measurement Studio 6 Merge Modules into Visual Studio .NET. The other two merge modules (NIMesaDLL.msm and niMetaUtils.msm) can be found in the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Merge Modules directory.  You should have both of those files there and if not, you might need to run the Measurement Studio updater found on our website.

Error 2705 is an issue with how InstallShield does not prepopulate all the default installer directories.  Essentially what is happening (error can occur with nipaths or nimetautils merge modules) is that merge module s looking for something in the "ProgramFilesFolder" but the InstallShield installer is not automatically getting that property from Windows, and therefore you get the 2705 error.  (Note: Try using the normal MSI mode of InstallShield instead of the script/mixed mode as that mode doesn't seem to work at all with our merge modules. We tested our merge modules with a variety of other install programs and they worked fine.)

The thing to remember is that any deployment project that contains the nimetautils.msm merge module must include a SystemFolder entry and a ProgramFilesFolder entry in the Directory Table. I am not sure how to include this in InstallShield but from a Visual Studio perspective, you simply add a "System Folder" and a "Program Files Folder" as a Special Folder in the File System view of the deployment project.

Hope this helps!

Best Regards,

[CherieM]

Thanks Jonathan, that was very helpful!  I found MStudioUi.msm and a working version of NiPaths.msm in the KnowledgeBase article you referred to, and was able to build my installer.  I was still getting the error 2705 until I recreated my installer as a Basic MSI project instead of an InstallScript project. 

So that is the biggest tip - the merge modules only work in Basic MSI projects in InstallShield.

As a side note: I did not need to do anything in InstallShield to add the SystemFolder or ProgramFilesFolder entries.  They are there automatically.

Thanks,

Cherie