Build, Configuration Properties, Deployment Project Properties Dialog Box

Specifies the build settings for the currently selected deployment project. The name of the project is displayed in the title bar. Not all user interface elements are available for all deployment project types.

To access the Deployment Project Properties dialog box, on the View menu, click Property Pages when a deployment project is selected in Solution Explorer. Then choose Build in the Configuration Properties list.

User Interface Element List

Element	Description
Output file name	Specifies the location where the Windows Installer (.Msi, .Msm) file will be placed when built. Defaults to Configuration\ProjectName.extension where Configuration is a subdirectory (located beneath the project directory) for the selected configuration, ProjectName is the name of the deployment project, and extension is .Msi for installers or .Msm for merge modules. You can use the browse button (...) to select a different location.
Package files	Specifies how files will be packaged within a Windows Installer file. The following options are available: OptionDescription As loose uncompressed filesFiles will be placed in the same directory as the .Msi file. In setup fileFiles will be packaged inside the .Msi file (default). In cabinet file(s)Files will be packaged in one or more .Cab files in the same directory as the .msi file. Security Note: The As loose uncompressed files option should not be used for applications that will be distributed over the Web. Files packaged in this manner can be downloaded without any security prompt, creating a security risk for users.
Installation URL	Specifies the installation location, that is, the URL of a server or Web site from which the application and/or prerequisites will be installed. See Prerequisites below for information on how Windows Installer uses this URL.
Prerequisites	Click the Prerequisites button to open the Prerequisites Dialog Box, where you specify which prerequisite components to install, and specify the locations from which your application and the prerequisite components will be installed. In the Prerequisites dialog box: Create setup program to install prerequisite components is selected by default. If you clear this option, the URL specified in Installation URL will be ignored. If you select Download prerequisites from the component vendor's web site (the default), prerequisites will be downloaded from the vendor's web site, but the application will be downloaded from the URL specified in Installation URL. If you select Download prerequisites from the same location as my application, prerequisites and the application will both be downloaded from the URL specified in Installation URL. If you select Download prerequisites from the following location, prerequisites will be downloaded from the specified web site, but the application will be downloaded from the URL specified in Installation URL. Note: Windows Installer 2.0 is the default version for Windows XP. When installing to earlier versions of Windows for the first time, you should check this item to install this component.
Compression	Specifies compression settings for files included in an installer. Not available when As loose uncompressed files is selected as the Package files option. The following options are available: OptionDescription Optimized for speedFiles will be compressed to install faster, but will result in a larger file size. Optimize for sizeFiles will be compressed to a smaller size, but may result in slower installation. NoneFiles will not be compressed.
Cab Size	Specifies the maximum size for .Cab files created by the deployment project. For example, if you plan on distributing files on a floppy disk, you might set the .Cab file size to 1440 KB (1.44 MB). This option is available only when In cabinet file(s) is selected as the Package files option. The following options are available: OptionDescription UnlimitedA single .Cab file will be created. CustomOne or more .Cab files will be created, with each file limited to the size in KB specified in the Custom text box.

Note

Signing functionality, available in Visual Studio 2003 and earlier versions, has been removed from Setup and Deployment projects (Setup projects, Web Setup projects, Cab projects, and Merge Modules). If you have imported a Visual Studio 2003 project with signing enabled into Visual Studio 2005, or if you want to enable signing for your deployment project, you will need to sign the files in the build output with Signtool.exe, the assembly signing tool in the Windows Platform SDK, in a post-build step. For information on how to do this, see The file '<file>' was not signed.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Set Deployment Project Properties

Other Resources

Windows Installer Deployment User Interface Elements