Create an Application Setup in Visual Studio 2013

visual studio 2013 : create installer

You can use the Setup Wizard Project to create an .MSI file. You can specify what files and actions the installer should preform during and after install.
Once you have done that, you can "Build" the project and out comes an .MSI and another installer type (I thought it was a normal .exe).

Just checking, you used this extension right? https://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/9abe329c-9bba-44a1-be59-0fbf6151054d

visual studio 2013 project installer how to create custom actions

In the simplest case you go to the editor window View=>Editor=>Custom actions, and to add an executable you right click (say) the Install node and add the exe, browsing to it. This might help too, still applies:

https://www.simple-talk.com/dotnet/visual-studio/visual-studio-setup---projects-and-custom-actions/

But you haven't said what you've tried exactly, or where you are trying to add the class. If you're trying to add an installer class to the setup project, that's the wrong place. If, for example, you are installing a service with an installer class, then it's a class you add to the service. Then in the setup project you have a custom action to call that class. In your case, have you added an installer class to your C# project (or whatever it is)?

Best way to creating setup of C# application

I prefer to use InnoSetup, which is free for any use including commercial.

You can have a UI to make creation simple, but if you want really complex functionality you can write code to create those functions. There is a thriving community of developers that use and contribute to the product, so finding examples is usually easy, but you do have to write your code in Delphi / Pascal.

On the other hand, all the Microsoft options are overly complicated and difficult to get working sensibly so I am pleased to avoid them. Corporate installers are good but incredibly expensive... so really there is no comparison. Ease of use, and free - what more could you ask for?

I should point out that I have absolutely no connection with the product other than that I have used it for many years for many products and have absolutely no complaints.

Visual Studio 2013 Setup Installer

There are a couple of ways, neither of them particularly straightforward. The way that VS supplies is a bit obsolete, it's the Bootstrap Manifest Generator, and it's not well documented as to how to create the requirements data file where you say you want that MSI installed.

The other thing that people do is use the WiX Burn tool, the bootstrapper. You can create an Xml file that says you want to install that MSI nd then yours.

http://wix.tramontana.co.hu/node/76

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