Answer
Add Java Runtime Environment (JRE) as a prerequisite
If you install a Java application it is always a good idea to add a JRE prerequisite. This way you will make sure that the user can run your application after it is installed.
In order to add JRE as a prerequisite, you can follow these steps:
- go to the Prerequisites page and select the Software Prerequisites tab
- use the button to select the "Java Runtime Environment" predefined prerequisite
- in the Properties tab of the "New Prerequisite" dialog some fields are already filled, however, you need to configure all of them for your package
- use the "Ver Min" and "Ver Max" fields to set the minimum and maximum versions of the JRE version required (this will be shown to the user and does not affect the prerequisite)
- the "Location" combo can be left to the default value: URL
- in the "URL" field set the URL which points to the installation package of the JRE version needed by your application
- make sure that this URL is correct by running it in Internet Explorer (it should show you the dialog with the "Run", "Save" and "Cancel" options)
- in the "Command Line" field set the command line parameters you want to pass to the JRE installation package (you can leave it empty)
- leave the "Folder" field empty or set it to the location where the prerequisite files will be placed, extracted or downloaded
- use the button in the "Integrity Check" section to select the JRE installation package you want to add as a prerequisite
- after selecting it, the "Exact Size" and "MD5" fields are populated automatically
- go to the Install Conditions tab
- use the "Launch Conditions" section to select the Windows platforms on which the prerequisite can be installed
- double-click the predefined search in the "Searches" section
- in the Edit Search dialog use the "Minimum" field to set the minimum JRE version required by your application (this will determine if the prerequisite installation will be launched or not)
If you don't want to download the JRE installation package from an URL, you can set the "Location" field to File in package. This option will allow you to select the JRE installation package on the disk and include it in your installation package.
The "File in package" option is recommended if you don't want the
prerequisite installation to depend on the Internet connection of the
target machine.
Add .NET Framework as a prerequisite
If you install a .NET application, it is recommended to add a .NET Framework prerequisite to your installation package. This way you will make sure that the user can run your application after it is installed.
In order to add JRE as a prerequisite, you can follow these steps:
- go to the Prerequisites page and select the Software Prerequisites tab
- use the button to select one of the ".NET Framework" predefined prerequisites
- in the Properties tab of the "New Prerequisite" dialog some fields are already filled, however, you need to configure all of them for your package
- use the "Ver Min" and "Ver Max" fields to set the minimum and maximum versions of the .NET Framework version required (this will be shown to the user and does not affect the prerequisite)
- the "Location" combo can be left to the default value: URL
- in the "URL" field set the URL which points to the installation package of the .NET Framework version needed by your application
- make sure that this URL is correct by running it in Internet Explorer (it should show you the dialog with the "Run", "Save" and "Cancel" options)
- in the "Command Line" field set the command line parameters you want to pass to the .NET Framework installation package (you can leave it empty)
- leave the "Folder" field empty or set it to the location where the prerequisite files will be placed, extracted or downloaded
- use the button in the "Integrity Check" section to select the .NET Framework installation package you want to add as a prerequisite
- after selecting it, the "Exact Size" and "MD5" fields are populated automatically
- go to the Install Conditions tab
- use the "Launch Conditions" section to select the Windows platforms on which the prerequisite can be installed
- you don't need to modify the predefined search in the "Searches" section because it has been configured automatically
If you don't want to download the .NET Framework installation package from an URL, you can set the "Location" field to File in package. This option will allow you to select the .NET Framework installation package on the disk and include it in your installation package.