Hi, I need to (1) copy (preserve) user option files by copying Documents/MyCompany/MyApp/* to Documents/MyCompany/MyApp.BeforeInstall before the installer runs and overwrites the options files with new file formats and contents, (2) run the installer to upgrade the app and files, and (3) run my custom program (many DLL files) to inject all the preserved user options into the newly-upgraded option files and remove the MyApp.BeforeInstall folder. My custom pre-install file is actually a collection of 10 DLLs. My post-install custom file also consists of many DLLs.
I have tried launching an installed file, but that failed because the pre-install custom action file was not yet installed. I also tried launching an attached file, but I think only the .exe file was attached without all the supporting DLLs.
Q1. What is the best practice for running pre-install and post-install customization actions when the custom programs consist of many DLLs?
(My app has hundreds of user-customizable xml files, so the upgrade problem is somewhat complex.)
Q2. Is there a documentation example for this kind of best practice procedure? Is it best to use attached files or installed files?
I am a newbie. After reading and watching some videos on MSIX packages, I am wondering if the best practice is to ship all the upgraded option files in a side folder, and do the entire upgrade of app data files within the application when it first boots. That way the incoming new data/option files would be completely separate from the active user data/option files and the installer would not have to deal with the problem of upgrading app data files. Currently I am NOT using MSIX - I just use an .exe installer.
Thank you.