Managing Multiple Installer Projects in One Place Using Advanced Installer

Written by Renato Ivanescu · April 30th, 2025 · 3min read

Developing complex applications often involves various components, each requiring its own installer. To streamline the build process, it’s important to manage and build all installers within a single solution.

Advanced Installer addresses this need with its Solution Project feature, which allows you to group multiple installation projects, such as patch projects, update configurations, or merge modules, into a single solution file.

Additionally, you can define the build sequence of your projects to ensure that dependencies are correctly handled during the build process

In this article, I’ll show you how to manage multiple installation projects using Advanced Installer.

How to Create a Solution for Installer Projects

To create a solution for installer projects, you need to start from an existing project. So, first let’s create a new project in Advanced Installer:

- Open Advanced Installer.

- On the Start page, select a Simple Installer Project and click the ‘Create New Project’ button.

Create new project in Advanced Installer

- Once the project is created, save it before adding another project.

How to Add an Installer Project

Now that the first project has been created, let’s add a second installer project. In this example, I’ll add a Merge Module project:

Go to File → Add → New Project.

- On the Start page, navigate to the Merge Modules section, select MSM, and press the ‘Create New Project’ button.

You now have multiple projects managed within a single solution.

How to Configure Solution Options

You can configure several options for your solution by opening the Options dialog.

Edit Solution Options in Advanced Installer

Here are the available configurations:

Primary Project (Start Project): Define which project is the main one, as it will be executed by default.
Build Order: Set the order in which projects should be built. You can use the Up and Down buttons to edit the build order of your projects.

Start your free 30-day trial of Advanced Installer and explore the Solution Project feature today!

Conclusion

The Solution Project feature in Advanced Installer is a powerful capability for developers managing complex applications with multiple installation modules.

By grouping related projects into a single solution, you gain better control over dependencies, simplify your build process, and keep everything well-organized.

If you're dealing with multi-project packaging scenarios, this feature can save you significant time and reduce complexity.

FAQs

What is the Solution Project Feature in Advanced Installer?

The Solution Project feature in Advanced Installer is a powerful capability for managing multiple installer packages, such as MSI files, patches, and merge modules, within a single, unified project.

How do I create and manage multiple installer projects in Advanced Installer?

To get started, you create a standard project (like a Simple Installer). Once it’s saved, you can add more projects—such as merge modules or update configurations—through the File → Add → New Project option.

Can I set the build order for installer projects in a solution file?

Yes, Advanced Installer lets you customize the build sequence of your projects. You can set a primary project and reorder builds using the Build Order settings in the Options dialog.

Written by

Renato Ivanescu

Renato is a technical writer for Advanced Installer and an assistant professor at the University of Craiova. He is currently a PhD. student, and computers and information technology are his areas of interest. He loves innovation and takes on big challenges.