Create an application setup in visual studio 2013
Microsoft has listened to the cry for supporting installers (MSI) in Visual Studio and release the Visual Studio Installer Projects Extension. You can now create installers in VS2013, download the extension here from the visualstudiogallery.
visual-studio-installer-projects-extension
As of Visual Studio 2012, Microsoft no longer provides the built-in deployment package. If you wish to use this package, you will need to use VS2010.
In 2013 you have several options:
- InstallShield
- WiX
- Roll your own
In my projects I create my own installers from scratch, which, since I do not use Windows Installer, have the advantage of being super fast, even on old machines.
Visual Studio 2013 now supports setup projects. Microsoft have shipped a Visual Studio extension to produce setup projects.
Visual Studio Installer Projects Extension
Microsoft recommends to use the "InstallShield Limited Edition for Visual Studio" as replacement for the discontinued "Deployment and Setup Project" - but it is not so nice and nobody else recommends to use it. But for simple setups, and if it is not a problem to relay on commercial third party products, you can use it.
The alternative is to use Windows Installer XML (WiX), but you have to do many things manually that did the Setup-Project by itself.