how to use advanced installer to install game

Inability to pack effectively the database and other files.

Excel-DNA packer doesn’t offer this feature and the solution has to be distributed as an XLL file with a couple of DLL copied alongside. a numeric math one or SQLite one, the distribution requires to distribute separately a 32-bit and a 64-bit version of the native unmanaged optimized libraries.

Once the Excel add-on starts depending on some native unmanaged optimized library, e.g. Inability to pack native unmanaged DLLs with Excel-DNA packer.Then it may become advantageous NOT to pack all the libraries into the output XLL files. This becomes an issue once the Excel-DNA addon depends on complex UI components with typical sizes of tens of megabytes. Each Excel add-on needs to be distributed in both 32- and 64- bit versions and packing all libraries into the XLL files requires all the libraries to be packed in both 32- and the 64-bit version XLLs, effectively distributing of each DLL library twice. Ballooning of the total distribution file sizes due to the inclusion of packed identical DLLs in both the 32- and 64 bit XLL versions.Once the add-on becomes larger and once the number of DLL libraries it depends on increases, this approach becomes not optimal because: The XLL file(s) can then be just copied on the target computer and opened directly in Excel without manual modifications of any system registry or other changes.

The Importance of Distributing a MS Excel Add-on with an Installerįor small projects, Excel-DNA provides an elegant way of distributing the output add-ons by packing all required DLLs into one big XLL file (one for 32-bit and one for 64-bit version of MS Excel).

I have been using it for a number of years with full satisfaction.1 1. While a simple XLL add-on requires no registration or installation, the more advanced XLL add-ons with rich UI components demand an installer for setting up the environment.Īdvanced Installer is an installer enabling you to deliver professional installers with minimum effort. Excel-DNA is a game-changing solution for development of XLL Excel add-ons in C# without VSTO abstracting away majority of the C++ implementation details.

How to use advanced installer to install game