Summary

Synopsis

Currently, in the Redistributables view, it is possible to change the destination of a merge module by accessing the merge module properties and changing the Destination field. This redirects all files within the merge module that were set to install to INSTALLDIR to the new directory you specify.

Some merge modules cannot be redirected using this method because custom actions within those merge modules subsequently fail. This article discusses an alternative method to changing the merge module destination that allows these custom actions to work correctly.

Discussion

The standard method of changing a merge module's destination is to follow these steps:

1. Select the Redistributables view.

2. Select a merge module from the list by checking the check box to the left of the module.

3. Once selected, right-click the merge module and select Properties.

4. In the Destination field of the Merge Module Properties dialog, select another location from the drop-down box.

5. Rebuild the project.

The above method works for the majority of merge modules and is the most commonly used method of redirecting the destination of merge modules.

Certain merge modules, such as a specific version of Microsoft's Speech SDK Merge Module, contain custom actions that have been known to fail when the above method is used to change the destination location. In these instances, the following steps should be followed to change the destination location instead of the steps mentioned above:

1. Select the Custom Actions view.

2. Create a new custom action with the following properties:

   Type: Set a property (Type 51)

   Source: TARGETDIR

   Target: <Path of your choice>

3. Insert this custom action after CostInitialize in the User Interface sequence.

4. Insert this custom action after CostInitialize in the Execute sequence.

The above steps set TARGETDIR equivalent to INSTALLDIR, thereby resolving this problem with certain merge modules.

Additional Information

Additional information on the User Interface and Execute sequences can be found in Help Library topic Installation Sequence.

Additional information on creating custom actions can be found in Help Library topic Creating Custom Actions in the Custom Actions and Sequences View (or the Custom Actions View).