>I have the need to use InstallShield with VFP5.0 and eventually with VFP6.0. Since the built in setup wizard does not tell you what gets installed (files, registry entries, etc., how do I know what to included? Has anyone been successful with InstallShield (v 5.1 or 5.5? I heard that Wize Install now includes a wizard for VFP, but my "day" job company has settled on InstallShield.

The easiest thing to do is to create a VFP Runtime install with the Setup Wizard, and fire it silently via InstallShield's LaunchAppAndWait() function. You can then use InstallShield to do the remainder of the install for you.

One real advantage to this is that your transition from VFP 5 to VFP 6 is pretty transparent - you can use the same Installshield script, and simply substitute the VFP Setup Wizard created runtime install for the appropriate version when distributing your app. If no ActiveX components are involved, or if the VFP runtime install handles their install, rereleasing an app in VFP 6 can be as simple as creating your new .EXE, creating the Setup Wizard Runtime distribution, and pointing InstallShield at the new files.

You'll want to look at the various /Q command line options for the Setup Wizard install to present the user with as much (or as little) confirmation that the VFP install runs for use in conjunction with LaunchAppAndWait().

On reinstalls, you'll need to do a bit of cleanup (removing the SETUP.STF on the target system for the VFP Runtime install, for example), or provide different command line parameters when firing the runtime install.

I'd rely on InstallShield to handle pre/post runtime install actions. Make your Setup Wizard install as vanilla as possible; the only tasks I sometimes place in Setup Wizard are dropping in ODBC drivers, and installation of ActiveX controls used by my forms. InstallShield is capable of doing both.