Andreas has found himself what looks like a great alternative to WiX for building Add-In packages, Advanced Installer. It ticks all the boxes:
- Free (as in beer)
- Wizard-driven
- No dependencies on a particular version of Visual Studio
- Can be run using build scripts in your project
Best of all, the freeware version’s EULA includes this clause:
Caphyon grants you an unlimited license to use the Freeware Features of the Software. The install packages created using only the Freeware Features can be freely redistributed and used both in commercial and non-commercial purpose.
Now, I love WiX. It’s powerful, has a million knobs and dials, and is configured using plain XML. However, it doesn’t integrate with Visual Studio Express, and it has a steep learning curve. If you just want to create an installer for your Add-In and not worry about its innards, Advanced Installer looks great.