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I have an MSI project that I want to convert to a merge module. The writing of files was simple enough to replicate. However, I am struggling to replicate the Custom Actions. I need the Custom Action to execute from the merge module.

This is what my custom actions in my MSI project looks like:

enter image description here

UPDATE:

I found the problem. In an MSI project, the name your directory that you create; Remains the same that is if I create a folder FBB Installer Files; in your direct Editor under Directory the Key name will be FBB_INSTALLER_FILES; however if you do the same thing in a Merge Module the Key will be set to FBB_INSTALLER_.984DBBFF_9C1E_46C0_9E76_BF6D4CE53321. Basically a merge module appends a GUID to the name of the key.

Dreamer78692
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    I can't really read your screenshot but having that many custom actions in an installer/module is a bad code smell. – Christopher Painter Jan 11 '13 at 00:50
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    Merge modules are supposed to do that. It's called "Modularization" and it's designed to ensure that when different modules merge into an MSI that their won't be any conflicts. An MSI should know about it's MSM but the MSM shouldn't make any assumptions about the MSI. – Christopher Painter Jan 11 '13 at 23:29
  • Thanks for that, now i understand the reason why they use you have to that. – Dreamer78692 Jan 12 '13 at 12:31

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Merge module's don't get executed as they don't get shipped with the installer. They get consumed during the build and merged into an MSI. The CustomActions get listed in the Module*Sequence tables with instructions to merge before or after standard actions.

Other then you have to think a bit more abstract and bulletproof because the module has to work within the context of more then one product MSI, there really isn't anything different.

Christopher Painter
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