Number of configurations in a project for build and install

Question

In our project, we currently have two different configurations. The first one builds the assemblies. The other packages (including moving stuff to the right directories etc.) everything for InstallShield.

Now, we can't agree if it's better to move all the build steps into a single configuration and run it as a whole chain or if it's better to keep the build process separate from creating installation package.

Googling results in guides on how to do that but not in what way to do that (and our confusion is mainly due to the architecture of the configurations' order). We'll be using a few steps from PowerShield in order to move a number of files between different directories due to certain local considerations. The total number of steps will land on 5 or less.

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The suggestion that I have is the following three configurations. They run separately, independently and their build steps overlap (being super sets of each other, consecutively regarded).

1. Configuration Build.
2. Configuration Build and test.
3. Configuration Build, test and package.

The main point of my suggestion is that e.g. the step that compiles the software is implemented in each configuration (as opposed to reusing the artifacts from an independent run of other configuration).

Answer 1

I would argue like this:

• if you ever need to perform just one of the two steps - then leave them as separate steps. This gives you the flexibility to run one, or the other, or both steps. E.g. could it be that you need to just build the solution, but not create the final installation package? E.g. for local testing?

• However, if you never ever use one of the steps separately (you always run both together), then I'd probably just merge them together into one - having two separate steps doesn't make much sense to me