How to add JRE or .NET Framework as a prerequisite

Add Java Runtime Environment (JRE) as a prerequisite

If you install a Java application it is always a good idea to add a JRE prerequisite. This way you will make sure the user can run your application after it is installed.

In order to add JRE as a prerequisite, you can follow these steps:

go to the Prerequisites page
select the "Java Runtime Environment" predefined prerequisite
in the Properties tab of the "New Prerequisite" dialog some fields are already filled, however, you need to configure all of them for your package
use the "Ver Min" and "Ver Max" fields to set the minimum and maximum versions of the JRE version required (this will be shown to the user and does not affect the prerequisite)
the "Location" combo can be left to the default value: URL
in the "URL" field, set the URL which points to the installation package of the JRE version needed by your application
make sure this URL is correct by running it in Internet Explorer (it should show you the Internet Explorer's "Save As..."dialog with the "Run", "Save" and "Cancel" options)
in the "Command Line" field, set the command line parameters you want to pass to the JRE installation package (you can leave it empty)
leave the "Folder" field empty or set it to the location where the prerequisite files will be placed, extracted or downloaded
use the [ Browse... ] button in the "Integrity Check" section to select the JRE installation package you want to add as a prerequisite
after selecting it, the "Exact Size" and "MD5" fields are populated automatically
go to the Install Conditions tab
use the "Launch Conditions" section to select the Windows platforms on which the prerequisite can be installed
double-click the predefined search in the "Search" section
in the Edit Search dialog use the "Minimum" field to set the minimum JRE version required by your application (this will determine if the prerequisite installation will be launched or not)

If you don't want to download the JRE installation package from a URL, you can set the "Location" field to Use files from disk. This option will allow you to select the JRE installation package on the disk and include it in your installation package.

The "Use files from disk" option is recommended if you don't want the prerequisite installation to depend on the Internet connection of the target machine.

Add .NET Framework as a prerequisite

If you install a .NET application, it is recommended you add a .NET Framework prerequisite to your installation package. This way you are making sure the user can run your application after it is installed.

In order to add .NET Framework as a prerequisite, you can follow these steps:

go to the Prerequisites
select one of the ".NET Framework" predefined prerequisites
in the Properties tab of the "New Prerequisite" dialog some fields are already filled, however, you need to configure all of them for your package
use the "Ver Min" and "Ver Max" fields to set the minimum and maximum versions of the .NET Framework version required (this will be showed to the user and does not affect the prerequisite)
the "Location" combo can be left to the default value: URL
in the "URL" field set the URL which points to the installation package of the .NET Framework version needed by your application
make sure that this URL is correct by running it in Internet Explorer (it should show you the Internet Explorer's "Save As..."dialog with the "Run", "Save" and "Cancel" options)
in the "Command Line" field set the command line parameters you want to pass to the .NET Framework installation package (you can leave it empty)
leave the "Folder" field empty or set it to the location the prerequisite files will be placed, extracted or downloaded into
use the [ Browse... ] button in the "Integrity Check" section to select the .NET Framework installation package you want to add as a prerequisite
after selecting it, the "Exact Size" and "MD5" fields are populated automatically
go to the Install Conditions tab
use the "Launch Conditions" section to select the Windows platforms on which the prerequisite can be installed
you don't need to modify the predefined search in the "Search" section because it has been configured automatically

If you don't want to download the .NET Framework installation package from a URL, you can set the "Location" field to Use files from disk. This option will allow you to select the .NET Framework installation package on the disk and include it in your installation package.