VsixVisual Studio Extension and Add-In Installers

Advanced Installer provides a quick and easy way to distribute add-ins and extensions for Microsoft Visual Studio 2017. It will automatically generate all the required files, so you don't need to configure your installer manually.

Packing Features

Advanced Installer has the ability to build VSIX packages for:

  • Project Templates
  • Item Templates
  • Visual Studio Integration Packages
  • Managed Extensibility Framework (MEF) components
  • Toolbox controls
  • Assemblies
  • Custom Types, like custom Start Pages

Visual Studio Add-Ins can also be packed into MSI installers, taking full advantage of the Windows Installer technology.

Prerequisites

For every VSIX package created with Advanced Installer you can specify your extension requirements:

  • Minimum and Maximum .NET Framework versions
  • Visual Studio Editions
  • Visual Studio Isolated Shells
  • Referenced Products

Also, Visual Studio Add-Ins have access to all prerequisites and launch conditions available in MSI projects including:

  • .NET Framework
  • Visual Studio Runtime
  • SQL Server

Using Advanced Installer you can easily specify your Visual Studio Extension dependencies and include them in your VSIX package. The Extension Manager will first install all missing dependencies and then install your extension.

Appearance & Localization

Customize your Visual Studio Extension packages by setting Extension Manager icons. For every package, the Product Name, Description and License Agreement can be fully localized using Advanced Installer multi-lingual support.

For Visual Studio Add-Ins you can use all dialogs and themes available for MSI installers, including our enhanced user interface. Localization is also available through multilingual packages which can have a language selection dialog.

Digital Signature

Digitally sign your Visual Studio Add-In or Extension installer, certifying your package's origin and integrity.