Can I force the installer project to use the .config file from the built solution instead of the original one?

Question

I am using the solution to this question in order to apply configuration changes to App.config in a Winforms project. I also have an installer project for the proj

Answer 1

I combined the best of the following answers to get a fully working solution without using any external tools at all:

1. Setup App.Config transformations

Source: https://stackoverflow.com/a/5109530

In short:

Manually add additional .config files for each build configuration and edit the raw project file to include them similar to this:

  App.config


  App.config

Then include the following XML at the end of the project file, just before the closing tag:

  
  
    
    
      $(TargetFileName).config
    
  

Finally edit the additional .config files to include the respective transformations for each build configuration:

2. Include the appropriate .config in the setup project

First, add a command in the postbuild event of your main project to move the appropriate transformed .config file to a neutral location (e.g. the main bin\ directory):

copy /y "$(TargetDir)$(TargetFileName).config" "$(ProjectDir)bin\$(TargetFileName).config"

(Source: https://stackoverflow.com/a/26521986)

Open the setup project and click the "Primary output..." node to display the properties window. There, add an ExludeFilter "*.config" to exclude the default (untransformed) .config file.

(Source: https://stackoverflow.com/a/6908477)

Finally add the transformed .config file (from the postbuild event) to the setup project (Add > File).

Done.

You can now freely add build configurations and corresponding config transforms and your setup project will always include the appropriate .config for the active configuration.