Using project items

This help topic refers to a previous version of InstallMate. It has not been updated for InstallMate 9 yet.

One of the import commands on the File menu is File > Import > Project Items... This command imports an XML-style project file that adds some functionality to your project, comparable to MSI merge modules but much simpler in concept and implementation.

What project items are

A project item is a short version of an InstallMate project file. It is implemented as an XML file with a .xml file name extension and uses the same XML-based syntax as a full project file, but typically contains only a few installation or project-related items. Internally, InstallMate Builder processes project item files exactly as regular project files, so all the same functionality is available. When you import a project item file, its contents are parsed and then merged with the current project; they become an integral part of the project.

Project item files may refer to other files such as installation files or resource files. Several of the add-ons use this feature; for example, the Microsoft C/C++ runtime library add-ons and the Visual Basic 6 add-on install project items that refer to the relevant runtime files.

Where project items are stored

By default, project items are stored in the Project Items subfolder of your InstallMate 9 installation; typically, this would be C:\Program Files\InstallMate 9\Project Items. However, you can store project items anywhere on your development system or network.

How to create project items

To create a file with project items, use one of the following methods:

Select the project items that you want to save in your own project, then use Edit > Copy to copy them to the Windows clipboard and paste them as text in an external plain text editor. Next, extend the file's contents to a proper XML project file; you can use a regular project file as an example. Save the result as a UTF-8 encoded Unicode file with an .xml extension.
Save a normal project file with an .im9 extension, then go to Windows Explorer, change the file name extension to .xml and use a Unicode-aware plain text editor (or a specialized XML editor) to remove the parts that you do not need.

Please note that creating project item files requires considerable XML knowledge and a good understanding of the InstallMate project file syntax. We do not generally recommend that you create your own project items.

Predefined project items

The standard InstallMate 9 distribution contains a number of predefined project items for general usage. Furthermore, several of the add-ons available from the download page on the Tarma web site install their own project items.

The following is a partial list of the currently available project items.

Project item	Description
Standard project items preinstalled with InstallMate 9
Insert 32-bit support	Adds specific 32-bit folders, features, and components to the project. This project item is only meant to add 32-bit support to a project that you created as 64-bit only. Do not use it for 32-bit projects or combined 32/64-bit projects.
Insert 64-bit support	Adds specific 64-bit folders, features, and components to the project. This project item is only meant to add 64-bit support to a project that you created as 32-bit only. Do not use it for 64-bit projects or combined 32/64-bit projects.
Project items installed by the VB6 runtime add-on
VB6 Runtime support	Inserts the Visual Basic runtime DLL plus a number of auxiliary DLLs into your project. This is equivalent to Microsoft VB6_X86 redistributable.
Project items installed by the VC2005 (amd64) runtime add-on
VC2005 All libraries (amd64)	Inserts all VC2005 runtime libraries for amd64 processors into your project: ATL, CRT, MFC, MFC localizations, MSDIA, and OpenMP. This is equivalent to the Microsoft vcredist_x64 redistributable. Note: This is version 8.0.50727.42 of the libraries, which have been superseded by the SP1 version. If your VC2005 environment is up to date, you should use the SP1 versions instead.
Other VC2005 (amd64) items	The other VC2005 (amd64) items insert individual library assemblies into your project; this may be preferred if your application only uses some of the runtime libraries (for example, only ATL or CRT). Note: This is version 8.0.50727.42 of the libraries, which have been superseded by the SP1 version. If your VC2005 environment is up to date, you should use the SP1 versions instead.
Project items installed by the VC2005 (x86) runtime add-on
VC2005 All libraries (x86)	Inserts all VC2005 runtime libraries for x86 processors into your project: ATL, CRT, MFC, MFC localizations, MSDIA, and OpenMP. This is equivalent to the Microsoft vcredist_x86 redistributable. Note: This is version 8.0.50727.42 of the libraries, which have been superseded by the SP1 version. If your VC2005 environment is up to date, you should use the SP1 versions instead.
Other VC2005 (x86) items	The other VC2005 (x86) items insert individual library assemblies into your project; this may be preferred if your application only uses some of the runtime libraries (for example, only ATL or CRT). Note: This is version 8.0.50727.42 of the libraries, which have been superseded by the SP1 version. If your VC2005 environment is up to date, you should use the SP1 versions instead.
Project items installed by the VC2005 SP1 (amd64) runtime add-on
VC2005-SP1 All libraries (amd64)	Inserts all VC2005 SP1 runtime libraries for amd64 processors into your project: ATL, CRT, MFC, MFC localizations, MSDIA, and OpenMP. This is equivalent to the Microsoft vcredist_x64 SP1 redistributable.
Other VC2005-SP1 (amd64) items	The other VC2005-SP1 (amd64) items insert individual library assemblies into your project; this may be preferred if your application only uses some of the runtime libraries (for example, only ATL or CRT).
Project items installed by the VC2005 SP1 (amd64) runtime add-on
VC2005-SP1 All libraries (x86)	Inserts all VC2005 SP1 runtime libraries for x86 processors into your project: ATL, CRT, MFC, MFC localizations, MSDIA, and OpenMP. This is equivalent to the Microsoft vcredist_x86 SP1 redistributable.
Other VC2005-SP1 (x86) items	The other VC2005-SP1 (x86) items insert individual library assemblies into your project; this may be preferred if your application only uses some of the runtime libraries (for example, only ATL or CRT).
Project items installed by the VC2008 (amd64) runtime add-on
VC2008 All libraries (amd64)	Inserts all VC2008 runtime libraries for amd64 processors into your project: ATL, CRT, MFC, MFC localizations, MSDIA, and OpenMP. This is equivalent to the Microsoft vcredist_x64 redistributable. Note: These libraries will only be installed on Windows 2000 or later systems with amd64 processors.
Other VC2008 (amd64) items	The other VC2008 (amd64) items insert individual library assemblies into your project; this may be preferred if your application only uses some of the runtime libraries (for example, only ATL or CRT). Note: These libraries will only be installed on Windows 2000 or later systems with amd64 processors.
Project items installed by the VC2008 (x86) runtime add-on
VC2008 All libraries (x86)	Inserts all VC2008 runtime libraries for x86 processors into your project: ATL, CRT, MFC, MFC localizations, MSDIA, and OpenMP. This is equivalent to the Microsoft vcredist_x86 redistributable. Note: These libraries will only be installed on Windows 2000 or later systems.
Other VC2008 (x86) items	The other VC2008 (x86) items insert individual library assemblies into your project; this may be preferred if your application only uses some of the runtime libraries (for example, only ATL or CRT). Note: These libraries will only be installed on Windows 2000 or later systems.