Settings for Languages

InstallShield 2016

Edition • The Premier edition of InstallShield includes support for creating multilingual installations.

InstallShield lets you set languages at the project level, at the component level, and at the release level. Specifying languages at each level has different affects on your project. The following table describes various language-related settings.

Language Settings in InstallShield

Setting

Project Type

Description

General Information view setting—Setup Languages

Advanced UI, Basic MSI, DIM, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI, InstallScript Object, Merge Module, Suite/Advanced UI

Project • The behavior of this setting varies, depending on the project type.

In Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module, and Suite/Advanced UI projects, the Setup Languages setting lets you specify the languages that you want to be listed in the UI Languages setting in the Releases view. If a language is not listed for this Setup Languages setting at the project level, you cannot include that particular UI language in your project’s releases.

Advanced UI projects, which are available in the Professional edition of InstallShield, have support for only one language. Therefore, the Setup Languages setting in this project type is read-only.

In InstallScript and InstallScript Object projects, the Setup Languages setting lets you specify the languages that you want to be listed in the Languages setting in the Components and Releases views in your project. In general, if a language is not listed for this setting at the project level, you cannot designate that a particular component in your project is targeted for that language; in addition, you cannot designate that the components and UI strings for a particular language are included in your project’s releases.

When you add a supported language to a Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI, InstallScript Object, Merge Module, or Suite/Advanced UI project through this setting, InstallShield adds string entries for that language to your project. The string entries include the built-in user-interface string resources that are already translated.

In DIM projects, the Setup Languages setting lets you specify the languages that you want the project to support. When you add a language to your project through this setting, InstallShield adds string entries for that language to your project. The string entries include string resources that you would need to have translated.

For more information, see Selecting the Installation Languages.

Component setting—Languages

Basic MSI, DIM, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI, InstallScript Object, Merge Module

The Languages setting for a component enables you to specify the languages for which the component is intended, for use in build-time filtering. By default, components are language independent, meaning that none of the component’s data (such as files and registry entries) are specific to a particular language.

Project • In InstallScript and InstallScript Object projects, if a language is not selected in the General Information view of a project, it is not listed as one of the available languages for the project’s components.

To designate that the component is intended for only certain languages, click the ellipsis button (...) in this setting. The Languages dialog box opens, enabling you to select the appropriate languages for the component.

For more information, see Marking Components as Language Dependent.

Tip • To learn how to specify which language-dependent components are installed at run time, see Installing Components Based on Language.

Releases view setting (Build tab)—Data Languages

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

If you want to include certain components and exclude others based on the language that is selected for each component, click the ellipsis button (...) in this setting and specify the appropriate languages. If the language specified for a component does not match one of the languages that is selected for this setting, InstallShield does not include the component in the release.

By default, releases are language independent; that is, none of the project’s components are excluded from the release.

Releases view setting (Build tab)—UI Languages

Advanced UI, Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module, Suite/Advanced UI

The UI Languages setting lets you specify which user interface languages you want to include in a release. To select the appropriate languages, click the ellipsis button (...) in this setting.

Note that if a language is not selected in the Setup Languages setting in the General Information view of the project, it is not listed as one of the available languages for the UI Languages setting.

Releases view setting (Build tab)—Language(s)

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Use the Language(s) setting if you want to include certain components and exclude others based on the language that is selected for each component. This setting also lets you specify which user interface languages you want to include in a release. If the language specified for a component does not match one of the languages that is selected for this setting, InstallShield does not include the component in the release. In addition, if a UI language that is included in the project does not match one of the languages that is selected for this setting, InstallShield does not include the UI strings in the release.

By default, releases are language independent; that is, none of the project’s components or UI strings are excluded from the release.

Note that if a language is not selected in the General Information view of a project, it is not listed as one of the available languages for the Language(s) setting.

For information about the default language in a project, see Setting the Default Project Language.

See Also