ISWiRelease Object

InstallShield 2015 » Automation Interface

Project: This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
InstallScript Object
Merge Module

Project-specific differences are noted where appropriate.

ISWiRelease represents an existing release in the Releases view of InstallShield. You can retrieve a release by specifying an item in the ISWiReleases collection. The release must have been created through the Release Wizard, the Releases view, or the command-line tool ISCmdBld.exe.

Members

ISWiRelease Object Members

Name

Project

Type

Description

BatchFileName

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's Execute Batch File property, which specifies the filename of a batch file or executable file to execute after the release build is complete.

BrowsersToSupport

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

This property indicates which browsers a One-Click Install type of installation will support. Specify the following value:

eocitbIE (0)—Internet Explorer

This property applies only to One-Click Web releases.

Build

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

Method

Builds the current release. This is a full and complete build.

BuildErrorCount

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

Read-Only Property

After the Build method is run on the ISWiRelease object, BuildErrorCount contains the number of errors that occurred while the build process was running.

BuildLocation

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

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets a string that identifies the top-level directory where the release will be built.

BuildTablesOnly

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Method

Builds only the Windows Installer tables of the current release.

BuildTablesRefreshFiles

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Method

Rebuilds your .msi file and updates the Files table, including any new or changed files in your release.

BuildUTF8Database

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

If you want the Windows Installer database, along with any instance or language transforms, to be built using the UTF-8 encoding, set this Boolean property to True. The UTF-8 encoding supports characters from all languages simultaneously, enabling you to mix and match, for example, Japanese and German, or Russian and Polish, both in text shown to end users and in file names and registry keys. These mixed languages work correctly regardless of the current language of the target system. However, some scenarios result in user interface issues. For example, if an end user specifies the /qb command-line option or uninstalls the product from Add or Remove Programs, Windows Installer uses very small fonts to display the user interface text in a UTF-8 database.

If you set this property to True, InstallShield creates an ANSI database when you build your release. This option does not let you mix characters from languages in different code pages.

BuildWarningCount

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

Read-Only Property

After the Build method is run on the ISWiRelease object, BuildWarningCount contains the number of warnings that occurred while the build process was running.

CabCompressionType

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

If the Compressed property is set to True, you can use this CabCompressionType property to specify the type of compression that InstallShield should use when building this release’s .cab files. Available options are:

ecctLZX (3)InstallShield uses LZX compression to compress your product’s data files into .cab files. This option results in the smallest .cab files; however, it also takes the most time to extract the data from these .cab files at run time.
ecctMSZIP (1)InstallShield uses MSZIP compression to compress your product’s data files into .cab files.
ecctNone (0)InstallShield does not use any compression when creating the .cab files.

Important: Using compression generally decreases the size of your compressed files, but the build process may take more time to complete. Depending on the number and size of the files being compressed, the LZX compression and the build may take hours to complete. Therefore, if you select the LZX option, it is recommended that your build machine have the latest hardware to minimize the time that it takes for the build to complete.

CachePath

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies where cached installation files should be stored on the end user's system. Use a hard-coded value such as C:\CachedFiles.

This property is used only if the CacheWebDownload property for the current build is set to True.

CacheWebDownload

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies whether the installation files for the current build should be cached on the target system. Set this to True to cache the installation files on the target system for use with application maintenance and repair.

Use the CachePath property to indicate where the cached files should be stored on the end user's system.

This property is used only if the WebType property for the current build is set to ewtOneExe (2) (one executable).

CertificatePassword

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

Write-Only Property

Sets the password for the .pfx file if the file has a password. InstallShield encrypts the password and stores it in your project file (.ism).

At build time, InstallShield uses the password to sign files with a .pfx file. If your certificate is protected by a password but you do not enter it in this setting, signing with a .pfx file fails.

Note: This property is not applicable if the certificate that you are using for signing is in a certificate store. Note that if the certificate was imported into the store with password protection, you will be prompted to enter the password at build time.

CertificateURL

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

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the URL that is used in your digital certificate to link to a location that you would like end users to visit to learn more about your product, organization, or company. Use a fully qualified URL—for example, http://www.mydomain.com.

Compressed

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True if you want all of the package's files compressed into the .msi file, the .msm file, or Setup.exe, if selected. A value of False means that your application files are placed uncompressed in subfolders of the release location.

Unlike the flexibility available in the Release Wizard's Custom Compression Settings panel, this property either compresses all or none of the files in the release.

CompressScript

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

This Boolean property gets or sets the release's Compress Script property, which specifies whether the compiled script file (.inx file) is placed in a cabinet file (True) or is placed uncompressed in the Disk1 disk image folder (False).

CopyToFolder

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

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's Copy To Folder property, which specifies a folder location to which to copy the release's disk image folders after the release build is complete. Existing folders with the same names as copied folders are overwritten but no folders are deleted.

CreateAutorunINF

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True to create an Autorun.inf file at the root of your release location.

CreatePDF

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True to generate a package definition file for your installation, False otherwise.

CubFile

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the name of the validation module (.cub file) that InstallShield uses to validate the built release.

DefaultLang

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the language identifier for the default language of a given release. This property value overrides the default project language that is configured in the General Information view or the String Editor view.

For more information, see Setting the Default Project Language.

DelayMSIEngineReboot

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies whether you want to postpone any reboot associated with installing or updating the Windows Installer engine on the target system until after your installation has completed.

Set this to True to postpone the reboot, if one is necessary. Set this to False to allow the system to reboot, if necessary, immediately after the Windows Installer engine has been installed or updated and before performing your installation.

This option requires Windows Installer version 2.0.

DigitalCertificateInfo

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

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the digital certificate that you want to use to sign your release. InstallShield lets you choose between the following options:

To specify the .pfx certificate file that you want to use for signing, set this property equal to the fully qualified path and file name of the .pfx file on your build machine.

Instead of hard-coding a path, you can use a path variable that is defined in the Path Variables view or part of the ISWiPathVariables collection. At build time, InstallShield replaces the path variable with the appropriate value.

To reference a certificate store that contains the certificate that you want to use for signing, set this property equal to a certificate store string.

To pass a certificate store string as the value, use the following convention:

*Store*StoreLocation:Cert Subject

For Store, pass one of the following values:

MY
CA
Trust
Root

For StoreLocation, pass one of the following values:

User
Machine

For Cert Store, pass the subject of the certificate that you want to use.

To learn more, see Digital Signing and Security.

DisplayDotNetOptionDialog

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

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True if you want the installation to display the .NET option message box at run time. This message box allows the end user to specify whether to install the .NET Framework.

Set this property to False if the installation should not allow end users to determine whether they want to install the .NET Framework.

Note: This property does not determine whether your installation includes the .NET Framework, only whether the end user has a choice to install it.

DistributeAfterBuild

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

Set this to True if you want the build engine to automatically distribute the current release after each build to the location that you specify for the DistributeLoc or DistributeToURLLoc properties.

Note: When both the DistributeLoc and DistributeToURLLoc properties are specified, the release is copied to only the FTP location.

DistributeLoc

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

If you want to be able to automatically distribute your release to a folder, specify the location for this property.

The DistributeAfterBuild property must be set to True.

Note that existing folders with the same names as copied folders are overwritten, but no folders are deleted.

If the media format of the selected release is a network image, which creates only one disk image folder, the contents of the disk image folder, rather than the folder itself, are copied. If you chose to create a self-extracting executable file, the executable file, rather than the disk image folders, is copied.

Note: When both the DistributeLoc and DistributeToURLLoc properties are specified, the release is copied to only the FTP location.

DistributeToURLLoc

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

If you want to be able to automatically distribute your release to an FTP server, specify the FTP URL for the location for this property.

The DistributeAfterBuild property must be set to True.

Note: If you need to distribute your release to a path outside the FTP default folder, use a double slash (//). For example, to distribute your release to a root-level folder called myproduct, where the URL of the FTP server is ftp://ftp.mydomain.com, enter ftp://ftp.mydomain.com//myproduct for the FTP location.

When both the DistributeLoc and DistributeToURLLoc properties are specified, the release is copied to only the FTP location.

DistributeToURLPassword

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Write-Only Property

If a password is required to upload to the FTP location that you are specifying, specify the password for this property.

DistributeToURLUserName

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

If a user name is required to upload to the FTP location that you are specifying, specify the user name for this property.

DotNetBaseLanguage

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set the language of the user interface of the .NET framework installation. If you set DotNetVersion to '1', then you must set this property.

DotNetBuildConfiguration

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this to the active release name in your corresponding .NET Project file. Typical values would be Release and Debug.

DotNetDelayReboot

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies whether you want to postpone any reboot associated with installing or updating the .NET Framework on the target system until after your installation has completed.

Set this property to True to delay any prompts to reboot until after the installation is finished.

Note: The .NET Framework may not function until after the target system is restarted. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you set this property to False if the .NET Framework is used during the installation.

DotNetFrameworkLocation

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this to one of the following values to indicate how you want to package the .NET Framework redistributable into your installation:

eelSourceMedia (0)—Leaves the .NET Framework run time on the root of the source media.
eelSetupExe (1)—Extracts the .NET Framework from Setup.exe at run time.
eelWeb (2)—Downloads the .NET Framework run time from a default URL or a URL specified with the DotNetFrameworkURL property, described below.
eelDotNetNone (3)—Does not include the .NET Framework in the setup.

DotNetFrameworkURL

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

If DotNetFrameworkLocation is set to eelWeb (2), this property allows you to override the default location of dotnetfx.exe on the Internet.

DotNetFxCmdLine

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set the command line that you want to pass to the setup inside of the .NET 1.1 redistributable (dotnetfx.exe).

DotNetLanguagePackCmdLine

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set the command line that you want to pass to the setup inside the .NET 1.1 language pack redistributables (langpack.exe).

DotNetLanguagePacks

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specify the language identifiers representing the additional .NET 1.1 language packs that you want to install.

DotNetUI

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True if you want to the user interface (UI) from the .NET Framework installation displayed at run time.

DotNetVersion

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to 1 if you want to ship .NET 1.1.

EnableDifference

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

This Boolean property gets or sets the release's Differential Media property, which specifies whether the current release (the release that is selected in the Releases view) is a differential release—that is, a release that contains only those files that were absent from one or more of a specified set of existing releases—or a full release, which contains all your product's files, so that your product can be installed on a system on which no version of your product is currently installed.

EnableLangDlg

All

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True to display the Language Dialog from Setup.exe.

ExpirationDate

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets an expiration date (ISWiDate) for Setup.exe. If this property is set, end users cannot launch the Setup.exe file on or after the specified date.

Following is sample Visual Basic code that sets the expiration date to December 30, 2012.

ISWiDate date

date.wYear = 2012

date.wMonth = 12

date.wDay = 30

pISWiRelease.ExpirationDate = date

If you use this property to get or set an expiration date, you can use the ExpirationMessage property to get or set the message that you want to be displayed at run time when an end user tries to launch Setup.exe on or after the expiration date.

ExpirationMessage

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

If you use the ExpirationDate property to set an expiration date, you can use the ExpirationMessage property to get or set the message that you want to be displayed at run time when an end user tries to launch Setup.exe on or after the expiration date.

Following is sample Visual Basic code that sets an expiration message.

pISWiRelease.ExpirationMessage = "This setup expired on %s. The setup will now exit."

FilterLangs

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True to filter language-specific components according to your settings in the SupportedLangsData property, below.

FTPFolder

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's FTP Site Folder property, which specifies the folder on the FTP server to which you want to copy the disk image folders. This property is applicable only if the FTPHostAddress property is not empty.

FTPHostAddress

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's FTP Host Address property, which specifies the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of an FTP server to which the build process should upload the disk image folders. Leave this property empty if you do not want this release uploaded to an FTP server.

FTPPassword

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's FTP Site Password property, which specifies the password for the user name that you enter in the FTPUserName property. This property is applicable only if the FTPHostAddress property is not empty.

FTPUserName

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's FTP Site User Name property, which specifies the user name with which you want to gain access to the FTP server. This property is applicable only if the FTPHostAddress property is not empty.

GenerateFileHashValues

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

Indicates whether you want to populate the MsiFileHash table for every unversioned file in your build.

Set this to True to populate the MsiFileHash table for every unversioned file in your build. Set this to False if you do not want to populate the MsiFileHash table. If this property is set to False, InstallShield builds any entries that are found in the project's MsiFileHash table (populated using the Direct Editor).

If you have already populated the MsiFileHash table for a particular file, the build uses that information instead of generating the information at build time.

GenerateOneClickInstall

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True to create a One-Click Install. If this property is set to True, you must specify file names in the OneClickHTMLBaseName and OneClickCabJarBaseName properties for this release.

This property is ignored unless the release's Media Format property is set to Web via the Release Wizard's Media Type panel.

IFTWCabSizeInKb

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies the size, in kilobytes, of the cabinet (.cab) files built for the Web media type. Specify the value 0 (zero) to build a separate cabinet file for each component.

This property is used only if the WebType property for the current release is set to ewtIFTW (1) (Install From The Web).

InitDlgProductName

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's Init Dialog Product Name property, which specifies the product name to display in the setup initialization dialog box. If you leave this property empty, the product name that you specify in the General Information view.

JSharpCmdLine

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specify a command-line parameter to pass to vjredist.exe. Consult Microsoft Support for valid command-line parameters.

JSharpOptionalIfSilent

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True to install the J# redistributable even if the J# Option dialog cannot be displayed (for example, if the installation is run silently).

JSharpOptionDlg

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True to display the J# Option dialog, which asks whether the end user wants to install the J# redistributable. If .NET 1.1 is also included in the setup, the dialog states that .NET 1.1 will also be installed.

JSharpRedistLocation

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this to one of the following values to indicate how you want to package the J# redistributable into your setup.

eelSourceMedia (0)—Leaves the J# redistributable on the root of the source media.
eelSetupExe (1)—Extracts the J# redistributable from Setup.exe at run time.
eelWeb (2)—Downloads the J# redistributable from a default URL or a URL specified with the DotNetFrameworkURL property.
eelDotNetNone (3)—Does not include the J# redistributable in the setup.

KeepUnusedDirectories

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

Specify whether you want InstallShield to remove unused directories from the Directory table of the .msi file when you build this release. Available options are:

False—If a directory that is listed in the Directory column of the Directory table is not referenced in any known location in the .msi file, InstallShield removes it from the Directory table of the .msi file that it creates at build time. For Basic MSI and InstallScript MSI projects, this occurs after any merge modules are merged, but only directories that are present in the .msi file are removed; therefore, if a merge module contains new unused directories in its Directory table, the new unused directories are added to the installation.
TrueInstallShield does not remove any directories from the Directory table of the .msi file that it creates at build time.

The default value is False.

Note: Under some conditions, predefined directories cannot be resolved, causing an installation to fail. Removing unused directories from the Directory table enables you to avoid unnecessary failures. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not keep unused directories.

LauncherCopyright

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies the copyright information for the Properties dialog box of the Setup.exe file. You must set the UseMyVersionInfo property to True to override the default copyright information.

To learn more, see Customizing File Properties for the Setup Launcher.

LauncherFileDescription

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies the file description for the Properties dialog box of the Setup.exe file. You must set the UseMyVersionInfo property to True to override the default file description.

To learn more, see Customizing File Properties for the Setup Launcher.

LauncherPassword

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies a password to protect your application. You must set the PasswordProtectLauncher property to True to activate password protection.

This property is applicable only to releases that meet the following criteria:

Single-file Setup.exe
Compressed files
Network image media type

MediaType

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI, InstallScript Object

Read-Only Property

Gets the type of distribution media for the release. Possible values are:

0—CD-ROM
1—Network image
2—Custom
3—DVD
4—Web
5—144 MB floppy disk
6—InstallScript Object

MSI30EngineURL

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the uniform resource locator (URL) for the location of the engine. This is the location that the installation file uses at run time to download the engine.

MsiEngineLocation

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies where the MSI engine installers should be located. Set this property to one of the following:

eelSourceMedia (0)—Copy from the source media. Leaves the MSI engine installers you selected on the root of the source media. This option is not available for Web media types or Network Image media types with all of your files compressed into Setup.exe.
eelSetupExe (1)—Extract engine from Setup.exe.
eelWeb (2)—Download engine from the Web. If you use this setting, be sure to set the MSI30EngineURL property to appropriate Web locations.

Name

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

Read-Only Property

Name of the current release.

ObjDiffOptions

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's Object Difference property, which specifies the conditions for including InstallShield objects in your differential release. Use the following constants to set this property:

eodoAll (0)—The differential release will include all objects that would be included in the equivalent full update release.
eodoExcludeAll (1)—The differential release will not include any objects.
eodoIncludeIfChanged (2)—The differential release will include those objects that would be included in the equivalent full update release and that are not found in, or are different from, the corresponding object in at least one of the comparison releases.

This property is applicable only if the EnableDifference property is set to True.

OneClickCabJarBaseName

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies the base file name for the cabinet (.cab) file generated by the build process for a One-Click installation. The “.cab” extension is appended to the name you specify here. The generated file (or files) will be created in the Disk1 folder for the current release.

This property is used only if the GenerateOneClickInstall property for the current build is set to True.

OneClickHTMLBaseName

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies the base file name of the HTML file generated by the build process. The “.htm” extension is appended to the base name you specify, and the generated file is created in the Disk1 folder of the current release location.

This property is used only if the GenerateOneClickInstall property for the current build is set to True.

OptimizeSize

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies the level of compression to use in your release's cabinet files. Setting this property to True generally decreases the size of your compressed files, but the build process may take more time to complete.

This property is used only if your release compresses some or all of its files.

OSFilter

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's Platform(s) setting, which specifies the operating systems that you want this release to support. If the platform specified for a component does not match one of the platforms that is selected for this property, the component is not included in the release.

Use the following constants to set this property:

eosOSIndepedent = 0
eosWin95 = &H10 (16)
eosWin98 = &H40 (64)
eosWinMe = &H80 (128)
eosWinNT4 = &H10000 (65536)
eosWin2000 = &H100000 (1048576)
eosWinXP = &H400000 (4194304)
eosWinServer2003 = &H800000 (8388608)
eosWinVista = &H1000000 (16777216)—These constants are for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
eosWin7 = &H2000000 (33554432)—These constants are for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
eosWin8 = &H4000000 (67108864)—These constants are for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
eosWin81 = &H8000000 (134217728)—These constants are for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.
eosAll = &HFD100D0 (265355472)

You can specify multiple platforms; for example, eosWin7 Or eosWinServer2008 Or eosWinVista Or eosWinServer2003.

PasswordProtectLauncher

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True to password-protect your setup. Specify a password in the LauncherPassword property.

This property is applicable only to releases that meet the following criteria:

Single-file Setup.exe
Compressed files
Network image media type

PathVariableOverrides

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

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the value of a path variable in your project for the specified release. If this property is used to set the value of a path variable, it overrides any value that is set in the Path Variables view.

Note that you can use this variable to get or override user-defined path variables, environment variables, and registry variables that are configured in the Path Variables view; however, you cannot override predefined path variables such as <WindowsFolder>.

Following is sample Visual Basic code that overrides the value of a path variable called PathVar1:

pISWiRelease.PathVariableOverrides = "PathVar1=C:\Test1" + vbCrLf + "PathVar2=C:\test2"

To learn more about path variables, see Using Path Variables.

PostbuildEvent

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the command that you want to be run after InstallShield has built and signed the release.

When you are specifying a command, you can use any path variables and environment variables that are defined in your project, instead of using a hard-coded path. You can also use certain variables that are defined specifically for build event commands. To learn more, see Specifying Commands that Run Before, During, and After Builds.

Following is sample Visual Basic code that sets two commands:

pISWiRelease.PostbuildEvent = "Event1" + vbCrLf + "Event2"

At build time, InstallShield runs each command in the order that they are listed. The build waits until a command finishes before proceeding to the next one.

Edition: This property is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield.

PrebuildEvent

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the command that you want to be run before InstallShield starts building the release. This event runs after InstallShield creates the release folder and log file, but before InstallShield starts building the release.

When you are specifying a command, you can use any path variables and environment variables that are defined in your project, instead of using a hard-coded path. You can also use certain variables that are defined specifically for build event commands. To learn more, see Specifying Commands that Run Before, During, and After Builds.

Following is sample Visual Basic code that sets two commands:

pISWiRelease.PrebuildEvent = "Event1" + vbCrLf + "Event2"

At build time, InstallShield runs each command in the order that they are listed. The build waits until a command finishes before proceeding to the next one.

Edition: This property is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield.

PrecompressionEvent

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the command that you want to be run after InstallShield has built the .msi package and the .cab files (if your product’s data files are to be stored in .cab files). Note that this event occurs after .cab files are streamed into the .msi package, but before the .msi package has been digitally signed and streamed into the Setup.exe file.

When you are specifying a command, you can use any path variables and environment variables that are defined in your project, instead of using a hard-coded path. You can also use certain variables that are defined specifically for build event commands. To learn more, see Specifying Commands that Run Before, During, and After Builds.

Following is sample Visual Basic code that sets two commands:

pISWiRelease.PrecompressionEvent = "Event1" + vbCrLf + "Event2"

At build time, InstallShield runs each command in the order that they are listed. The build waits until a command finishes before proceeding to the next one.

Edition: This property is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield.

PreProcessorDefines

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release’s Compiler Preprocessor Defines setting, which specifies any preprocessor variable definitions.

PreviousPackage

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies the fully qualified path to a previous release (.msi file) to minimize the size of future patch packages.

ReleaseFlags

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets a string that contains the release flags that you want to use to filter your features. Separate multiple flags with a comma.

RequiredExecutionLevel

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the minimum level required by your installation’s Setup.exe file for running the installation (the setup launcher, any InstallShield prerequisites, and the .msi file) on Windows Vista and later platforms. The available options are:

erelAsInvoker (0)Setup.exe does not require administrative privileges, and all users can run it without administrative privileges. Setup.exe does not display any UAC messages prompting for credentials or for consent. This is the default option for Basic MSI projects.
erelAsHighestAvail (1)Setup.exe prefers administrative privileges. Administrators must authorize it; non-administrators run it without administrative privileges. This is the default option for InstallScript and InstallScript MSI projects.
erelAsAdmin (2)Setup.exe requires administrative privileges to run. Administrators must authorize it; non-administrators must authenticate as an administrator.

For more information, see Minimizing the Number of User Account Control Prompts During Installation.

SetupCmdLine

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's Setup Command Line property, which specifies any command line parameters you want to pass to Setup.exe when the setup is launched.

SetupEXE

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True to create a Setup.exe setup launcher for the current release.

The SetupEXE property and the TargetOS property correspond with the Setup Launcher setting on the Setup.exe tab in the Releases view.

To learn about scenarios that require a setup launcher, see Creating a Setup Launcher.

ShallowFolderStructure

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to create the .msi file and related files directly in the Release Location without any of the subfolders.

ShowPasswordDlg

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

This Boolean property gets or sets the release's Show Password Dialog property, which specifies whether to execute the password-checking code in the OnCheckMediaPassword event handler function's default code. This property is applicable only if you specify a non-null password in the Media Password property.

SignFiles

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

Read-Write Property

If you want to sign any of the files in your release, set this Boolean property to True and then use the SignFilesInclude and SignFilesExclude properties to indicate which files should be signed.

SignFilesExclude

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

Read-Write Property

Specify any files and file patterns that you do not want to be digitally signed at build time. Note the following guidelines:

To indicate a wild-card character, use an asterisk (*). For example, if you do not want to sign any .drv files, specify the following: *.drv

Using wild-card characters is especially helpful if you include dynamically linked files in your project and you want to avoid signing any files that match a certain pattern.

Put each file and each file pattern on its own line, with each separated by a carriage return.
Note that the files and file patterns that should not be signed override any files and file patterns that should be signed. For example, if you specify *.exe for the SignFilesInclude property and the SignFilesExclude property, InstallShield does not sign any .exe files.

SignFilesInclude

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

Read-Write Property

Specify the files and file patterns that you want to be digitally signed at build time. Note the following guidelines:

To indicate a wild-card character, use an asterisk (*). For example, if you want to sign all .exe files, specify the following: *.exe

Using wild-card characters is especially helpful if you include dynamically linked files in your project and you want to sign all files that match a certain pattern.

Put each file and each file pattern on its own line, with each separated by a carriage return.
Note that the files and file patterns that should not be signed override any files and file patterns that should be signed. For example, if you specify *.exe for the SignFilesInclude property and the SignFilesExclude property, InstallShield does not sign any .exe files.

SignFilesInPlace

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

Read-Write Property

Specify whether you want InstallShield to sign your original files or just the files that are built into the release:

FalseInstallShield signs a temporary copy of each file and then uses that signed temporary copy to build a release. Note that with this behavior, InstallShield will not modify or sign your original files.
True—If you want InstallShield to sign your original files, set this property to True.

The default value of this property is set to False.

The benefit of specifying True for a Basic MSI or InstallScript MSI project is that it helps create one patch that updates both compressed and uncompressed versions of a release that contains originally unsigned files.

SignLauncher

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True to digitally sign your Setup.exe file.

SignMedia

This varies. (To learn more, see SignMedia.)

Read-Write Property

Set this property to indicate whether to digitally sign your media, and if so, which files should be signed.

SignSignedFiles

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

Read-Write Property

If any of the files in your project are already digitally signed, specify whether you want InstallShield to replace those existing digital signatures with the digital signature that you specify through the DigitalCertificateInfo property:

True—Use the digital signature information that you are providing through the DigitalCertificateInfo property instead of any existing digital signature information that is already included with the file.
False—Leave the existing digital signature information intact for any files that are already signed. This is the default value.

Note that this affects only files that meet the requirements that are specified in the SignFilesInclude and SignFilesExclude properties.

SingleEXEFileName

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release’s Single Exe File Name setting, which specifies the file name (including extension) of a self-extracting executable file that runs the installation. If the property's value is null, no self-extracting executable file is created.

SingleEXEIconName

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release’s Single Exe Icon File setting, which specifies the fully qualified name of the file from which the executable file’s icon is taken at build time. If the property's value is null, a default icon is used.

SkinName

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's Specify Skin setting, which specifies the dialog box skin that is applied to this release. This property is applicable only if the UseProjectSkin property is set to True.

SmallInitializationDialog

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to display a small initialization dialog when the end user runs this release.

SupportedLangsData

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets a list of language IDs that determines which components are included in the release. Only language-independent components and components of the specified languages are built into the release if the FilterLangs property is set to True.

Use the decimal value of the language ID and separate multiple language with a comma.

SupportedLangsUI

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

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets a comma-delimited string of decimal language IDs that determines the release languages.

SupportedVersions

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's Supported Version(s) property, which specifies a semicolon-delimited list of version numbers (for example, 1.2.3;1.2.4) of the earlier versions of your product to which this release can be applied as an update. If you leave this field blank, the setup can be run on a system on which any earlier version, or no version, of your product is currently installed. This property is applicable only if the EnableDifference property is set to False.

SuppressLauncherWarning

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

If the Windows Installer service cannot be installed or updated on a target system, the setup program displays a warning if this property is set to False. Set this to True to suppress the warning.

This property applies only if you create a Setup.exe to launch your package.

TargetOS

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets a value that determines which platform version of Windows Installer should be included in the release. Specify one of the following values:

osNone (0)—Do not include Windows Installer.
osWin9x (1)—Include only the Windows 9x version of InstMsi.exe.
osWinNT (2)—Include only the Windows NT version of InstMsi.exe.
os9xNT (3)—Include both the Windows NT and Windows 9x versions of InstMsi.exe.

The SetupEXE property and the TargetOS property correspond with the Setup Launcher setting on the Setup.exe tab in the Releases view.

Note: This setting applies to redistributables for Windows Installer 3.1 and earlier. For information on Windows Installer 4.5 redistributables, see Adding Windows Installer Redistributables to Projects. Note that Windows Installer 4.0 is not available as a redistributable.

URLForYourFiles

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies the directory from where your data cabinet files will be downloaded. This property accepts a URL in the form http://www.yourcompany.com/download.

This property is used only if the WebType property for the current release is set to ewtDownloader (0) (Downloader) or ewtIFTW (1) (Install from the Web).

UseMyVersionInfo

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Set this property to True to override the default InstallShield copyright information for Setup.exe. You can specify your copyright information in the LauncherCopyright property.

This property is applicable only to releases that meet the following criteria:

Single-file Setup.exe
Compressed files
Network image media type

UsePathVariableTestValues

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

Read-Write Property

If you used test values for any of your path variables, set this property to True to set those variables to their actual values at this time.

UseProjectSkin

InstallScript, InstallScript Object

Read-Write Property

This Boolean property gets or sets whether the release's Specify Skin property is set to Use Project Setting, which uses the skin that is selected in the Dialogs view's Skins folder.

VMConfig

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write String Property

Edition: This property is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield.

Gets or sets the name of the group of VM configuration settings that you want to use when distributing the selected release to a VM.

To learn more about VM distribution, see Distributing Releases to a Virtual Machine that InstallShield Provisions at Build Time or on Demand.

VMMachinePassword

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write String Property

Edition: This property is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield.

If a password is specified for the VM configuration that is selected through the VMConfig property, that password is considered to be the default value for the VMMachinePassword property. To override the password for the selected release, set the VMMachinePassword property.

To learn more about VM distribution, see Distributing Releases to a Virtual Machine that InstallShield Provisions at Build Time or on Demand.

VMMachineUserName

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write String Property

Edition: This property is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield.

If a user name is specified for the VM configuration that is selected through the VMConfig property, that user name is considered to be the default value for the VMMachineUserName property. To override the user name for the selected release, set the VMMachineUserName property.

To learn more about VM distribution, see Distributing Releases to a Virtual Machine that InstallShield Provisions at Build Time or on Demand.

VMSnapShot

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write String Property

Edition: This property is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield.

Optionally gets or sets the name of the snapshot that you want to use for distributing the release.

If a snapshot is specified for the VM configuration that is selected through the VMConfig property, the name of that snapshot is considered to be the default value for the VMSnapShot property.

If no snapshot is specified for the VM configuration, InstallShield does not revert to a specific snapshot. InstallShield powers on the VM without reverting it to a specific snapshot, and copies your installation to the VM.

To learn more about VM distribution, see Distributing Releases to a Virtual Machine that InstallShield Provisions at Build Time or on Demand.

VMStageMachineCopyPath

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write String Property

Edition: This property is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield.

The copy path identifies the location on the VM where the release is to be distributed. The last subfolder in the path can be a path that InstallShield creates on the VM; the other folders in the path must already exist.

If a destination path is specified for the VM configuration that is selected through the VMConfig property, that destination path is considered to be the default value for the VMStageMachineCopyPath property. To override the destination path for the selected release, set the VMStageMachineCopyPath property.

To learn more about VM distribution, see Distributing Releases to a Virtual Machine that InstallShield Provisions at Build Time or on Demand.

VMStagePostBuild

Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Boolean Property

Edition: This property is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield.

Specify whether you want InstallShield to automatically distribute the selected release each time that it is successfully built. Distributing the release to the VM involves the following tasks:

1. Revert the VM to the designated snapshot (if one is specified).
2. Power on the VM.
3. Copy the built release to the VM to make it available for testing.

To learn more about VM distribution, see Distributing Releases to a Virtual Machine that InstallShield Provisions at Build Time or on Demand.

WebCreateDefaultPage

InstallScript

Read-Write Property

This Boolean property gets or sets the release's Create Default Web Page setting, which specifies whether InstallShield should create a default Web page (.htm file) and place it in the Disk1 folder.

WebPageUrl

InstallScript

Read-Write Property

Gets or sets the release's Web Page URL setting, which specifies the location of the Web page that should be launched if you click the Run From Web command on the Build menu in InstallShield:

If nothing is entered for this property, InstallShield creates a Setup.htm file at build time and places it in the Disk1 folder.

If you do enter a URL for this property, do not include the name of the page, and do not include an ending forward slash. For example, if the full URL for the Setup.htm file is http://www.mypages.com/setup/Setup.htm, enter the following as the Web page URL: http://www.mypages.com/setup

When you click the Run from Web command on the Build menu, InstallShield launches the appropriate URL (http://www.mypages.com/setup/Setup.htm, in the aforementioned example).

WebType

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Indicates the configuration of your Web installation setup package. Set this property to one of the following:

ewtDownloader (0)—Downloader. Builds this release as a combination of Setup.exe and your MSI package, where the end user downloads and launches Setup.exe, which in turn downloads and runs the MSI database, which contains all of your files.
ewtIFTW (1)—Install from the Web. Builds this release as a combination of Setup.exe, your MSI database, and external cabinet (.cab) files. The end user downloads and runs Setup.exe, which in turn downloads and runs the MSI database. Based on the end user's setup type and feature selections, only the requested CAB files are downloaded and installed to minimize download time.

Application maintenance and repair use the URL specified in the URLForYourFiles property as the installation source.

ewtOneExe (2)—One executable. Builds this release as a single self-extracting Setup.exe. This setting is ideal for a package that is to be downloaded from many Web or FTP sites, since the installation package is self-contained. Note that the entire installation package is downloaded, so the download time is greater than the ewtIFTW (1) (Install from the Web) setting.

WrapMSIIntoCab

Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI

Read-Write Property

Specifies whether to place the release's MSI database inside a cabinet (.cab) file.

This property applies only if the WebType property for the current release is set to ewtDownloader (0) (Downloader).

Example

The following lines of Visual Basic demonstrate opening a project and showing a message box of several of a release’s properties:

Dim pProject As ISWiProject

 

Set pProject = New ISWiProject

pProject.OpenProject "C:\MySetups\Commercial.ism", True

 

Dim pProdConfig As ISWiProductConfig

Set pProdConfig = pProject.ISWiProductConfigs.Item("Version 1")

' In an InstallScript project, there is only one element

' in ISWiProductConfigs, which is named "Media".

 

Dim pRelease As ISWiRelease

Set pRelease = pProdConfig.ISWiReleases.Item("NewRelease1")

 

Dim sProps As String

sProps = pRelease.Name & " has these properties:" & vbNewLine

sProps = sProps & "Build Location: " & pRelease.BuildLocation & vbNewLine

sProps = sProps & "Compressed: " & pRelease.Compressed & vbNewLine

sProps = sProps & "Default Language: " & pRelease.DefaultLang & vbNewLine

sProps = sProps & "Setup.exe: " & pRelease.SetupEXE

 

 

MsgBox sProps

 

pProject.CloseProject

Build Status Events

The ISWiRelease object raises the following status events:

Public Event ProgressIncrement(ByVal lIncrement As Long, pbCancel As Boolean)
Public Event ProgressMax(ByVal lMax As Long, pbCancel As Boolean)
Public Event StatusMessage(ByVal sMessage As String, pbCancel As Boolean)

These events are raised during the build process and provide status updates. You can set pbCancel to stop the build. For sample code that demonstrates how to use these events, see Using Build Status Events.