About Response Files and Silent Installers

InstallAnywhere 2018

InstallAnywhere’s silent UI mode is useful for silently deploying to enterprise desktops. You can specify that you want to run a silent installation by using the -i command-line switch (to set the installer interface mode) with the silent argument, such as:

install.exe -i silent

In silent mode, the installer has no-end user interaction, and runs by using either of the following:

A response file contains a record of a specific installation session. The installer creates the file when the installation is complete, storing the values of the applicable properties in the file.

Generating a Response File

You can choose to generate a response file by configuring a setting in the Advanced Designer or by using the -r command-line switch. To learn how, see Generating Response Files.

Important • A response file must be saved with the appropriate encoding.

For Windows-based target systems, the response file must be saved in one of the following encodings:

For Linux-based and macOS or OS X–based target systems, the response file must be UTF-8 without a BOM.

If an unsupported encoding is used, the installer is unable to read the file properly.

Specifying the Response File to Use

When performing a silent installation, the installer automatically checks the directory in which it resides for a file named installer.properties or [installername].properties.

If you want to use a response file that has a different name or is in a different location, you can use the -f command-line switch to set the name and location of a response file for the installer to use, such as:

myinstall.exe -f c:\tmp\installer.properties

Note • This path can be absolute or relative. Relative paths are relative to the location of the installer.

Contents of a Response File

Response files use a simple key=value format.

For example, if a console installer that you have previously built has effectively one real option, the installation directory, the properties file might look like this:

INSTALLER_UI=silent

USER_INSTALL_DIR=C\:\\Program Files\\OfficeSuite\\

INSTALLER_UI lets you specify the installer mode in the properties file, negating the need to use the ‑i silent command-line switch.

If you would like to specify the install set that you would like to install, you can pass the CHOSEN_INSTALL_SET variable to a silent installer. You can also use the CHOSEN_INSTALL_FEATURES_LIST to specify the features that you would like to install.

Note • To view a sample response file, see Response Files.

See Also

Silent Installers

Generating Response Files

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