General Settings View

InstallAnywhere 2020 » Advanced Designer » Project

Use the General Settings view on the Project page to define basic information about your project, your company, and your product.

The settings in the General Settings view are organized into the following main categories:

• Project Information
• Product Information
• Vendor Information
• File Settings
• Software Tag
• Log Settings

Project Information

Use the Project Information area of the General Settings view to specify details such as the installer name and the product name. The following settings are available in this area.

Project Properties Settings

Setting

Description

Installer Title

Enter the title that you want to display in the title bar of the installers that are built from the project.

Installer Name

Enter the file name—without the period or the file extension—that InstallAnywhere should use for this project’s installers.

For example, if you enter myinstall, the Windows-based installer file name will be myinstall.exe, the pure Java installer file name will be myinstall.jar, and the UNIX-based installer file name will be myinstall.sh.

Note • For UNIX-based installers, InstallAnywhere replaces any spaces in the installer name with underscores.

Product Name

Enter the name of the product to be installed.

Note • This setting also determines the name of the artifacts that are built for merge module projects.

Save Location

This read-only setting shows the location where the project file is saved.

Build Location

This setting shows the location where your project’s build output is stored.

To specify a custom build location, click the ellipsis button (...) in this setting.

To revert back to the default path, click the Default button in this setting.

Last Saved

This read-only setting shows the date and time your project was last saved.

Last Built

This read-only setting shows the date and time at which installers from your project were last built.

Always Generate Response File

Specify whether you want to enable the generation of response files (installer.properties). Response files record the default and user-specified settings from an installer’s execution. These recorded settings can later be used to provide settings for a silent installation.

When the Yes option is selected, InstallAnywhere creates installer.properties files in the same location as the project’s installers at build time.

Note • For more information, see About Response Files and Silent Installers.

Prevent Multiple Simultaneous Launches of an Installer or Uninstaller

Specify whether you want to prevent end users from being able to launch multiple simultaneous instances of the same installer or uninstaller (as identified by having the same product code).

Invoking multiple simultaneous instances of the installer or uninstaller could corrupt the InstallAnywhere registry.

Note • This setting has no effect if multiple end users are connected to a machine, such as in a UNIX environment, and each end user launches the same installer simultaneously. In this scenario, it is possible for multiple end users to launch simultaneous instances of the installer or uninstaller, regardless of whether Yes or No is selected in this setting.

Disable Cancel Button When Install Is in Progress

Specify whether you want to prevent end users from being able to cancel an installation using the Cancel button (or the close button).

Disabling the Cancel button during installation helps to avoid unfinished installations.

Note • This setting is not applicable for uninstallers; by default, the Cancel button is disabled in uninstallers.

Product Information

Use the Product Information area of the General Settings view to specify details such as the product code and version number. The following settings are available in this area.

Product Information Settings

Setting

Description

Product Code

Enter a GUID that uniquely identifies your product in the registry. You may have several installed products that have the same name; use this ID to track a specific instance of the product. To have InstallAnywhere generate a different GUID for you, click the Generate Product Code button ({...}) in this setting.

The GUID must be in the format that is displayed.

Version

Enter the version number of your product.

Copyright

Enter the copyright year for your product.

Product Info URL

Specify a URL where end users can obtain information about your product.

Support URL

Enter the URL that you would like end users to visit for technical support information for your product.

Product Description

Enter a description of your product for the product registry.

To learn more, see Product Registry.

Update the Product Registry

Specify whether you want to allow this project’s installers to update the InstallAnywhere product registry on target systems. The default value for this setting is Yes.

To learn more, see Product Registry.

Vendor Information

Use the Vendor Information area of the General Settings view to specify details such as the vendor name and ID. The following settings are available in this area.

Vendor Information Settings

Setting

Description

Vendor Name

Enter the name of the company that created the product.

Vendor ID

Enter a GUID that uniquely identifies the name of the company that created the product. To have InstallAnywhere generate a different GUID for you, click the button in this setting.

Vendor Home Page

Enter a general URL for your company or product.

Vendor Email

Enter an email address for your company or product.

Defaults for New Projects

To save the current values that are entered for the Vendor Description settings for use with any new projects that you create, click the Save As Defaults for New Projects button in this setting.

File Settings

Use the File Settings area of the General Settings view to specify file-related behavior. The following settings are available in this area.

File Settings

Setting

Description

Replace In-Use Files After Restart (Windows Only)

Specify whether you want to have your installer replace files that are locked (in use) after the target system restarts.

This setting applies to Windows-based target systems.

Default File Overwrite Behavior

This setting lets you specify the behavior that occurs if the installation contains a file whose name and target location matches a file that is already present on a target system. Available options are:

• Always overwrite—The file on the target system is overwritten, regardless of file’s timestamp.
• Never overwrite—The file on the target system remains as is, regardless of file’s timestamp. The installation does not overwrite it with the version of the file that is in the installation.
• Overwrite if older, do not install if newer—If the file in the installation is newer (has a later timestamp) than the file that is present on the target system, replace the file on the target system with the one in the installation.

If the file in the installation is older (has an earlier timestamp) than the file that is present on the target system, the file on the target system remains as is.

• Overwrite if older, prompt if newer—If the file in the installation is newer (has a later timestamp) than the file that is present on the target system, replace the file on the target system with the one in the installation.

If the file in the installation is older (has an earlier timestamp) than the file that is present on the target system, display a prompt that asks the end user whether the installation should replace the file on the target system.

• Prompt if older, do not install if newer—If the file in the installation is newer (has a later timestamp) than the file that is present on the target system, display a prompt that asks the end user whether the installation should replace the file on the target system.

If the file in the installation is older (has an earlier timestamp) than the file that is present on the target system, the file on the target system remains as is.

• Always prompt user—Display a prompt that asks the end user whether the installation should replace the file on the target system.

File Modification Timestamp Behavior

Use this setting to specify how you want to timestamp the files that are installed on target systems.

To change the behavior, click the ellipsis button (...) in this setting. The File Modification Timestamp Behavior dialog box opens, enabling you to select the appropriate option:

• Preserve Timestamp—Maintain the existing timestamp on files. That is, use the time at which the file was last modified as shown by the operating system where the file was created or saved. For example, if you modify a file and then add it to your project with the Preserve Timestamp option selected, the timestamp that the installer uses on target systems reflects the date on which you last modified the file, not the time at which it was installed.
• Install Time Timestamp—Use the time at which the files are installed on a target system for the files’ timestamps. With this option, the creation timestamp and the modification timestamp for a file match, and they reflect the date and time at which the files are installed on a target system.
• Specify Timestamp—Use the date and time that you specify on the File Modification Timestamp Behavior dialog box for the files’ timestamps.

Note • The InstallAnywhere Advanced Designer displays all timestamps in your system's local time zone. Behind the scenes, InstallAnywhere automatically maintains those timestamps in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Software Tag

Use the Software Tag area in the General Settings view to specify whether you want to include an ISO/IEC 19770-2 software identification tag in your installer. If a tag is included, this area also lets you specify the identification information for the tag. For more information, see Including a Software Identification Tag for Your Product.

The following settings are available in the Software Tag area

Software Tag Settings

Control

Description

Enable Software Tagging

To specify that you want to include an ISO/IEC 19770-2 software identification tag in your installation, select Yes in this setting, and then use the other tag-related settings in this view to specify the identification information for the tag. Yes is selected by default.

Require Software Entitlement

To specify that you want to require your product to have a corresponding software entitlement in order for software reconciliation to be considered successful, select this check box.

In general, if the software must be purchased, this check box should be selected; if the software is free, this check box should be cleared.

Product ID

Enter a unique ID (UID) that identifies the product line for your product. This and all future releases of your product should use the same product ID for the product line to which they belong, even if the product line is rebranded. To have InstallAnywhere generate a different UID for you, click the Generate UID button in this setting.

Unique ID

Enter a unique ID (UID) that identifies the specific version of this specific product. To have InstallAnywhere generate a different UID for you, click the Generate UID button in this setting.

Note that InstallAnywhere uses the value that you enter as part of the name of the tag file (TagCreatorID_UniqueID.swidtag). Therefore, the ID that you enter must not contain any characters that are invalid for file names.

Tag Creator Name

Enter the name of the organization that created the tag.

As an alternative, if you want to use the same value that is entered in the Vendor Name setting in the Vendor Information area of this view, select the check box in the Tag Creator Name setting.

Note that if the Vendor Name setting is blank, the check box in the Tag Creator Name setting is disabled.

Tag Creator ID

Enter the registration ID of the organization that created the tag. This ID helps to differentiate between different legal organizations that have the same creator name but are in different countries.

The convention for the registration ID is as follows:

regid.YYYY-MM.ReversedDomainName,division

The registration ID consists of the following parts:

• regid.—The string regid indicates that the XML portion is a registration ID for a software identification tag. A period (.) must be included after this string.
• YYYY-MM.—This part of the registration ID identifies the first full month (MM) and the year (YYYY) in which the domain name was owned by the tag creator. For example, if you are creating the tag and you purchased the domain name February 15, 1999, you would use 1999-03 in this part of the registration ID, since the first full month the domain name was owned was March (03), and the year was 1999. The year and month must be separated by a dash.
• ReversedDomainName—This part identifies the reversed domain name of the organization that is creating the software identification tag. For example, for the flexerasoftware.com domain name, the reversed domain name is:
com.flexerasoftware
• ,division—This optional part starts with a comma (,), and is followed by an additional string. You can enter a string that helps to distinguish between different divisions or areas of the organization. If you do not want to use this optional distinguishing part of the registration ID, do not include the comma or an additional string in your entry.

Note that InstallAnywhere uses the value that you enter as part of the name of the tag file (TagCreatorID_UniqueID.swidtag). Therefore, the ID that you enter must not contain any characters that are invalid for file names.

If you enter invalid text in this setting, InstallAnywhere displays the text in red. In addition, a build warning is included in the console/build log.

Software Creator Name

Enter the name of the organization that created the software.

This setting is optional. If you leave this setting blank and select the check box in this setting, InstallAnywhere uses the value of the Tag Creator Name setting for the name of the software creator.

Software Creator ID

Enter the registration ID of the organization that created the software. This ID helps to differentiate between different legal organizations that have the same creator name but are in different countries.

This setting is optional. If you leave this setting blank and select the check box in this setting, InstallAnywhere uses the value of the Tag Creator ID setting for the software creator ID.

The convention for the registration ID is as follows:

regid.YYYY-MM.ReversedDomainName,division

The registration ID consists of the following parts:

• regid.—The string regid indicates that the XML portion is a registration ID for a software identification tag. A period (.) must be included after this string.
• YYYY-MM.—This part of the registration ID identifies the first full month (MM) and the year (YYYY) in which the domain name was owned by the tag creator. For example, if you are creating the tag and you purchased the domain name February 15, 1999, you would use 1999-03 in this part of the registration ID, since the first full month the domain name was owned was March (03), and the year was 1999. The year and month must be separated by a dash.
• ReversedDomainName—This part identifies the reversed domain name of the organization that is creating the software identification tag. For example, for the flexerasoftware.com domain name, the reversed domain name is:
com.flexerasoftware
• ,division—This optional part starts with a comma (,), and is followed by an additional string. You can enter a string that helps to distinguish between different divisions or areas of the organization. If you do not want to use this optional distinguishing part of the registration ID, do not include the comma or an additional string in your entry.

Note that InstallAnywhere uses the value that you enter as part of the name of the tag file (TagCreatorID_UniqueID.swidtag). Therefore, the ID that you enter must not contain any characters that are invalid for file names.

If you enter invalid text in this setting, InstallAnywhere displays the text in red. In addition, a build warning is included in the console/build log.

Software Licensor Name

Enter the name of the organization that owns the copyright for the software.

This setting is optional. If you leave this setting blank and select the check box in this setting, InstallAnywhere uses the value of the Tag Creator Name setting for the name of the software licensor name.

Software Licensor ID

Enter the registration ID of the organization that owns the copyright for the software. This ID helps to differentiate between different legal organizations that have the same licensor name but are in different countries.

This setting is optional. If you leave this setting blank and select the check box in this setting, InstallAnywhere uses the value of the Tag Creator ID setting for the software licensor ID.

The convention for the registration ID is as follows:

regid.YYYY-MM.ReversedDomainName,division

The registration ID consists of the following parts:

• regid.—The string regid indicates that the XML portion is a registration ID for a software identification tag. A period (.) must be included after this string.
• YYYY-MM.—This part of the registration ID identifies the first full month (MM) and the year (YYYY) in which the domain name was owned by the tag creator. For example, if you are creating the tag and you purchased the domain name February 15, 1999, you would use 1999-03 in this part of the registration ID, since the first full month the domain name was owned was March (03), and the year was 1999. The year and month must be separated by a dash.
• ReversedDomainName—This part identifies the reversed domain name of the organization that is creating the software identification tag. For example, for the flexerasoftware.com domain name, the reversed domain name is:
com.flexerasoftware
• ,division—This optional part starts with a comma (,), and is followed by an additional string. You can enter a string that helps to distinguish between different divisions or areas of the organization. If you do not want to use this optional distinguishing part of the registration ID, do not include the comma or an additional string in your entry.

Note that InstallAnywhere uses the value that you enter as part of the name of the tag file (TagCreatorID_UniqueID.swidtag). Therefore, the ID that you enter must not contain any characters that are invalid for file names.

If you enter invalid text in this setting, InstallAnywhere displays the text in red. In addition, a build warning is included in the console/build log.

Log Settings

Use the Log Settings area of the General Settings view to specify preferences for logging successful and failed run-time behavior. The following settings are available in this area.

Logs Settings

Setting

Description

Log Settings

To enable run-time logging, select the Enable Logging check box in this setting. Then configure the subsettings in this area as needed.

Install

To have the installer generate a log file during installation, select the check box in this setting, and then optionally change the path for the log file in this setting.

The default path for the log file on target systems is:

$USER_INSTALL_DIR$$\$_$PRODUCT_NAME$_installation$\$Logs$/$

For more information, see Configuring Run-Time Logging Preferences.

Add

Note • This setting is available if the following conditions are true:

• The Enable Maintenance Mode support check box in the Advanced view on the Project page is selected.
• The Add Features check box is selected. This check box is under the Enable Maintenance Mode support check box.

To have the installer generate a log file during the add features maintenance mode, select the check box in this setting, and then optionally change the path for the log file in this setting.

The default path for the log file on target systems is:

$USER_INSTALL_DIR$$\$_$PRODUCT_NAME$_installation$\$Logs$/$

For more information, see Configuring Run-Time Logging Preferences.

Repair

Note • This setting is available if the following conditions are true:

• The Enable Maintenance Mode support check box in the Advanced view on the Project page is selected.
• The Repair Installation check box is selected. This check box is under the Enable Maintenance Mode support check box.

To have the installer generate a log file during the repair maintenance mode, select the check box in this setting, and then optionally change the path for the log file in this setting.

The default path for the log file on target systems is:

$USER_INSTALL_DIR$$\$_$PRODUCT_NAME$_installation$\$Logs$/$

For more information, see Configuring Run-Time Logging Preferences.

Remove

Note • This setting is available if the following conditions are true:

• The Enable Maintenance Mode support check box in the Advanced view on the Project page is selected.
• The Remove Features check box is selected. This check box is under the Enable Maintenance Mode support check box.

To have the installer generate a log file during the remove features maintenance mode, select the check box in this setting, and then optionally change the path for the log file in this setting.

The default path for the log file on target systems is:

$USER_INSTALL_DIR$$\$_$PRODUCT_NAME$_installation$\$Logs$/$

For more information, see Configuring Run-Time Logging Preferences.

Uninstall

Note • This setting is available if the following conditions are true:

• The Enable Maintenance Mode support check box in the Advanced view on the Project page is selected.
• The Uninstall Product check box is selected. This check box is under the Enable Maintenance Mode support check box.

To have the installer generate a log file during the uninstallation of the product, select the check box in this setting, and then optionally change the path for the log file in this setting.

The default path for the log file on target systems is:

$USER_INSTALL_DIR$$\$_$PRODUCT_NAME$_installation$\$Logs$/$

For more information, see Configuring Run-Time Logging Preferences.

Log Format

Specify the format that you want to use for the log files. Available options are:

• Plain text format
• XML format

Uninstall All Logs

Specify whether you want the log files that the installer or uninstaller generated to be removed.

Note that the most recent uninstall log is not removed.

Skip Logging in Pre‑Install

Select one of the following options to specify whether you want enable or disable the creation of the standard installation log if the user cancels installation during the Pre-install Sequence:

• Yes—Do not create the standard installation log.
• No—Create the standard installation log.

Include Debug Output (stderr and stdout)

Specify whether you want the stderr and stdout entries to be included in the log files. Available options are:

• Yes—Append the debug output to the log files. The stderr and stdout entries are appended to the end of the log files (for text log files) or inserted as <![CDATA[stderr/stdout entries]]> (for XML log files).
• No—Prevent the debug output from being included in the log files. If this option is selected, you can optionally specify values in the Send stderr to setting and in the Send stdout to setting.

Send stderr to

Note • This setting is enabled if the following conditions are true:

• The Enable Logging check box in the Log Settings setting is selected.
• No is selected in the Include Debug Output (stderr and stdout) setting.

To specify the location for stderr output, enter one of the following:

• Console—To send stderr output to a console window (or to Console.app on macOS or OS X–based target systems), enter console.
• File—To send stderr output to a file, enter the name of a file. For example, installer_stderr.txt causes the installer to create a file with that name, in the same location as the installer, and record the stderr output there.
• Platform-neutral paths—To specify platform-neutral paths for the debug output, use $/$ or $\$, Java properties ($prop.*$), or LAX environment variables ($lax.nl.env.*$ or $lax.nl.env.exact_case.*$). (LAX environment variables are not supported for pure Java-based installers or macOS or OS X–based installers.)
• No output—To discard stderr output, leave this setting blank.

For information on interpreting the output that the installer sends to stderr, see Reviewing Debug Information.

Tip • The value of the Send stderr to setting maps to the LAX property lax.stderr.redirect.

If your project includes one or more merge modules, the stderr setting of the parent project overrides the stderr setting in the merge modules.

Note • The output that is generated for this setting produces different results than the output of the Output Debug Information panel action.

Send stdout to

Note • This setting is enabled if the following conditions are true:

• The Enable Logging check box in the Log Settings setting is selected.
• No is selected in the Include Debug Output (stderr and stdout) setting.

To specify the location for stdout output, enter one of the following:

• Console—To send stdout output to a console window (or to Console.app on macOS or OS X–based target systems), enter console.
• File—To send stdout output to a file, enter the name of a file. For example, installer_stdout.txt causes the installer to create a file with that name, in the same location as the installer, and record the stdout output there.
• Platform-neutral paths—To specify platform-neutral paths for the debug output, use $/$ or $\$, Java properties ($prop.*$), or LAX environment variables ($lax.nl.env.*$ or $lax.nl.env.exact_case.*$). (LAX environment variables are not supported for pure Java-based installers or macOS or OS X–based installers.)
• No output—To discard stdout output, leave this setting blank.

For information on interpreting the output that the installer sends to stdout, see Reviewing Debug Information.

Tip • The value of the Send stdout to setting maps to the LAX property lax.stdout.redirect.

If your project includes one or more merge modules, the stdout setting of the parent project overrides the stdout setting in the merge modules.

Note • The output that is generated for this setting produces different results than the output of the Output Debug Information panel action.

See Also

Configuring Run-Time Logging Preferences

Generating Response Files

Files and File Formats

Product Registry

InstallAnywhere 2020 Help Library

October 2019

 Copyright Information | Flexera

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