What’s New in InstallAnywhere 2013

InstallAnywhere 2020

New Features

InstallAnywhere includes the following new features.

Redesigned User Interface for the Advanced Designer

The Advanced Designer in InstallAnywhere has been overhauled to enhance usability, increase productivity, and update the look and feel for the design-time environment.

Following are highlights for the redesign.

Revamped, Streamlined Navigation

The Advanced Designer has two main navigational elements:

Previously, both levels of the navigation were positioned along the left side of the Advanced Designer, in two separate vertical columns. The primary navigational element was the first vertical column in the Advanced Designer, and this level of navigation represented a UI element that was previously called tasks. The secondary navigational element was the second column of links, which were referred to as subtasks.

Also as part of the navigation changes, the primary navigation element has been streamlined to make it easier to navigate the Advanced Designer. The Pre-Install, Install, Post-Install, Pre-Uninstall, Uninstall, and Post-Uninstall areas (which enable you to define and schedule files to be installed, actions to be launched, and panels to be displayed) are now available as individual views on the new Sequence page. Previously, these areas were part of the primary level of navigation.

The Help button is now a blue button with a question mark on it; it has been moved from the lower-left corner of the Advanced Designer to the top-right corner. To launch the InstallAnywhere Help Library in your machine's default Web browser, click this button.

To learn more, see:

New Default Start Mode: Advanced Designer Instead of Project Wizard

Although you can use the Project Wizard in InstallAnywhere to quickly create a basic installer, the Advanced Designer—with its support for advanced installer configuration—is the area in InstallAnywhere where most installation developers spend the majority of their time. Therefore, when you start InstallAnywhere, it now launches the Advanced Designer by default. Previously, it opened the Project Wizard by default.

The Advanced Designer has a setting that lets you specify which mode you want to use when starting InstallAnywhere. You can change the preferred startup mode at any time: On the Edit menu, click Preferences. The InstallAnywhere Preferences dialog box opens. On the General tab of this dialog box, use the InstallAnywhere Startup setting to specify whether you want InstallAnywhere to start in Project Wizard mode or Advance Designer mode.

To switch from the Advanced Designer to the Project Wizard: On the File menu, click Project Wizard. This functionality was previously available from a Start Wizard command on the Wizard menu in the Advanced Designer.

To switch from the Project Wizard to the Advanced Designer, click the Advanced Designer button on any panel of the Project Wizard.

New Grid-Based Format for Settings in Some Views of the Advanced Designer

Some of the views on the Project page and on the Installer UI page in the Advanced Designer have been consolidated and reorganized into two-column grids to improve productivity and usability. The new grid format shows the names of the settings in the left column and their corresponding values in the right column. The grid in the new General Settings view on the Project page contains the settings that were previously displayed on the Info, Description, File Settings, Log Settings, and Software Tag subtasks. The Platforms Settings view on the Project page contains the settings that were previously displayed in different areas of the Platforms subtask. In addition, the Look & Feel view on the Installer UI page contains the setting that were previously displayed in different areas of the Look & Feel subtask.

The settings in the new grids are organized into different categories. You can expand or collapse the category rows to show or hide each part of the grid that contains the settings within a particular category.

For more information, see:

New Inline Help Panes in Some Views of the Advanced Designer

The new grid-based interface that is displayed for some of the views on the Project page and the Installer UI page includes an inline help pane. The content in this help pane changes, depending on what setting in the grid is selected. For example, if you select the Repair Mode Log setting in the General Settings view, the help pane at the bottom of the view shows help text that pertains to the Repair Mode Log setting. If you select a different setting in this view, the help pane displays help text about that particular setting.

The inline help is available in the General Settings view and the Platform Settings view on the Project page of the Advanced Designer. It is also available in the Look & Feel view on the Installer UI page of the Advanced Designer.

Usability Improvements for Sequencing Actions, Panels, and Other Items

InstallAnywhere now makes it easier to sequence and configure actions, panels, and other items in the Pre-Install, Install, Post-Install, and other views on the Sequence page in the Advanced Designer. If you are working with a long list of actions in the visual tree area that is displayed at the top of one of these views, you can temporarily hide the settings in the bottom of the view; this enables you to see more of the visual tree at once on the screen, without requiring you to scroll vertically. When you are done scheduling the actions and other items, you can have InstallAnywhere revert back to displaying the settings in the bottom of the view; this enables you to configure the settings for whichever action or other item is selected in the visual tree.

To hide the settings, click the new Collapse button; this button is on the right side of the screen, under the visual tree. When you click this button, InstallAnywhere hides the Properties Customizer box at the bottom of the screen, and changes the Collapse button into an Expand button. To make it possible to see and configure the action settings, click this Expand button.

For more details, see Sequence Page.

Usability Improvements for Managing Build-Related Settings for Installers and Virtual Appliances

The Build Installers view in the Advanced Designer includes some enhancements that make it easier to manage build configurations for installers. The Build Appliances view includes some similar enhancements for managing appliance configurations for virtual appliances.

The layout for the build configuration controls at the top of the Build Configurations tab in the Build Installers view has been revised to leave more vertical space for other areas of this page. As a result, it is now easier to use this Configurations tab to configure the settings for build targets; less vertical scrolling is required. To make this possible, the view has four new small buttons: Add Build Configuration, Copy Build Configuration, Rename Build Configuration, and Remove Build Configuration. These new buttons have icons, and they are positioned in the same row as the Select Build Configuration list and the Add to project build check box. The new buttons replace the row of old buttons that was previously located below the Select Build Configuration list and the Add to project build check box.

Similarly, the appliance configuration controls at the top of the Appliance Configuration tab in the Build Appliances view has four new small buttons: Add Appliance Configuration, Copy Appliance Configuration, Rename Appliance Configuration, and Remove Appliance Configuration. These new buttons replace the row of old buttons.

The Build Installers view and the Build Appliances view are available on the Build page in the Advanced Designer.

To learn more, see:

Support for the Latest Platforms

InstallAnywhere supports the following platforms for running InstallAnywhere (the authoring environment):

Ability to Create Virtual Appliances for Multi-tier Applications

InstallAnywhere includes support for creating multi-tier virtual appliances for VMware vCenter servers. You can create this sort of virtual appliance to enable your enterprise customers to quickly get started using your multi-tier application in their own virtualization environments, without requiring them to spend a lot of time working on complex configuration tasks.

The VM Configuration tab in the Build Appliances view on the Build page is where you define and configure one or more tiers for your virtual appliance. Each InstallAnywhere project contains a single VM tier by default. To perform other tasks such as add an additional tier to your project, use the new buttons (Add VM Tier, Copy VM Tier, Rename VM Tier, and Delete VM Tier) near the top of the VM Configuration tab. To indicate which tier in your project you want to configure, select the appropriate tier in the new Select VM Tier list on this tab.

Previously, InstallAnywhere included support for only single-tier virtual appliances.

The project automation APIs have been expanded to include support for multi-tier virtual appliances. A VirtualMachineTier class and a VirtualMachineCollectionEntity interface are now available. Each virtual machine is now added to a virtual appliance through virtual machine tiers. Previously, each virtual machine was added directly to the virtual appliance.

A new project automation API sample (MultiTierVirtualAppliance_Test.java) is installed with InstallAnywhere (InstallAnywhere Installation Directory\project-auto\sample\src\com\ia\projauto\samples). This Java file demonstrates how to create a multi-tier virtual appliance through project automation APIs.

IABankingApplication.iap_xml is a sample InstallAnywhere project that you can use to explore InstallAnywhere’s support for multi-tier virtual appliances. This project file, along with application files, are installed with InstallAnywhere (InstallAnywhere Installation Directory\IABankingApplication). The sample project is configured to create a three-tier virtual appliance.

This feature is available in InstallAnywhere Premier Edition with Virtualization and Cloud.

For more information, see:

Expanded Operating System Support for Creating VMware vSphere/vCenter Virtual Appliances

InstallAnywhere now enables you to create VMware vSphere/vCenter virtual appliances for an expanded list of operating systems:

Previously, only 32-bit versions of CentOS 6.2, CentOS 6.3, Ubuntu 11.10, and Ubuntu 12.04 were supported.

This feature is available in InstallAnywhere Premier Edition with Virtualization and Cloud.

For a complete list of supported hypervisors and operating systems for virtual appliances, see Supported Hypervisors and Platforms for Virtual Appliances.

Ability to Create Virtual Appliances from Existing Virtual Machines

InstallAnywhere now has support for creating a virtual appliance from an existing VMware vSphere 5 server, without requiring you to use a predefined or custom virtual machine (VM) template (a preinstalled virtual machine disk that contains the operating system and any required operating system packages). This capability makes it easier to quickly get started building virtual appliances for VMware vSphere servers.

To specify an existing VM that you want to use for your vSphere appliance, specify the connection information in the Connection Settings area of the Appliance Configuration tab, which is available in the Build Appliances view on the Build page. Once you have configured connection information, switch to the VM Configuration tab, and click the new Choose a VM button. The Choose a VM button is next to the new Chosen VM list.

When you click the new Choose a VM button, the Choose a VM Wizard opens, enabling you to specify whether you want to create your virtual appliance based on a specific VM or a specific VM snapshot that is running on an VMware vSphere/vCenter 5 server. Optionally, you can also use this wizard to select a specific VM template that you want to use.

Previously, in order to create a virtual appliance for VMware vSphere 5 server, it was necessary to first specify the VM template that you wanted to use for your virtual appliance. You could use one of the ones that is available for InstallAnywhere, or you could create your own custom VM template in InstallAnywhere.

This feature is available in InstallAnywhere Premier Edition with Virtualization and Cloud.

To learn more, see:

Ability to Build Pure 64-Bit Installers for 64-Bit Windows-Based Systems

Windows Server Core supports disabling 32-bit Windows-on-Windows (WOW64) support. As this configuration becomes more popular, you may want to ensure that your 64-bit applications can install without any reliance on 32-bit functionality. To make this possible, InstallAnywhere now enables you to build pure 64-bit installers for Windows-based target systems; these installers can be run on 64-bit Windows-based systems that do not have WOW64 functionality. They contain 64-bit self-extractors, LaunchAnywheres, and VM packs, as needed. They can install to 64-bit file and registry locations and install 64-bit Windows services as required.

To create a 64-bit Windows-based installer, use the new Windows_Pure_64_Bit build target that is available on the Build Targets tab in the Build Installers view. You can use this build target to configure options such as whether you want to bundle a VM pack in your installer. If you specify that you want to include a VM pack, only 64-bit VM bundles are available for selection.

This feature is available in InstallAnywhere Premier Edition.

To learn more, see:

New build.exe Command-Line Parameters

If you use the command-line tool build.exe to build installers, you can use the following platform-related arguments for adding or removing pure 64-bit Windows-based targets:

To add one of the aforementioned build targets, precede the argument with a plus sign (+); to remove one of the aforementioned build targets, precede the argument with a minus sign (-). For example, to build a pure 64-bit Windows-based installer with VM and with the graphical launcher option, pass either of the following to build.exe:

+w64vg

+W64VG

For a list of all of the supported build.exe command-line parameters, see Build Command-Line Arguments.

New Platform Attributes for the Build Properties XML File

If you use a build properties XML file to pass build properties to build.exe, you can use the following new platform attributes to define a pure 64-bit Windows-based build target:

For a list of all of the supported properties for the build properties XML file, see Supported Properties in the BuildProperties.xml File.

New Properties for the .properties File

If you use a .properties file to pass build properties to build.exe, you can set a new property to define the default UI mode for pure 64-bit Windows-based build targets. The new property is default.ui.mode.windows64 property; you can set it equal to Silent, Console, or GUI. For example:

default.ui.mode.windows64=GUI

The following True/False properties are also new:

For a list of all of the supported properties for the .properties file, see Supported Properties in the buildproperties.properties File.

New Attribute Values for the InstallAnywhere Ant Task

If you use Ant to build installers, you can use the following new attributes in your InstallAnywhere Ant task for defining pure 64-bit Windows-based build targets.

For a list of supported parameters for the InstallAnywhere Ant task, see InstallAnywhere Ant Task Reference.

Support for Digitally Signing Installers for Windows-Based Build Targets

InstallAnywhere includes support for digitally signing your Windows-based installers (the installer .exe file, as well as the installer launcher and the uninstaller launcher) at build time. If you want to digitally sign these installers, use the Platforms Settings view on the Project page to configure digital signature information. In this view, the Windows category contains some digital signing settings. This is where you specify the certificate file (.pfx) that you want to use to sign your Windows-based installers. It is also where you specify the password for the certificate and the timestamp server that you want to use.

As an alternative to specifying the actual certificate file, password, and timestamp server in the Platforms Settings view, you can use build-time variables in these settings (that is, enclose the name of each variable within at symbols: @VariableName@). You can set build-time variables in the Variables view on the Project page, through a .properties file, or through environment variables.

Note that the ability to digital sign Windows-based installers at build time requires that you are using InstallAnywhere on a Windows-based system. If you try to build a Windows-based installer on a non-Windows system, a build warning occurs, and InstallAnywhere does not sign the resulting installer.

To learn more, see:

Support for JRE 7 on OS X 10.7.3 and Later

InstallAnywhere now has support for building OS X–based installers that use JRE 7 at run time. InstallAnywhere also has support for creating VM packs with Oracle JRE 7, as well as for bundling installers with Oracle JRE 7.

When you configure any OS X build target in the Build Installers view on the Build page, you now have several VM-related options. You can specify whether the installer should search OS X systems for the presence of Oracle JRE 7 or later, or for the presence of Apple JRE 6 or earlier; if the required JRE is not available, the installation fails and exits. If multiple required versions of JRE are present, the installer uses the one that is set by the JRE_HOME environment variable.

An OS X build target also lets you specify whether you want the installer to avoid searching OS X target systems for a required JRE and instead use a specific bundled VM; if you choose to use a bundled VM instead of searching for a required VM, specify which VM you want to bundle with the installer.

For more information, see:

Support for Configuring the Windows Execution Level Now Available in All InstallAnywhere Editions

Support for configuring the Windows execution level is now available in the Professional (formerly known as Standard) edition of InstallAnywhere. This capability lets you select the execution level that your installer launcher requires for target systems that are running Windows Vista and later or Windows Server 2008 or later. To configure the execution level of your Windows-based installers, select the appropriate option in the Windows Execution Level setting in the Advanced Designer (Project page > Platforms view > Windows area).

Previously, this support was available only in the Premier (formerly known as Enterprise) edition of InstallAnywhere.

To learn more, see Platforms View.

Support for Setting the field size for Add or Remove Programs Applet on Windows in all InstallAnywhere Editions

Support for setting the field size is now available in the Professional (formerly known as Standard) edition of InstallAnywhere. This new field 'Estimated size(in MB)' is added under Projects-> Platforms->Windows section for all project types.

By default 'Estimated size(in MB)' field value will be blank. You can enter an estimated size of any value > 0 (Zero) and <= 4194303(4TB).

Note • Cannot enter floating/decimal value for an estimated size.

Support for Managing Windows-Based Services Now Available in All InstallAnywhere Editions

Support for managing Windows-based services is now available in the Professional (formerly known as Standard) edition of InstallAnywhere. To manage a service in your installer, use the Sequence page in the Advanced Designer to add any of the service-related actions to your project.

Previously, this support was available only in the Premier (formerly known as Enterprise) edition of InstallAnywhere.

To learn more, see General Actions.

Support for Setting System Environment Variables Now Available in All InstallAnywhere Editions

Support for setting system environment variables on Windows-based and UNIX-based target systems is now available in the Professional (formerly known as Standard) edition of InstallAnywhere. To set a system environment variable, add the Set System Environment Variable action to a sequence through the Sequence page in the Advanced Designer.

Previously, this support was available only in the Premier (formerly known as Enterprise) edition of InstallAnywhere.

To learn more, see Install Actions.

Enhancements

Support for Displaying the Percentage Complete on the Install Progress Panel

The progress bar on the default Install Progress panel now shows the numeric percentage of the installation that is complete. In addition, a new method is available for obtaining the percentage of the installation that is complete:

public int getCurrentProgressPercentage();

Expanded Search Support for the Find Component in InstallAnywhere Registry Action on 64-Bit Target Systems

A new Search in both 32-bit and 64-bit InstallAnywhere registries check box is available when you add the Find Component in InstallAnywhere Registry action to a sequence in your project. If you want the action to search for a component in both 32-bit and 64-bit InstallAnywhere registry locations (for example, Program Files (x86)\Zero G Registry and Program Files\Zero G Registry) on 64-bit target systems, select this check box.

To learn more, see Find Component in InstallAnywhere Registry Action.

See Also

Upgrading from Earlier InstallAnywhere Versions

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