InstallShield 2015
Project: This information applies to the following project types:
| • | Advanced UI |
| • | Suite/Advanced UI |
Project-specific differences are noted where appropriate.
Edition: The Advanced UI project type is available in the Professional edition of InstallShield. The Suite/Advanced UI project type is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield. For information about the differences between these two project types, see Advanced UI Projects vs. Suite/Advanced UI Projects.
InstallShield lets you add the following types of Windows Installer–based installations to Advanced UI and Suite/Advanced UI projects:
| • | Windows Installer packages (.msi packages) |
| • | Windows Installer patches (.msp packages) |
InstallShield also lets you add Windows Installer transactions to Suite/Advanced UI projects (but not to Advanced UI projects).
A transaction consists of Windows Installer packages (.msi) and Windows Installer patches (.msp) that you want to be run on target systems using transaction processing, a feature of Windows Installer 4.5 and later. The packages are chained together and processed as a single transaction. Each Suite/Advanced UI installation can have multiple separate transactions. If one or more of the packages in a transaction cannot be installed successfully or if the end user cancels the installation, Windows Installer initiates rollback for all of the chained packages within the current transaction to restore the system to its earlier state.
Adding an .msi or .msp Package That Runs Without Transaction Processing
To add an .msi or .msp package that is run without transaction processing to your Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI project:
| 1. | In the View List under Organization, click Packages. |
| 2. | Right-click the Packages explorer and then click the appropriate command: New Windows Installer Package (.msi) or New Patch Package (.msp). The Select the installation file for this package dialog box opens. |
| 3. | Select the package file that you want to add to your Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI project, and then click Open. The Add Files for This Package dialog box opens. |
| 4. | Specify whether you want to include additional folders and files with your package file, and if so, whether you want to include dynamically linked files. |
InstallShield adds the package, plus any additional folders and files, in the Packages explorer.
Adding a Package That Runs With Transaction Processing
To add a package that is run with transaction processing to your Suite/Advanced UI project:
| 1. | In the View List under Organization, click Packages. |
| 2. | Right-click the Packages explorer, and then click New Transaction. InstallShield adds a Transaction folder to the Packages explorer. |
| 3. | In the Packages explorer, right-click the Transaction folder and then click the appropriate command: New Windows Installer Package (.msi) or New Patch Package (.msp). The Select the installation file for this package dialog box opens. |
| 4. | Select the package file that you want to add to your Suite/Advanced UI project, and then click Open. The Add Files for This Package dialog box opens. |
| 5. | Specify whether you want to include additional folders and files with your package file, and if so, whether you want to include dynamically linked files. |
InstallShield adds the package, plus any additional folders and files, in the Packages explorer.
Important: Running a package in a transaction from a Suite/Advanced UI installation requires Windows Installer 4.5 or later. If a package in a transaction is launched by a Suite/Advanced UI installation on a target system that has an earlier version of Windows Installer, the Suite/Advanced UI installation fails. Therefore, if you are using transaction processing for packages in your Suite/Advanced UI installation, it is recommended that you consider performing one or more of the following tasks:
| • | Include the Windows Installer 4.5 redistributable as a package in the Suite/Advanced UI project for target systems that have an earlier version, and schedule it before the packages that use transaction processing. |
| • | Create an exit condition that prevents the entire Suite/Advanced UI installation from running on systems that do not have Windows Installer 4.5 or later. To learn more, see Defining Exit Conditions for an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI Installation. |
| • | Create an eligibility condition for each package in the transaction that checks for Windows Installer 4.5 or later and does not launch those packages in the transaction. For more information, see Building Conditional Statements in Advanced UI and Suite/Advanced UI Projects. |
See Also
Configuring Settings for a Package in an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI Project
Building Conditional Statements in Advanced UI and Suite/Advanced UI Projects
Adding an InstallShield Project (.ism) as a Package in a Suite/Advanced UI Project
InstallShield 2015 Help LibraryJune 2015 |
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