Configuring Package Operations for an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI Installation

InstallShield 2015

Project: This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI

Advanced UI projects include support for .exe packages only if they are included in the project from an InstallShield prerequisite.

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.

An Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI operation is the state in which a package in the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation is running. The different types of operations are install, remove, repair, modify, and maintenance.

When you add a package to an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI project, you can configure various operation settings for the package. The settings let you specify whether each of the operations are applicable to the package. The settings also let you enter command lines that you want the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation to use when launching the package in each mode. You can specify separate command lines: one for when the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation is running with a user interface, and one when it is running silently (without a user interface).

Install Operation

An Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation runs an install operation to install the package onto a target system. This occurs during either a first-time installation, or when a feature is selected to be installed during maintenance. All packages typically have an install operation.

When an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation runs an install operation for an .msi, .msp, or InstallScript package, the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation automatically launches the package silently. However, when an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation runs an install operation for an .exe package, the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation cannot automatically launch the package silently, since different types of .exe packages may use different ways of running without a user interface. If you want the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation to run an .exe package silently, ensure that you enter the appropriate command line for the package’s install operation subsettings.

If any of your Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI packages should be configurable by end users, create wizard pages that let end users configure properties, and pass the associated properties to the packages through the command lines.

Remove Operation

An Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation runs a remove operation to uninstall the package from a target system. Packages that are marked as a primary package typically have a remove operation; packages that are marked as a dependency package often do not have a remove operation, since they are typically left on target systems. A package that installs the .NET Framework is an example of a package that would be marked as a dependency package. The Package Type setting for the package identifies whether the package is a primary package or a dependency package.

An Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation runs a remove operation when an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI feature is turned off during maintenance, or when the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI product is uninstalled. Like during installation, an .exe package’s command lines should run the package silently.

Note that the remove operation does not apply to .msp packages; removing an .msp package requires removing the base .msi package.

Repair Operation

An Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation runs a repair operation to invoke the repair functionality that some packages support. If you are configuring an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI package that supports repair, configure the package’s repair operation setting to allow repairs. The Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation runs the repair operation only when the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation is being repaired as part of maintenance, and only if the package is already installed.

If you are configuring a repair operation for an .msi package, you do not need specify any special command lines to trigger a silent repair, since the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation can trigger the repair automatically if appropriate. However, if you are configuring a repair operation for an .exe package, you must enter the appropriate command line to trigger the repair. For example, for a Basic MSI Setup.exe package, you could enter the following command line in the EXE Command Line and the EXE Silent Command Line subsettings under the Repair operation setting:

[SystemFolder]msiexec.exe /f {8356F8B7_8DE5_4E04_A77A_6FA722CBE1CC} /qn

The GUID in braces is the product code of the Windows Installer package.

Note that the repair operation does not apply to .msp packages.

Modify Operation

An Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation runs a modify operation to perform feature selection. If you are configuring an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI package that offers feature selection, configure the package’s modify operation setting to allow modifications. The Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation runs the modify operation when Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI feature selection changes indicate that a package’s features should be added or removed.

Note that the modify operation does not apply to .msp packages.

Maintenance Operation

An Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation runs a maintenance operation in scenarios such as the following ones:

An end user chooses to modify the product through its entry in Add or Remove Programs.
An end user reruns the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation.

The maintenance operation differs from the other types of operations because it is not controlled through an operation setting.

See Also