Working with an .exe File for an Action in a Suite/Advanced UI Installation

InstallShield 2016

Project • This information applies to Suite/Advanced UI projects.

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.

You can use an .exe action in a Suite/Advanced UI installation to launch an executable file that is included in your installation (as a temporary support file or installed with the product) or that already exists on the target system.

Following are examples of scenarios in which you may want to add an .exe action to your Suite/Advanced UI installation:

You can add an .exe action that launches a Setup.exe installation that you or a third party created.
You can add an .exe action that sets permissions on existing directories.
You can add an .exe action that opens a ReadMe file in its associated application—perhaps Notepad or Adobe Reader.
You can add an .exe action that opens a data file in your product.

The first step in adding an .exe action to a Suite/Advanced UI project is to create or acquire the .exe file, if applicable, or to create the document or other file that the executable file will launch.

Note that .exe actions do not have access to the running installation session. Thus, you cannot pass Suite/Advanced UI properties to the .exe file (except as command-line arguments) or back from the .exe file (except through external storage, such as the registry or a file).

To add an action that runs an executable file in a Suite/Advanced UI installation:

1. In the View List under Behavior and Logic, click Events.
2. Right-click the Actions explorer and then click New EXE. InstallShield adds an executable-file action to the Actions explorer.
3. Enter a new name, or right-click it later and click Rename to assign it a new name. Use a name that helps you distinguish this action from other actions in your project.
4. Configure the action’s settings as needed.

Once you have added the action to your project, schedule it as needed. For more information, see Scheduling a Suite/Advanced UI Action.

Note • If you are launching an interactive application from an .exe action, you may want to add a condition to the action to prevent it from launching when the Suite/Advanced UI installation is running silently (without a user interface). You can use the ISSilentInstall property in this type of condition; if the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation is running silently (without a user interface), this property is set to True.

As an alternative, you may want to launch interactive applications from the user interface of your installation. Thus, instead of using an .exe action to launch a PDF file, you may want to add the ability to open the PDF file from one of the wizard pages in your installation's user interface.

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