Editing Installation and Project Tables
InstallShield 2016
Project • This information applies to the following project types:
Important • Editing the installation and project tables directly, rather than using the dedicated views in InstallShield, is for advanced users who are very familiar with the Windows Installer database format.
The Windows Installer databases that are built with InstallShield consist of tables. InstallShield project files (.ism files) use the Windows Installer table format. In addition to providing a graphical user interface for working with the content of the Windows Installer and .ism tables, InstallShield also lets you manipulate the tables directly through the Direct Editor view.
The Direct Editor supports different types of tables:
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Custom tables, which you create and which you can read from or write to with a custom action |
The Direct Editor can run in two different modes:
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Project edit mode—This mode lets you edit tables in the project file (.ism). The changes that are made in the Direct Editor are incorporated into the Windows Installer package that InstallShield creates at build time. |
When you are working in any of the following Windows Installer–based project types, you are working in project edit mode: Basic MSI, DIM, InstallScript MSI, Merge Module, and QuickPatch.
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Direct edit mode—This mode lets you edit tables in the Windows Installer database (.msi, .msm, or .mst file). When you save the changes that you have made in the Direct Editor, InstallShield updates the Windows Installer database. |
When you are working in any of the following Windows Installer–based project types, you are working in direct edit mode: MSI Database, MSM Database, and Transform.
See Also
Editing Project Tables
Editing .msi and .msm Databases in Direct Edit Mode
Adding Records to a Table
Editing Fields in a Table
Adding New Tables Through the Direct Editor
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