COM Server Component Type
InstallShield 2020 » Component Wizard
Project:This information applies to the following project types:
| • | Basic MSI |
| • | DIM |
| • | InstallScript MSI |
| • | Merge Module |
| • | MSI Database |
| • | MSM Database |
The COM server component type in the Component Wizard accepts a single COM server (.exe, .dll, or .ocx) file and creates a component for it in your installation project.
Since these files require special registration so that they can operate on the target system, the wizard attempts to extract the information for you. If the wizard fails to extract the file’s registry settings, it prompts you for the CLSID, progID, and so on.
All of the registration information that maps to the COM Registration advanced setting is written there. The wizard creates any additional entries, such as the InProcServer32 ThreadingModel value, in the component’s registry data.
Tip:If you are using InstallShield on a 64-bit system, InstallShield can extract COM data from a 64-bit COM server. In order to install the data to the correct locations, the component must be marked as 64 bit. To learn more about 64-bit support, see Targeting 64-Bit Operating Systems.
Using the component’s data, the installer registers the file during installation and unregisters it during uninstallation instead of calling self-registration functions, which would be a violation of Setup Best Practices.
Note:The PATH system variable on the build machine must be set to include the directories of all of the .dll files to which the COM server links; otherwise, the file will fail to register and COM information will not be extracted.
The wizard asks if your COM server runs as a service, so you can specify installation parameters for the service.
See Also