Upgrading Projects from InstallShield Express 2.x

InstallShield 2018 Express Edition

There are many technical differences between the current version of InstallShield and those prior to InstallShield Express 3.0. InstallShield Express 2.x is based upon traditional setup architecture, where an executable file called Setup.exe is created. This executable contains all the logic necessary to perform your installation. In the current version of InstallShield, the output file is or contains a relational database (.msi) containing all the needed information to interact with the Windows Installer service. Due to these vast differences, there may be aspects of your earlier InstallShield project that do not fit into the current architecture. Additionally, there will be gaps in the new project created as a result of the migration. These missing pieces must be filled in before you can build and distribute your setup.

Project Types

In previous versions of InstallShield, when creating a new setup project you were prompted to select a project type. The current version of InstallShield has no equivalent for project types. The type of project you create depends upon the files you add to your setup and the system changes you make. All the information gathered from selecting a certain project type is migrated to your new InstallShield project.

Files, File Groups, and Components

All files you have added to your setup are transferred into your new InstallShield project. In older versions of InstallShield, files were added to file groups and file groups were added to components. In the current version of InstallShield, files are added to features. No further levels exist. Therefore, when you migrate your setup project you no longer have files associated with file groups. Instead, all files belong to a feature. For every component you have in your old project, a feature is created in your new project. Your file groups map to destination folders. For more details, see Destination Folders.

Setup Types

Setup types provide similar functionality in the current version of InstallShield as they did in earlier versions. The major difference between the two is the fact that setup types used to be based upon components. In the new version of InstallShield, components do not exist. Instead they have been replaced by features. The setup types you specified in your old InstallShield Express project are re-created in the new InstallShield. To learn more, see Working with Setup Types.

InstallShield Objects

InstallShield objects have been replaced with merge modules. If a merge module that can supply the functionality provided by the object you used in your project exists, that module is added to your setup. If your setup includes a file that is also included in a merge module, the module is added to your setup rather than your single file.

To learn more, see Including Redistributables in Your Installation.

InstallShield Extensions

InstallShield extensions have been replaced by custom actions. With custom actions you can call a function from a DLL or launch an executable. If you had an extension that performed one of these two tasks, that extension is converted into a custom action in your new project. For more information, see Using Custom Actions.

Registry Entries

All of the registry data in your old project is added to your new project.

Shortcuts

Shortcuts in the new InstallShield are much more robust than those found in previous versions. Any shortcuts you had in your old setup are migrated into your new setup project. However, since there are many more settings for shortcuts in the latest version of InstallShield, you may want to go to the Shortcuts/Folders view and configure the settings for each of the shortcuts your project contains, such as the hot key combination, the icon index, and the working directory. These settings are not required, however.

For specific details about each of the settings, see Shortcut Settings.

Dialogs

Although the run-time dialogs in the latest version of InstallShield differ in look from those in earlier versions, they serve similar functions. The Setup Type dialog, for example, still serves the same purpose it always has: it allows your customers to select which setup type they want to use. The same dialogs you chose to include in your old InstallShield Express project are included in your new project.

One major difference between the dialogs in earlier versions of InstallShield Express and those in the latest version is the use of .rtf files. When linking to a license agreement or readme file in earlier versions of InstallShield Express, you would use a text (.txt) file. The latest version of InstallShield requires you to use rich text (.rtf) files. Your previously created .txt files are converted to .rtf files as part of the migration process.

Distribution Media

The type of media you selected in previous versions of InstallShield Express is not migrated into your new InstallShield setup. Select a medium from the list of available media types in the Build Your Release view. For information about each of the available types, see Media Types.

If you had previously released your setup on floppy disk, see Building a Release for Floppy Disk Distribution.

16-bit Setups

Because the Windows Installer service runs only on 32-bit operating systems, your 16-bit setups do not migrate as well as 32-bit setups. All of the files, shortcuts, and other settings you created for your 16-bit setup are migrated, but any self-registering 16-bit files you include in your setup do not self-register. In reality, since your setup cannot run on a 16-bit system, there is little reason for you to have 16-bit files included in the setup.

Languages

InstallShield has built-in support for many languages. If the language of your old InstallShield Express project matches one of the supported languages, your new InstallShield setup is created with the run-time strings for that language. For example, if you have a setup that is localized to French and migrate that setup to the latest version of InstallShield, all the strings in the new InstallShield project are in French. If your old InstallShield Express project runs in an unsupported language, the run-time strings for your new project appear in English. This does not mean, however, that your setup cannot run in your desired language. You can translate all the run-time strings in the Text and Messages view.

See Also

Upgrading from Earlier Versions of InstallShield

Upgrade Errors and Warnings

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