DLL Custom Action Settings

InstallShield 2019 Express Edition

When you add a DLL custom action to the Custom Actions view, you need to configure its settings.

Settings for DLL Custom Actions

Settings

Description

Source Location

Specify where the file that is used for this custom action is located:

•

Browse File System—The file that is used for this custom action is on your system.

Depending on which part of the installation, uninstallation, or maintenance you schedule the custom action, this option may not be available. For example, if you schedule the custom action for the After File Transfer part of the installation, this source location option may not be applicable.

•

Installed with the Product—The file will be installed on the target system.

Depending on which part of the installation, uninstallation, or maintenance you schedule the custom action, this option may not be available. For example, if you schedule the custom action for the Before File Transfer part of the installation—which occurs before the file has been installed on the target system—the Installed with the Product option is not available.

The MSI DLL custom action offers more flexibility with source location options than the standard DLL custom action. For more information, see Windows Installer DLL Custom Actions.

File Name

If you selected Browse File System in the Source Location setting, click the ellipsis button (...) in the File Name setting to browse to the DLL file that you want to use for the custom action. When you build your installation, this file is automatically incorporated into your installation. Although the custom action is run during installation, the file is removed following installation.

If you selected Installed with the Product in the Source Location setting, click the ellipsis button (...) in the File Name setting to browse for the file from the list of files that have already been added to your project through the Files view. Files that are installed on the target system are launched from their destination on the target system.

Function Name

Enter the name of the function you want to call from your DLL. Although your function must accept parameters, you do need not to list the parameters in this setting. For example, if your function has the following prototype, type MyFunction for the function name:

CHAR WINAPI MyFunction(HWND, LPSTR, LPSTR, LPSTR, LPSTR);

For more information, see Classic DLL Custom Action Function Prototype or New DLL Custom Action Function Prototype.

Function Signature

Select the format that your DLL function uses. Available options are:

•

Classic—This format requires a precise prototype for the entry-point function. This format was used in early versions of InstallShield Express. For more information, see Classic DLL Custom Action Function Prototype.

•

New—This format enables you to get a handle to the .msi database that is currently running. Once you have a handle to the database, you can call any number of Windows Installer APIs. For more information, see New DLL Custom Action Function Prototype.

Note that the prototype in this type of DLL uses the same signature that is required for MSI DLL custom actions. If you want to use this type of signature for a new custom action that you are adding to your project, it is recommended that you use an MSI DLL custom action instead of a standard DLL, since an MSI DLL action offers more flexible scheduling options. To learn more, see Windows Installer DLL Custom Actions.

In-Script Execution

Select the iteration of the sequence that should trigger the selected custom action. For detailed information about each option, see Action Execution Options.

Note that this setting does not apply to some sequences. For example, if you add a custom action under After Initialization (before first dialog), the action will be scheduled for immediate execution; it cannot be scheduled for deferred, rollback, or commit execution.

Wait For Action

Specify whether you want the installation, uninstallation, or maintenance to wait until the custom action exists before proceeding with the rest of the installation.

If you select No, the installation, uninstallation, or maintenance continues while your custom action runs.

Ignore Exit Code

Specify whether you want the Windows Installer to ignore the return value of this custom action and continue the installation, uninstallation, or maintenance.

Comments

Enter comments about this custom action. These comments are for your reference only and are not displayed to end users.

Condition

This setting lets you specify one or more conditions that must be true in order for the selected custom action to be run. For example, you can create a condition that checks the target system for a specific operating system or minimum system requirements. If the conditions evaluate to True at run time, the custom action is run. If one or more of the conditions evaluate as False, the custom action is not run.

To specify one or more conditions, click the ellipsis button (...) in this setting.

When you add a condition, InstallShield adds a new setting under the Condition setting. This new setting displays the conditional statement for the condition that you added.

To edit or delete a condition, click the ellipsis button (...) in the Condition setting.

DLL Custom Action Settings

InstallShield 2019 Express Edition Help Library

April 2019