InstallShield 2019 Express Edition
New Features
InstallShield 2008 Express Edition includes the following new features.
New End-User Dialog Themes for Express Projects
Dialog themes are predefined sets of images that give your end-user dialogs a unified and distinctive look. By changing the theme option selected in the new Global Dialog Theme setting in the Dialogs view, you can now select one of the available themes for your project, and InstallShield applies that theme to all of the interior and exterior dialogs, as well as the Setup.exe initialization dialog, in your project.
For more information about this feature, see the following:
| • | Dialog Themes |
| • | Selecting or Changing a Dialog Theme |
| • | Global Dialog Settings for All End-User Dialogs |
Digital Signing Improvements
InstallShield now lets you digitally sign any files—including your product’s executable files—in your installation at build time. In addition, you can now use a personal information exchange file (.pfx) for digital signatures. The Express project type supports this functionality.
The new Signing tab in the Releases view is where you specify the digital signature information—including the digital certificate files that a certification authority grated to you—that InstallShield should use to sign your files. The Signing tab is also where you specify which files in your installation should be digitally signed.
If you specify a .pfx file for signing, InstallShield uses SignTool.exe to sign your files. If you specify an .spc file and a .pvk file, InstallShield uses Signcode.exe to sign your files. Using a .pfx file is often the preferred method, since it is more likely to work in many different environments (such as locked build machines). If you specify the digital signature password in InstallShield, you will never see a password prompt if you are using a .pfx file. However, if you are using .spc and .pvk files, a password prompt may be displayed.
Previously, InstallShield included support for signing only the .msi and Setup.exe files. In addition, InstallShield allowed you to specify .spc and .pvk files for the digital signature, but not .pfx files.
To learn more, see the following:
| • | Digital Signing and Security |
| • | Digitally Signing a Release and Its Files at Build Time |
| • | Signing Tab |
Support for Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 and SSL
InstallShield now includes support for IIS 7.
In addition, InstallShield lets you include an SSL certificate for a Web site in your installation. Including an SSL server certificate enables users to authenticate the Web server, check the validity of the Web content, and establish a secure connection.
For more information, see:
| • | Internet Information Services View |
| • | Specifying the SSL Certificate for a Web Site |
| • | Version-Specific Information for IIS Support in InstallShield |
New Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 Prerequisite Available
InstallShield now includes a new .NET Framework 3.0 setup prerequisite that you can add to Express projects.
For more information, see Adding .NET Framework Redistributables to Projects.
Visual C++ 8.0 SP1 Merge Modules Available
InstallShield now includes Visual C++ 8.0 SP1 merge modules (version 8.0.50727.762).
Support for the UAC Shield Icon on Dialog Buttons
The Install button on the ReadyToInstall dialog and the Remove button on the ReadyToRemove dialog now have the User Account Control (UAC) shield icon when the installation is run on Windows Vista systems and the installation is not yet running with elevated privileges.
Note that InstallShield is run with elevated privileges. Therefore, if you launch your installation from within InstallShield on a Windows Vista system, it has elevated privileges, and the UAC shield icon is not displayed on the ReadyToInstall and ReadyToRemove dialogs.
For a sample screen of a dialog with the UAC shield icon, see Ready to Install Dialog.
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express SP1 Setup Prerequisite Available
InstallShield now includes a setup prerequisite for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP1. You can add this setup prerequisite to Express projects.
Updated DirectX 9.0c Objects
The DirectX 9.0c object now installs all of the latest DirectX 9.0c core and optional components.
In addition, some changes have been made to the DirectX 9 Object Wizard. The wizard now lets you specify whether the redistributable files should be included in the Disk1 folder or streamed into the .msi file. This change enables you to use the DirectX 9 object in compressed installations. Also, you can now use the DirectX 9 object in silent installations.
The custom action that launches the DirectX installation is now sequenced in the Execute sequence and run in deferred system context so that it can be run with elevated privileges on Windows Vista systems.
To learn more, see:
| • | Including the DirectX 9.0 Object |
| • | DirectX Object Wizard |
Ability to Target Windows Server 2008 Systems
InstallShield enables you to specify that your installation requires Windows Server 2008. It also lets you build Windows Server 2008–related conditions for features and custom actions.
New MSXML 6 SP1 Setup Prerequisites Available
InstallShield now includes a new MSXML 6.0 SP1 setup prerequisite that you can add to Express projects.
FlexNet Connect Support
You can add a redistributable for FlexNet Connect 6.1 or 5.x to Express projects. The Update Notifications view lets you select which version of FlexNet Connect you want to include in your project. You can include version 6.1 or any legacy version that is installed in any of the locations that are specified in the Merge Module Location area on the Merge Module tab of the Options dialog box.
The Update Notifications view includes a new Vendor Database setting, which FlexNet Connect 6.1 supports.
Enhancements
InstallShield 2008 Express Edition includes the following enhancements.
Usability Enhancements for Releases
The release settings are now organized by category on several different tabs in the Releases view, which was formerly called the Build Your Release view.
The settings in the Distribute Your Release view have been moved to the new Postbuild tab in the Releases view. The Postbuild tab lets you configure settings for distributing releases to a folder or FTP site automatically at build time.
A new Distribute command is available when you right-click a release in the Releases view. When you select this command, InstallShield copies all of the relevant files for your release to the locations that are specified on the Postbuild tab.
To learn more, see:
| • | Build Tab |
| • | Setup.exe Tab |
| • | Signing Tab |
| • | .NET/J# Tab |
| • | Internet Tab |
| • | Events Tab |
| • | Testing and Running Installations |
| • | Distributing Releases to a Folder or FTP Site Automatically |
Usability Enhancements for the Files view, the Registry View, and the Redistributables View
Several enhancements are available for the Files view:
| • | You can right-click a file in the Destination computer’s files pane and then click the new Open Containing Folder command. Doing so opens a Windows Explorer window and displays the folder that contains the file that you right-clicked. |
| • | A new Add command is available when you right-click the Destination computer’s files pane. Use this command to display an Open dialog box that lets you browse to the file that you want to add to your project. |
| • | The upper-right corner of this view has a new link (either Show Source Panes or Hide Source Panes). Use this new link to show or hide the two top panes—the Source computer’s folders pane and the Source computer’s files pane—in this view. You can hide the two panes, open a Windows Explorer window, and drag and drop files from the Windows Explorer window to the two remaining panes in InstallShield. |
The Registry view also has a new link (either Show Source Panes or Hide Source Panes) in the upper-right corner. Use this new link to show or hide the two top panes—the Source computer’s folders pane and the Source computer’s files pane—in this view.
Two enhancements have also been made to the Redistributables view:
| • | The right pane in this view shows details about the merge module, object, or setup prerequisite that is selected in the upper-left pane. You can now hide or show the details pane by clicking the Show Details or Hide Details link in the upper-right corner of this view. |
| • | The Details pane that is displayed for setup prerequisites now shows complete information about the selected setup prerequisite. This includes conditions, command-line parameters, and other information that is configured for the prerequisite. |
Shortcuts/Folders View Enhancements
Some enhancements have been made to the Shortcuts/Folders view.
| • | To change the icon that is used for a shortcut, you can right-click the shortcut and then click the new Change Shortcut icon command. InstallShield opens the Change Icon dialog box, which enables you to select the icon file and associated icon index that should be used when the shortcut is created on target systems at run time. |
| • | Shortcuts that are listed in the Shortcuts explorer now show the icon image that will be used on the target system. Previously, the Shortcuts explorer used a different image for all types of shortcuts, even if an icon was specified for the shortcut. |
For more details about these enhancements, see:
| • | Specifying the Icon for a Shortcut |
| • | Shortcuts/Folders View |
Enhancement for Setup Prerequisites
The Setup.exe tab in the Releases view has a new Setup Prerequisites Location setting that lets you specify where the setup prerequisites in your Express project should be located for the selected release.
The default value is Follow Individual Selections; with this option, InstallShield uses the locations that are specified in the Redistributables view for each individual prerequisite.
The other available options are Download from the Web, Extract from Setup.exe, and Copy from Source Media. These three options override the locations that are specified in the Redistributables view for each setup prerequisite.
For more information, see:
| • | Specifying a Run-Time Location for a Specific InstallShield Prerequisite |
| • | Specifying the Run-Time Location for InstallShield Prerequisites at the Release Level |
| • | Setup.exe Tab |
Enhanced Support for the SecureCustomProperties Property
If you set a public property in the user interface sequence of an installation that requests elevated privileges for the execute sequence, and you want to pass the property’s value to the execute sequence, the property must be listed as a value for the SecureCustomProperties property, or it must be a restricted public property.
InstallShield now automatically adds to the SecureCustomProperties property properties that may need to be passed from the user interface sequence to the execute sequence. To learn more, see Specifying that a Public Property Should Be a Restricted Public Property.
Automatic Downgrade Prevention Entries in Express Projects
To prevent end users from being able to install the current version of your product over a future major version of the same product, InstallShield automatically adds support for preventing the current installation from overwriting a future major version. To learn more, see Preventing the Current Installation from Overwriting a Future Major Version of the Same Product.
Changes for ALLUSERS and for the Customer Information Dialog
Beginning with InstallShield 2008 Express Edition, the ALLUSERS property is set to 1 by default in all new Express projects. This is the recommended implementation, since most installations must be run in a per-machine context with administrative privileges.
If you upgrade a project that was created with InstallShield 12 Express Edition or earlier toInstallShield 2019 Express Edition, InstallShield does not automatically change the value of the ALLUSERS property or add this property if it was not defined in the earlier project. The General Information view has a new ALLUSERS setting that lets you set the value of ALLUSERS.
Also new with InstallShield 2008 Express Edition, by default, the Customer Information dialog in all new Express projects does not display the radio button group that enables end users to specify whether they want to install the product for all users or for only the current user. This is the recommended implementation for this dialog.
If you upgrade a project that was created with InstallShield 12 Express Edition or earlier to InstallShield 2019 Express Edition, InstallShield does not automatically change the Customer Information dialog. You can use the Dialogs view to show or hide the radio group button for this dialog.
To learn more, see:
| • | Per-User vs. Per-Machine Installations |
| • | General Information Settings |
| • | ALLUSERS |
| • | Customer Information Dialog |
Ability to Change the Product Version from the Command Line or Through an MSBuild Task Parameter
The -y command-line parameter is available for command-line builds with IsCmdBld.exe. Use this parameter to specify a product version from the command-line build.
In addition, the InstallShield task for MSBuild now includes a ProductVersion parameter, which you can use to specify the product version through MSBuild. This parameter is exposed as the property InstallShieldProductVersion when the default targets file is used.
Using the -y command-line parameter or the InstallShield task ProductVersion parameter is especially helpful if you want to increment the build version (the third field) of the product version.
To learn more, see:
| • | IsCmdBld.exe |
| • | Microsoft Build Engine (MSBuild) |
New Setting for Specifying Whether an IIS Web Server Should Allow the CMD Command to Be Used for SSI #exec Directives
You can configure an IIS Web server to prevent the CMD command for the #exec directive from being used to execute shell commands, or you can configure it to allow the CMD command to be used to execute this type of command. The SSIEnableCmdDirective registry value for the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W3SVC\Parameters registry key is what determines whether the CMD command is permitted.
The Internet Information Services view in InstallShield includes a new SSIEnableCmdDirective registry value setting. This setting lets you specify how your installation should configure the SSIEnableCmdDirective registry value on target systems. This setting also lets you specify that the SSIEnableCmdDirective registry value should not be changed at installation run time; this is the default behavior.
For more information, see Specifying Whether a Web Server Should Allow the CMD Command to Be Used for SSI #exec Directives.
New Host Header Name Setting for IIS Web Sites
You can now use the new Host Header Name setting on the Web Site tab for a Web site in the Internet Information Services view to specify the host header name that identifies the IIS Web site that is installed during your installation.
For more information, see Specifying the IIS Host Header Name for a Web Site.
Ability to Remove Unreferenced Directories from the .msi File
The Build tab in the Releases view includes a new Keep Unused Directories setting. Use this setting to specify whether you want InstallShield to remove unused directories from the Directory table of the .msi file when you build the selected release. The default value is No.
This setting is available for Express projects.
For more information, see Build Tab.
New Check Box for Specifying Whether COM+ Applications Should Be Installed After the InstallFinalize Action
The Installation tab in the Component Services view has a new Install after InstallFinalize action check box. If a selected COM+ application in your project contains .NET assemblies that need to be installed to the global assembly cache (GAC), select this check box. If you select this check box, the ISComponentServiceFinalize action installs the selected COM+ application after the InstallFinalize action. Windows Installer does not commit changes made in the in-script session to the GAC until InstallFinalize.
Additional Predefined System Searches for Express Projects
InstallShield has several new predefined system searches:
| • | Adobe Reader 7 |
| • | Adobe Reader 6 |
| • | Internet Explorer 7.0 |
If your installation requires any of these products, you can use the Requirements view or the Installation Requirements page in the Project Assistant to add these system searches to your project. When end users launch your installation, Windows Installer checks the target system to see if the requirements are met; if they are not met, the installation displays the error message that is defined for the system search.
Enhancements for Patch Display Information
The Identification tab, which was previously called the Uninstall tab, is where you specify information that should be displayed for a QuickPatch package in Add or Remove Programs on systems running Windows Installer 3.0 or later. This tab in the General Information view in QuickPatch projects has settings for items such as the display name, the manufacturer name, and the support URL. Now every time that you change the latest setup for a QuickPatch project, InstallShield uses the Add or Remove Programs information from the latest setup as the values for the Identification tab settings. You can override the values on the Identification tab as needed. In addition, the Allow Patch to Be Uninstalled (Requires Windows Installer 3.0) check box is now available on the Common tab. This setting was previously available on the Uninstall tab.
For more information, see:
| • | Common Tab (in a QuickPatch project) |
| • | Identification Tab (in a QuickPatch project) |
Ability to Specify the Minimum Initialization Time
InstallShield includes a new Minimum Initialization Time setting on the Setup.exe tab for a release in the Releases view. Use this setting to specify the minimum number of seconds that the installation should display the initialization dialog—as well as the splash screen, if one is included—when end users run this release.
For more information, see Setup.exe Tab.
See Also
Upgrading from Earlier Versions of InstallShield
InstallShield 2019 Express Edition Help LibraryApril 2019 |
Copyright Information | Flexera |