InstallShield 2019 Express Edition

Release Notes

Originally released April 2019; Updated to include R3 (December 2019) and R2 (August 2019)

Introduction

InstallShield is the industry standard for authoring high-quality Windows Installer–based installations.

InstallShield 2019 Express Edition also offers new features, enhancements, and resolved issues that make it easy to use the latest technologies.

For the latest information about InstallShield 2019 Express Edition, including updates to these release notes, see the online version of the InstallShield 2019 Express Edition release notes.

Resolved Issues in R3 Express Edition

For descriptions of resolved issues in InstallShield 2019 R3 Express Edition, refer to InstallShield 2019 R3 Express Edition.

Resolved Issues in R2 Express Edition

For descriptions of resolved issues in InstallShield 2019 R2 Express Edition, refer to InstallShield 2019 R2 Express Edition.

New Features

InstallShield 2019 Express Edition includes the following new feature:

New Project Wizard

New Project Wizard

The New Project Wizard helps you to select different InstallShield Express project types with ease.

You can create different types of projects like Express, QuickPatch, Visual Basic.NET Wizard, Visual C++.NET Wizard, and C#.NET Wizard.

Enhancements

InstallShield 2019 Express Edition releases include the following enhancements:

InstallShield 2019 R2 Express Edition
InstallShield 2019 Express Edition

InstallShield 2019 R2 Express Edition

InstallShield 2019 R2 Express Edition includes the following enhancements:

Delay Between Signing
Update SQL 2012 Native Client Prerequisites

Delay Between Signing

InstallShield 2019 R2 Express Edition supports adding a delay between the successive digital signing, this requires only if the timestamp server fails handle the successive signing requests.

Required to specify the <DelayBetweenSigning default="1500"/> node in the settings.xml, under <DevStudio/Build> node in Settings.xml in milliseconds.

Find the Settings.xml file that is installed with InstallShield. Settings.xml is installed in one of the following locations, depending on which language version of InstallShield you are using:

English—InstallShield Program Files Folder\Support\0409
Japanese—InstallShield Program Files Folder\Support\0411

Update SQL 2012 Native Client Prerequisites

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basis MSI
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI

In InstallShield 2019 R2 Express Edition, the Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Native Client prerequisites (x86 and x64) which is now included for the latest versions of 2012 Native Client.

InstallShield 2019 Express Edition

InstallShield 2019 Express Edition includes the following enhancements:

View Details of a Selected Certificate
Add Predefined Install Conditions
Update Default Server to SHA-2 Server
Add Windows Server 2019 for Operating System Requirement

View Details of a Selected Certificate

In InstallShield 2019 Express Edition, the details of the certificate like the general information of the certificate, security details and certification path is listed on the View Details option in the Certificate Selection dialog box.

Add Predefined Install Conditions

InstallShield 2019 Express Edition has a new predefined system search:

Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.2

If your installation requires the above, you can use the System Search view or the Installation Requirements page in the Project Assistant to add this system search 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.

Update Default Server to SHA-2 Server

In InstallShield 2019 Express Edition, if you select:

SHA-1 to sign the package, the package will get time timestamped using:

<DigitalSignature Timestamp="http://timestamp.verisign.com/scripts/timstamp.dll"/>

SHA-256 to sign the package, the package will get time timestamped using:

<DigitalSignature TimestampRFC3161="http://sha256timestamp.ws.symantec.com/sha256/timestamp"/>

Add Windows Server 2019 for Operating System Requirement

In InstallShield 2019 Express Edition, you can add an option for Windows Server 2019 in the operating system requirements section. You can set the appropriate Install Condition in the project by selecting or deselecting the option.

Additional Prerequisites Included

InstallShield 2019 Express Edition includes the following additional prerequisites:

Microsoft .Net Core 2.1 Runtime Prerequisite

Microsoft .Net Core 2.1 Runtime Prerequisite

InstallShield now includes the prerequisites for Microsoft .Net Core 2.1 Runtime in the redistributables view.

Note • This change was tracked in issue IOJ-1896156.

Important Information

Note the following important information regarding the InstallShield 2019 Express Edition release:

Evaluating InstallShield
Obtaining the Installations for InstallShield, InstallShield Add-Ons, and the Redistributable Files
Installing More than One Edition of InstallShield
Installing More than One Version of InstallShield
Removal of .NET/J# Tab from the Releases View

Evaluating InstallShield

If you have not purchased a license for InstallShield, you can install it and use it for a limited number of days without activating it or connecting it to a license server. When you use InstallShield before activating it or connecting it to a license server, it operates in evaluation mode, and some of its functionality is not available. For details, see Functionality Notes for the Evaluation Version of InstallShield. Note that the evaluation limitations are removed when you activate InstallShield or when you connect it to a license server and check out a license for it.

Obtaining the Installations for InstallShield, InstallShield Add-Ons, and the Redistributable Files

The following installations are available for download from the Flexera Software Product and License Center as documented in the InstallShield download and licensing instructions:

InstallShield
Redistributable files (for example, InstallShield prerequisites and InstallScript objects)
Add-ons (if you are entitled to them) such as the Standalone Build and the InstallShield MSI Tools
FlexNet Licensing Server software (if you purchased concurrent licenses and you need to set up your organization's license server)
Skin Customization Kit
InstallScript Object templates
InstallShield service packs (if available)

Installing More than One Edition of InstallShield

Only one edition of InstallShield 2019—Premier, Professional, or Express—can be installed on a system at a time. In addition, the InstallShield 2019 DIM Editor cannot be installed on the same machine with any edition of InstallShield 2019.

Microsoft Visual Studio can be integrated with only one version of InstallShield at a time. The last version of InstallShield that is installed or repaired on a system is the one that is used for Visual Studio integration.

Installing More than One Version of InstallShield

InstallShield 2019 Express Edition can coexist on the same machine with other versions of InstallShield.

The InstallShield 2019 Express Edition Standalone Build can coexist on the same machine with other versions of the Standalone Build. In most cases, the Standalone Build is not installed on the same machine where InstallShield is installed. If you do install both on the same machine and you want to use the automation interface, review the Installing the Standalone Build and InstallShield on the Same Machine topic in the InstallShield Help Library to learn about special registration and uninstallation considerations.

Removal of .NET/J# Tab from the Releases View

The .NET./J# tab in the Releases view of the Installation Designer was originally provided to support .NET 1.1/2.0 and J# redistributables. Those technologies have become obsolete and no longer supported by Microsoft. Therefore, in InstallShield 2019 Express Edition, the .NET/J# tab of the Releases view has been removed (as well as the associated .NET 1.1/2.0 Core Language and .NET 1.1/2.0 Language Packs dialog boxes).

Project Upgrade Alerts

The following information describes possible upgrade issues that may occur when you upgrade projects that were created with InstallShield 2016 and earlier to InstallShield 2019. It also alerts you to possible changes in behavior that you may notice between new InstallShield 20192019 projects and projects that are upgraded from InstallShield 2016 or earlier to InstallShield 2019.

General Information about Upgrading Projects that Were Created in Earlier Versions of InstallShield
Changes to the List of Supported Versions of Windows for Target Systems
Localized String Considerations

General Information about Upgrading Projects that Were Created in Earlier Versions of InstallShield

InstallShield creates a backup copy of the project with a file extension such as .777 (for an .ism project) or .2016 (for an .issuite project) before converting it. Delete the .777 or .2016 part from the original project's file name if you want to reopen the project in the earlier version of InstallShield. Note that you cannot open InstallShield 2019 projects in earlier versions of InstallShield.

You can upgrade projects that were created with the following versions of InstallShield to InstallShield 2019: InstallShield 2016 and earlier, InstallShield 12 and earlier, InstallShield DevStudio, InstallShield Professional 7 and earlier, and InstallShield Developer 8 and earlier. Note that projects that were created with InstallShield MultiPlatform or InstallShield Universal cannot be upgraded to InstallShield 2019.

Changes to the List of Supported Versions of Windows for Target Systems

For all project types except for Suites, Windows XP SP3 and Windows Server 2003 SP2 are the minimum versions of Windows that are required for target systems that run the installations that are created in InstallShield. For suites (Advanced UI, and Suite/Advanced UI project types), Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 are the minimum versions of Windows that are required for target systems.

Localized String Considerations

Changes to the handing and detection of localized strings were introduced starting in InstallShield 2016. For example, localized string content that includes square brackets around invalid characters can now trigger a build time warning or error. Accordingly, the following new warning and errors might occur when you are working with your installation.

Error or Warning Number

Message

Troubleshooting Information

-7355

The %4 value for string %2 does not meet validation criteria for table %1 column %3.

This warning occurs if a localized string value does not meet validation criteria for a column in the String Editor table. To resolve this warning, update the flagged value in the String Editor.

-7354

The %4 value for string %2 does not contain a legitimate value for table %1 column %3.

This error occurs if a localized string value does not contain a legitimate value in the named column of the String Editor table. To resolve this error, update the flagged value in the String Editor.

Resolved Issues

This section lists the customer issues that were resolved in the following versions of InstallShield:

InstallShield 2019 R3 Express Edition
InstallShield 2019 R2 Express Edition
InstallShield 2019 Express Edition

InstallShield 2019 R3 Express Edition

The following issues have been resolved in InstallShield 2019 R3 Express Edition:

Issue Number

Issue Summary

IOJ-1925598

Prior to this release, the digitally signing installer with SHA-256 digital certificate resulted in the installer digitally signed with SHA-256 digest algorithm but with SHA-1 timestamp. This issue is resolved in this release.

InstallShield 2019 R2 Express Edition

This section lists the customer issues that were resolved in InstallShield 2019 R2 Express Edition.

Issue Number

Issue Summary

IOJ-1893776

IsCmdBld.exe of InstallShield (InstallShield 2016 or older) did not set the ERRORLEVEL to the appropriate error code when attempting to build a project created with the newer version of InstallShield (InstallShield 2018 or later). This issue is resolved by setting the ERRORLEVEL to a non-zero value to indicate an error.

IOJ-1920140

The value of Yes for “Create MSI Logs” in the “Logging Options for Windows Installer 4.0 and Later” dialog box was changing to Custom when the “Logging Options for Windows Installer 4.0 and Later” dialog box was opened again. This issue is resolved by retaining the selected value.

InstallShield 2019 Express Edition

This section lists the customer issues that were resolved in InstallShield 2019 Express Edition.

Issue Number

Issue Summary

IOJ-1900586

While running a binary scan for the InstallShield generated executables, all the Basic MSI projects reported ZLib 1.2.3 version vulnerability. This issue is resolved in this release.

IOJ-1907614

Previously, the installer used to install .NET Framework 4.6.2 even though it was already pre-installed on Windows Server 2016. This issue is resolved by adding a prerequisite install condition which will prevent installing .NET Framework 4.6.2 on Windows Server 2016.

IOJ-1895875

Previously, the Redistributable Downloader List had an outdated information. This issue is resolved by updating the Redistributable Downloader List with the latest redistributables.

IOJ-1911911

In the Redistributables view, only the first Prerequisite used to get updated in the Details page but not the subsequent Prerequisites. This issue is resolved in this release.

IOJ-1907284

Previously, InstallShield used to crash after browsing for a merge module that had dependencies. This issue is resolved in this release.

System Requirements

This section contains the minimum requirements for systems that run InstallShield (the authoring environment), as well as for target systems that run the installations created with InstallShield (the run-time environment).

For Systems Running InstallShield
For Target Systems

For Systems Running InstallShield

InstallShield runs on the latest versions of these operating systems, fully updated with the most recent patches and service packs.

Item

Description

Processor

Pentium III-class PC (500 MHz or higher recommended)

RAM

256 MB of RAM (512 MB preferred)

Hard Disk

750 MB free space

Display

Designed for XGA resolution at 1024 × 768 or higher

Operating System

Windows Vista
Windows Server 2008
Windows 7
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows 8
Windows Server 2012
Windows 8.1
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows 10
Windows Server 2016
Windows Server 2019

Privileges

Administrative privileges on the system

Mouse

Microsoft IntelliMouse or other compatible pointing device

Optional Integration with Visual Studio

The following versions of Microsoft Visual Studio can be integrated with InstallShield Premier or Professional Editions:

Visual Studio 2008
Visual Studio 2010
Visual Studio 2012
Visual Studio 2013
Visual Studio 2015
Visual Studio 2017
Visual Studio 2019

The following editions of these versions of Visual Studio can be integrated with InstallShield Premier or Professional Editions:

Professional
Premium
Ultimate

For Target Systems

Target systems must meet the following minimum operating system requirement:

Windows XP SP3
Windows Server 2003 SP2
Windows Vista
Windows Server 2008
Windows 7
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows 8
Windows Server 2012
Windows 8.1
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows 10
Windows Server 2016

Target systems must also support the SSE2 instruction set.

Known Issues

The list of known issues in InstallShield 2019 Express Edition is given below:

Error Message

Description

Upgrade of VC++ 2015 to 2017 results in deletion of '14.0' key

This error occurs while installing VC++ 2017 on top of VC++ 2015 which results in the registry key typically used for detecting the installation being removed.

Legal Information

Copyright Notice

Copyright © 2019 Flexera

This publication contains proprietary and confidential information and creative works owned by Flexera and its licensors, if any. Any use, copying, publication, distribution, display, modification, or transmission of such publication in whole or in part in any form or by any means without the prior express written permission of Flexera is strictly prohibited. Except where expressly provided by Flexera in writing, possession of this publication shall not be construed to confer any license or rights under any Flexera intellectual property rights, whether by estoppel, implication, or otherwise.

All copies of the technology and related information, if allowed by Flexera, must display this notice of copyright and ownership in full.

Intellectual Property

For a list of trademarks and patents that are owned by Flexera, see https://www.flexerasoftware.com/legal/intellectual-property.html. All other brand and product names mentioned in Flexera products, product documentation, and marketing materials are the trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Restricted Rights Legend

The Software is commercial computer software. If the user or licensee of the Software is an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government, the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure, or transfer of the Software, or any related documentation of any kind, including technical data and manuals, is restricted by a license agreement or by the terms of this Agreement in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 12.212 for civilian purposes and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement 227.7202 for military purposes. The Software was developed fully at private expense. All other use is prohibited.