Prepare for Release
InstallShield 2020 Express Edition
The Prepare for Release View List step enables you to configure, build, test, and distribute your distribution media for your end users.
Build Your Release
The Releases view is where you compile your installation information into an .msi file.
To build this tutorial project for release:
|
1.
|
In the View List under Prepare for Release, click Releases. |
|
2.
|
In the Builds explorer, right-click CD_ROM and click Build. |
As the build begins, the Output window opens at the bottom of the InstallShield interface to display the progress of the build and any error messages.
When the build process is finished, you can find your installation files in a subfolder of the folder where your Othello project is located.
Tip:Although this tutorial covers building a CD_ROM release, there are several other options for media types. For example, the WebDeployment type enables you to create an installation that is specifically designed for deployment over the Web.
Test Your Release
The Releases view also enables you to preview your installation program to ensure it functions as expected.
To test your release:
|
1.
|
In the View List under Prepare for Release, click Releases. |
|
2.
|
In the Builds explorer, right-click CD_ROM and click Run Setup. Your installation launches to install the Othello program. |
|
3.
|
Follow the instructions that the installation program provides. This is the same run-time experience that end users would have if you distributed this installation program to your customers. |
|
4.
|
When the installation is complete, verify that your files and data were installed correctly. |
|
5.
|
Navigate to C:\Program Files\Othello (or the folder to which you chose to install the program) and verify that Othello.exe is there. |
|
6.
|
Ensure that there is a shortcut called Othello on your desktop. Double-click this shortcut to verify that it was configured correctly. |
Distribute Your Release
The final step in creating this installation is to distribute it to your target media. Because this is a tutorial and not an installation for an application that you want to distribute to your customers, this step in the tutorial is optional.
To distribute your release:
|
1.
|
In the View List under Prepare for Release, click Releases. |
|
2.
|
Ensure that you have a CD-ROM drive with a blank CD-ROM in the drive. |
|
3.
|
In the Builds explorer, click CD_ROM. |
|
5.
|
Click the Copy to Folder setting. InstallShield displays an ellipsis button (...) at the right of this setting. |
|
6.
|
Click the ellipsis button (...). The Browse for Folder dialog box opens. |
|
7.
|
Browse to your CD-ROM drive and click OK. |
|
8.
|
In the Builds explorer, right-click CD_ROM and click Distribute. |
InstallShield copies all of the necessary installation files to this location—if your CD-ROM drive supports direct copying to CD-ROMs.
Continue