Microsoft Build Engine (MSBuild)
InstallShield 2020 Express Edition
InstallShield supports the Microsoft Build engine (MSBuild) included with the .NET Framework. MSBuild support enables you to build Visual Studio solutions with InstallShield projects in build lab environments where Visual Studio is not installed.
Overview
MSBuild is an extensible build framework designed to remove the build dependence on Visual Studio. The .NET Framework provides the capability to build projects or solutions from the command line or any other host of MSBuild. For more information on MSBuild, see the MSDN Library.
MSBuild Tasks
The flexibility and extensibility of MSBuild is controlled through atomic groupings of internal build steps referred to as tasks. One example of a task that ships with MSBuild is Csc, which can compile code from a Visual C# project. InstallShield installs an MSBuild task called InstallShield, which builds an InstallShield project, and a targets file that provides default build steps for the project. This customized task, along with the targets file, enables MSBuild to perform all required actions to build the InstallShield project as part of a Visual Studio solution.
This table describes the parameters of the InstallShield task.
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Parameter |
Type |
Description |
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InstallShieldPath |
String |
This parameter specifies the path to folder containing the InstallShield application. |
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Project |
String |
This parameter specifies the location of the project file (.ise). |
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ProductConfiguration |
String |
This parameter specifies the product configuration for the release. The value for this parameter should be Express. |
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ReleaseConfiguration |
String |
This parameter specifies the release name. Valid options are as follows:
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PatchConfiguration |
String |
This parameter specifies the name of the patch configuration that is being built in the Premier or Professional edition of InstallShield. Edition:Patch configurations are supported in the Premier and Professional editions of InstallShield, but not the Express edition. Therefore, the PatchConfiguration parameter is not used with the Express edition. |
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OutDir |
String |
This parameter specifies the fully qualified path to the folder where you want the output folders and files to be placed. |
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String[ ] |
This parameter specifies one or more folders that contain the merge modules (.msm files) that are referenced by your project. InstallShield provides additional ways for specifying the folders that contain merge modules. For more information, see Specifying the Directories that Contain Merge Modules. |
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String[ ] |
This parameter specifies one or more semicolon-delimited folders that contain the InstallShield prerequisite files (.prq files) that are referenced by your project. InstallShield provides additional ways for specifying the folders that contain InstallShield prerequisite files. For more information, see Specifying the Directories that Contain InstallShield Prerequisites. |
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ReleaseFlags |
String[ ] |
This parameter enables you to specify any release flags that you want to include in your release. Separate multiple flags with commas. Edition:Release flags are supported in the Premier and Professional editions of InstallShield, but not the Express edition. Therefore, the ReleaseFlags parameter is not used with the Express edition. |
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PathVariables |
ITaskItem[ ] |
This parameter enables you to override the path variables for the project. Using this parameter, you can specify the path to the path variable and also define a value for the name of the path variable using the PathVariable subelement. To reference a file in a sibling project that is within the same Visual Studio solution folder, use the predefined path variable called VSSolutionFolder. For more information, see Using the VSSolutionFolder Path Variable with Visual Studio Solutions. For more information on MSBuild ITaskItem[ ] properties, see the MSDN Library. Edition:This parameter applies to the Premier and Professional editions of InstallShield. |
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PreprocessorDefines |
ITaskItem[ ] |
This parameter enables you to add or override the preprocessor defines for the project. Using this parameter, you can specify the definition of the preprocessor define and also define a value for the name of the preprocessor define using the Token subelement. For more information on MSBuild ITaskItem[ ] properties, see the MSDN Library. Edition:This parameter applies to the Premier and Professional editions of InstallShield. |
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OutputGroups |
ITaskItem[ ] |
This parameter specifies the project output groups from the Visual Studio solution. Using this parameter, you can specify the path to the source location of the project output group and also define these additional values using these subelements as listed:
For more information on MSBuild ITaskItem[ ] properties, see the MSDN Library. |
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Build |
String |
This parameter specifies what type of build to perform. You can choose from these types of builds:
Edition:Compile, TablesAndFiles, and UpgradeOnly are additional Build values that are available in the Premier and Professional editions of InstallShield. |
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BuildCompressed |
Boolean |
This parameter specifies whether your release is compressed into one file or remains uncompressed in multiple files. |
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BuildSetupExe |
Boolean |
This parameter specifies whether you want to create a Setup.exe file along with your installation. |
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ProductVersion |
String |
This parameter specifies the product version. This is especially helpful if you want to increment the build version (the third field) of the product version. For information on valid product version numbers, see Specifying the Product Version. |
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PropertyOverrides |
ITaskItem[ ] |
This parameter enables you to override the value of a Windows Installer property or create the property if it does not exist. To use this parameter, include a property list of items whose value is the new property value, and whose metadata Property is the name of the property. This parameter is exposed as the InstallShieldPropertyOverrides ItemGroup passthrough to the PropertyOverrides property on the InstallShield task. |
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RunMsiValidator |
String |
This parameter enables you validate the .msi package using a .cub file. Edition:This parameter applies to the Premier and Professional editions of InstallShield. |
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RunUpgradeValidation |
Boolean |
This parameter specifies whether or not to run upgrade validation. Edition:This parameter applies to the Premier and Professional editions of InstallShield. |
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StopOnFirstError |
Boolean |
This parameter specifies whether or not to stop the build after an initial error. |
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MsiVersion |
String |
This parameter specifies the minimum version of Windows Installer that the installation can accept on the target machine. |
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DotNetFrameworkVersion |
String |
This parameter specifies the minimum version of the .NET Framework that the installation can accept on the target machine. |
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DotNetUtilPath |
String |
Regasm.exe and InstallUtilLib.dll are utilities that are included with each version of the .NET Framework. This parameter specifies the path for the directory that contains the 32-bit version of these files that you want to use at build time for releases that include .NET installer classes and COM interop. This is not the path to .NET Framework redistributable files. |
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Disk1Folder |
Output String |
This parameter specifies the location of the output folder. |
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SummaryInfoComments |
String |
Use this parameter to set Summary Information Stream comments at build time, such as including the build number. The comments that are added using this property can be viewed on the Properties dialog box of the built installer. |
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MSIPackageFileName |
String |
Use this parameter to specify the MSI package file name at build time. Specify the file name—without the period or the file extension—that InstallShield should use for the .msi file. |
MSBuild Scripts
MSBuild natively understands one file format: its XML build script, which is used as the project file format for Visual C# and Visual Basic .NET projects (.csproj and .vbproj). MSBuild also has internal hooks to handle solution files and the Visual C++ project file format (.sln and .vcproj).
The InstallShield integration with Visual Studio uses an MSBuild-compatible XML format project file (.isproj), which enables MSBuild to seamlessly build Visual Studio solutions that include InstallShield projects.
Customizing the .isproj File
To incorporate changes for your InstallShield project into your .isproj file, add a PropertyGroup element or an ItemGroup element near the top of your .isproj file, or update an existing PropertyGroup or ItemGroup element. Then add InstallShield-related parameters as needed.
The following sample code from an .isproj file demonstrates how to do the following:
| • | Set the product version. |
| • | Set the product name. |
| • | Set a custom public property called MY_PROPERTY to the value My Value. |
| • | Specify the following search paths for InstallShield prerequisites: <ISProductFolder>\SetupPrerequisites and <ISProjectFolder>\MyCustomPrerequisites. |
<PropertyGroup>
<InstallShieldProductVersion>1.2.3</InstallShieldProductVersion>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<InstallShieldPropertyOverrides Include="My New Product">
<Property>ProductName</Property>
</InstallShieldPropertyOverrides>
<InstallShieldPropertyOverrides Include="My Value">
<Property>MY_PROPERTY</Property>
</InstallShieldPropertyOverrides>
<InstallShieldPrerequisitePath Include="<ISProductFolder>\SetupPrerequisites"/>
<InstallShieldPrerequisitePath Include="<ISProjectFolder>\MyCustomPrerequisites"/>
</ItemGroup>
See Also