Setup.iss file with progress bar

[CChong]

Hi,

I currently created a silent automated installation for Lotus Notes R5 using the "setup.iss" option. Is there a way to add a progress bar so the the installation is not totally silent. Or is there a way to create a response file or unattended installation for a legacy setup (non-msi file) that will show a progress bar without using Admin Studio to repackage the application?

Thanx in advance...

Curtis

[RobertDickau]

Alas, you can't. Silent installations with .iss files (which are installers that use InstallScript) were designed to be completely silent, and not merely "quiet": there's no external hook for an external progress bar to receive feedback about the setup's progress.

One could write a small wrapper program that displays a small "please wait" dialog while a setup it launched is running, but it wouldn't be able to display true progress information the way MSI installations using the /qr or /qb option do.

[CChong]

Robert,

What would you suggest as the better option to upgrade Lotus Notes: 1) Using the setup.iss file with the "small wrapper" to show the progress, or repackaging the legacy application to an MSI and using that to upgrade Lotus Notes.

I would be upgrading from Lotus Notes ver. 5.0.6 to 5.0.10. Not a major upgrade.

Curtis

[RobertDickau]

Well, the wrapper executable shouldn't be that difficult to write, but you wouldn't get true progress information; instead, you could change the mouse pointer to the hourglass, and perhaps put an animation control on the wrapper's please-wait dialog...

[Pfeiffer]

I went through this same problem. The closest I ever came was a VBS job that launched the setup and display a msgbox with something to the effect of "Please don't close this window". A few loop and exec commands did the trick. The worst part were those few testers that actually did what I asked. When the VBS code hung the customer left this stupid msgbox open for 90 some minute before letting anyone know. :rolleyes:
Proceed with caution.

Alternativly you could script the upgrade. It can be done, we had some real stumpers, but the new script is clean and no problems yet.