How to Create Response File to Be Used as Silent Install

Yes

Summary

A response file can be specified when installing an InstallAnywhere installer silently. This article discusses the creation of the response file.

Synopsis

A response file can be specified when installing an InstallAnywhere installer silently. This article discusses the creation of the response file.

Discussion

A response file can be created in one of three ways:

1. From the Command Line
Run the installer with the -r parameter from the command line. The user input entered in the UI panels will be captured in the automatically-generated response file.

install.exe -r DestinationPath

A file called installer.properties will be generated in the same folder location as the installer that was launched.

2. Always Generate Automatically
You can specify that a response file is generated each time an installation is run by selecting 'Yes' in the Always Generate Response File setting (Project page > General Settings view > Project Information area).
If you generate a response file by selecting this option, the response file is always named installer.properties and will be created in the same directory as the installer.

3. Manual Creation
A response file can be manually generated. The file should be named installer.properties or [installername].properties. The properties file can be a simple text file that uses the following format:
key=value
When running the installer silently, the path to the properties file can be specified. If this is not explicitly specified, the installer will automatically check the folder where it was launched from for the properties file.

The following is a sample installer.properties file:

# Mon Jul 14 17:45:12 CDT 2010
# Replay feature output
# ---------------------
# This file was built by the Replay feature of InstallAnywhere.
# It contains variables that were set by Panels, Consoles or Custom Code.

#Choose Install Folder
#---------------------
USER_INSTALL_DIR=C:\\Program Files\\OfficeSuite


#Choose Shortcut Folder
#----------------------
USER_SHORTCUTS=C:\\Program Files\\OfficeSuite\\OfficeSuite

#Choose Product Features
#----------------------
CHOSEN_FEATURE_LIST=Application,Help
CHOSEN_INSTALL_FEATURE_LIST=Application,Help
CHOSEN_INSTALL_SET=Typical

#Set Eclipse Location
#--------------------
USER_INPUT_RESULT_0=C:\\Eclipse

#Install
#--------------------
-fileOverwrite_c\:\\progfile.txt=Yes

Additional Information

For additional information on running an InstallAnywhere silently, refer to the related KB article.
Running an Installer Silently

How to Create Response File to Be Used as Silent Install