Automation Interface when creating a new release

[LanceSc]

I need to maintain 13 different installs, so I have automated the release creation for new versions using C# using ISWiRelease. I am currently in the process of updating my basic MSI installs to Installshield 2009 and can not find a way to set the Required Execution Level value through automation. Has anyone found a way to set this property? I would really hate to have to manually edit each of the 13 installs when we release a new version.

[Christopher_Pai]

I've not looked at the object model for your exact property, but I can say in my experience with the sql scripts object model that Acresso has failed to expose many settings.

I use C# based MSBuild custom tasks for my build automation framework. In those where Acresso has dropped the ball, I use thE IS Interop libraries to get 95% of the work done, set the project type to binary and save it. Then I crank open WiX DTF's Windows Installer class library and use it to update the tables directly. Then I save that and return to MSBuild to let the InstallShield targets file do the build via .isproj ( no exec'ing out to stand alone build for me... )

I find this very powerful and easy to maintain. Still, wish I didn't have to do it.....

[LanceSc]

Christopher Painter wrote:
I find this very powerful and easy to maintain. Still, wish I didn't have to do it.....

Thanks a lot for these suggestions I will probably do something very similar, though I will probably update the XML project file directly rather than saving it as a binary and then using WiX.

Hopefully Installshield will start fully exposing all the properties that people need.

[Christopher_Pai]

I've done the XML route before also, but I find it a royal pain because of the DTD rather then XSD nature of the ISM project format. Converting it to Binary is east, fast and safe and can be converted back to XML if you link. Binary and XML are really just interchangeable datastore providers from the same factory. Once in Binary mode, it's much easier to use a DTF to update the record in question ( Linq, sql UPDATE ectera )

[LanceSc]

I didn't know that the binary format for the ism file was a MSI database. That is definitely much easier to work with than the XML file. Do you know if Installshield publishes there schema information for their tables? I am going to be changing the Attributes column of the ISReleaseExtended flag and would like to no what the values actually mean rather than blindly setting the bit mask.

[Christopher_Pai]

I don't believe it's documented. I believe they only document schema extensions that make it into built MSI's.

I just reverse engineer/profile the values and work it into my automation as enums or whatever depending on what i'm trying to do.