Can automation interface create new project?

[Lou_Elston]

We have a bunch of Wise installer (.wsi) projects that we are thinking of converting to InstallShield (Yes, I know, it will never be a true\full conversion except to start from scratch). I know that the automation interface can be used to modify a project, can it be used to create one. What if I were to read the .msi file created by the Wise installer project (using VBScript), and gather the information from it that would be enough to get an InstallShield project started, and then use the automation interface to create a new Installshield .ism project? Is this possible?

[RobertDickau]

ISWiProject does support a CreateProject method, so it appears so.

If you have the .msi database, you can also convert one of those into an InstallShield .ism project using File > Open with setting Open As: Wizard. (I don't recall how merge modules are handled with this kind of conversion, but it's a start.)

[Lou_Elston]

I was not familiar with the "open as"...it worked. When I went to "save as" (the only save option available), I was thrown for a minute as it indicated that the only option was to save the file as a .msi file. I changed the .msi to a .ism, and that worked. But, it is not really a .ism file, it is still basically a msi file. When I open the .ism file it shows [Direct edit Mode] on the top bar vs [Basic MSI project] for a real ism project file. You cannot build it (not that I would expect to be able to do that without modifications). If you click on the build menu, you get 'Test' and 'Run' Options.

I do see that on the drop down list for opening a project, that there is a .wse option, but no .wsi option.

I should note that at the moment I am using the editor that came with the AdminStudio evaluation package that we downloaded (we had the impression that the repackage utility would be of use in converting Wise Projects to Installshield projects...it was totally worthless). We will be purchasing Installshield 2010 soon. But I do not think that the evaluation software makes any difference as to what can and can not be done.

[Lou_Elston]

As soon as i sent that last reply, i noticed that i had not open "wizard". I am doing that now and I do see the convert option.

[RobertDickau]

When you opened the .msi project "as wizard", did you get that MSI/MSM conversion wizard? Once that runs, your InstallShield caption bar should read "ProjectName - InstallShield [Basic MSI Project]", and you should be able to edit and build that.

A binary .ism file is just a renamed .msi file, with some extra tables related to build configurations and so on that don't make it into an .msi package you build from the project. (If you save the project file as XML, that's not true, of course.)

[Lou_Elston]

OK...that worked. Obviously I have some things to figure out, but do you know of anyone that has done a Wise to InstallShield conversion previously and has documented what has actually happened?

For example, I look under setup Design and open the feature that it brought over, and I see a whole bunch of components: "downlevel_manifest", "downlevel_payload","uplevel", etc. I can see that they somehow relate to folders that it created (on the drive), for c++ ATL, CRT, MFC etc merge modules that are in the Wise Install project.

Then if I look in the sequences, I can see WiseStartup, WiseSetProfilesfolder, etc. I am not sure if I should leave these or change them.

I am not a novice as far as InstallShield, but any direction here would be helpful.

[RobertDickau]

You can view the action types and settings in the Custom Actions and Sequences view; if the actions set properties or run scripts, it should be clear whether you'll need to keep them, but for DLLs and such it might take a bit more digging. Perhaps the original vendor has documentation on what these actions do?