I have been struggling with this one a little bit. What would be the correct syntax for a condition NOT to install a component if a particular file already exists in the System Folder?
When you set up a system search (in the System Search view), you give MSI the name of a public property (one with an all-caps name) to fill in if the file is found. FOUND_THE_FILE was just an example; you can pick any property (say, MYPROP) you want, and then use Not MYPROP as the negation...
hi, I tried to create a "new feature" -> create "new component" -> add some files to the component and then set the condition to "Not FOUND_FILE". Also I createt a system search which searches for the file "test.txt" and if the file is found write what ever in the "FOUND_FILE" property. Before this I createt the property "FOUND FILE" by using "Property Manager -> New Property".
But it dosen't work. Is that the way you meant robert? Could you be so polite to describe more details? Thank you very much indeed.
The steps you listed sound correct: create a system search that populates FOUND_FILE, create a component with condition "Not FOUND_FILE".
It's not necessary to create FOUND_FILE beforehand, so you might delete that from the Property Manager view; as a test, if you place a text field containing [FOUND_FILE] on the InstallWelcome dialog box, does it appear that the search succeeds?
Don't go mad yet --- what are your system search settings? Perhaps try a simple search first (look for notepad.exe in [WindowsFolder] and see what the search property contains afterward) to get the feel of it?
Strewth! I found my mistake. I tried to find a test.txt but didn't recognize that file extentions where disabled, so the file was text.txt.txt, stupid me! So thank you very very much robert. Everything works as it should.
