Install dir set by a registry key

[ordine]

Hello to everyone
i'm new on this board.
I'm trying Installshield 2008.
I need to make an installer for patching an installed program.
I choosed an installscipt project for creating the patching exe.
Well my wish is that my installscript project will detect if a certain registry key is in the end user registry and if it is present to detect the program folder installation path from that registry and finally to install the upgrade bu using the path detected in the registry key.
I looked into the installshield help library and i found the function called:

RegDBKeyExist ( szSubKey );

that will return a value 0 or 1 if the directory exist or not.

Well how can i code the installscript to check if a registry exist and if exist to use the installpath specified in the registry key as the path of the INSTALLDIR? :confused:

i hope you'll solve my question.

Thanks a lot in advance

Cheers

Ordine

[RobertDickau]

If it's an InstallScript project, perhaps use RegDBSetDefaultRoot and RegDBGetKeyValueEx to read the registry path, and then (if it exists) set TARGETDIR to the value you read?

[ordine]

Thnaks a lot for your suggestions.
Can you write down a little piece of code where insttascript ooks for a reg key and set the path specified into it as the default TARGETDIR?
Thnaks in advance for all your help and suggestions.
do i have to specify all theese function in ON Begin section?or where?

Cheers

[ordine]

OKy i tried a little bit by myself.
I used a function to state which is the registry root i want to use and then another function to check if the registry key exist and if not exist the installer runs out here i sthe code.

 // Set the interested reg root
      RegDBSetDefaultRoot ( HKEY_CURRENT_USER ); 
  
  // Set the reg key interested for checkin' if exists
   
       szKeyRoot = "JimPhoenix" ;
     	                       
// If it exists the process will go on , if doesn't exist installer stops   
  	                       
   if (RegDBKeyExist (szKeyRoot) < 0) then 

   MessageBox ("JimPhoenix non è installato sul computer. Si prega di installare il gioco prima di procedere all'installazione della patch.", SEVERE); 
   abort;
   else 

   MessageBox ("JimPhoenix è stato rilevato sul computer", INFORMATION); 

        endif;  
        

Now i have to use the function called "RegDBGetKeyValueEx" to read the value stored in the subkey called "Patch2" in HKEY_CURRENT_USER//JimPhoenix and to set that value as TARGETDIR.

so the function syntax is:

RegDBGetKeyValueEx ( szKey, szName, nvType, svValue, nvSize );

Now how can i specify the key and the subkey and moreover how can i retrieve the valeu and set it to TARGETDIR?

i tried so but without any succcess:

       szKey = szKeyRoot;
       szName = "Path2" ;

RegDBGetKeyValueEx ( szKey, szName, nvType, svValue, nvSize );

svValue = TARGETDIR;

Wehere did i make the mistake?


Please help me.
Thanks a lot

Cheers

[RobertDickau]

Please see the help topic "RegDBGetKeyValueEx Example" for some additional code; toward the end, you'll want to use TARGETDIR=svValue; instead of the other way around....

[ordine]

I set in this way:

       szKey = "JimPhoenix";
       szName = "Path2" ;
       nType = REGDB_STRING;
      
       
        
    RegDBGetKeyValueEx (szKey, szName, nType, svValue, nSize );
              


       svValue = TARGETDIR  ;

But i receive this compiling error:

C:\InstallShield 2008 Projects\altraProva\Script Files\Setup.Rul(65) : error C8046: '1' : numeric variable required

Line 65 is the line where there is this : RegDBGetKeyValueEx (szKey, szName, nType, svValue, nSize );



I lokk deeply in the examples as you suggested me but i don't really understand which is the problem.
Can you help me please?

Thanks a lot

[ordine]

Uhmm noiw it compiles but the path stored in the registry key is not taken as a whole.

I mean the patch in store in the key is "C:\Program Files\JimPhoneix"

But the installshiled only takes the first part that is to say : "C:\"

Infact all the files are extracted inside "C:\" instead of "C:\Program Files\JimPhoneix"

Why?

[RobertDickau]

Does it work if you switch the order to: TARGETDIR=svValue; instead of the other way around?

[jchristman]

I am having similar isssues.

I have a function that goes out and reads a key but I want to check to see if the subkey is there. What am I missing, all the examples in the library are for MSI projects and not Installscript (only) projects.

#include "Ifx.h" 
prototype CheckRequirements();

function CheckRequirements()  

	NUMBER nReturn;
	NUMBER nControl;
	STRING svRegKey;
	
begin          
	RegDBSetDefaultRoot(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE);
	svRegKey = "SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\.NETFramework\\v.2.0.50727";
 	if (RegDBKeyExist(svRegKey) < 0) then
 		MessageBox(svRegKey + "\n\n Does Not Exist",SEVERE);
 	else
 	    SprintfBox(INFORMATION,"Key Exists","%s",svRegKey);
 	endif;	



end;

[RobertDickau]

That code you posted should work; you'll just need to call your CheckRequirements function from OnBegin or OnAppSearch in order for it to take effect...

[jchristman]

Thank you for your help, I went back and verified the key and I had an extra . in it.

I have another post about Installscript logging, would you mind taking a look at it.

http://community.macrovision.com/showthread.php?p=414776#post414776

[jchristman]

New Registry problem. I am trying to read a string value and it keeps telling me it is installed even if I change the value that it is checking for. Here is an example. The red line is the incorrect value it should be "Service Pack 2" but using as an example. This returns it is installed and of course Service Pack 21 is not. Where am I messing this up at.

    NUMBER nType, nSize, nvType, nvSize;
    STRING svRegKey,szName,szValue,svValue;

    RegDBSetDefaultRoot(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE);

    svRegKey = "SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion";
    szName = "CSDVersion";
    szValue = "Service Pack 21";
    nvType = REGDB_STRING;
 	if (RegDBGetKeyValueEx (svRegKey, szName, nvType, szValue,nvSize) < 0) then
 		MessageBox("MISSING: Windows 2003 SP2",SEVERE);
 	else
 		MessageBox("INSTALLED: Windows 2003 SP2",INFORMATION);
 	 endif;

[RobertDickau]

(Please start a new thread if there's a new question...)

With RegDBGetKeyValueEx, the only input is the subkey and value you're reading; the last three values are filled in by the function. If I understand the question, perhaps compare szValue to the string you want to test for?

[jchristman]

Ok, I understand now, I have changed my code to this and it works the way i want.

svRegKey = "SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows NT\\CurrentVersion";
    szName = "CSDVersion";
    szValue = "Service Pack 2";
    RegDBGetKeyValueEx (svRegKey, szName, nvType, svValue,nvSize);
    if (szValue != svValue) then

Thank you for your help! 🙂

[ordine]

RobertDickau wrote:
Does it work if you switch the order to: TARGETDIR=svValue; instead of the other way around?

In order to check if the registry key was taken as a whole i decided for debuggin to script a little more for appering a window showing the taken registry value.

So i decided to do in this way:

function OnFirstUIBefore()
    number  nResult, nLevel, nSize, nSetupType;
    string  szTitle, szMsg, szOpt1, szOpt2, szLicenseFile;
    string  szName, szCompany, szTargetPath, szKey, szKeyRoot, szDir, svValue, szFeatures;
    NUMBER   nvType, nvSize;
    BOOL    bLicenseAccepted;	
begin	
   
    nSetupType = COMPLETE;
                            
                            
  // Set the default key root
      RegDBSetDefaultRoot ( HKEY_CURRENT_USER ); 
  
  // Set the reg key to look for
   
       szKeyRoot = "JImPhoenix" ;
     	                       
// If the application exists it continues, if not it closes the install process 
  	                       
   if (RegDBKeyExist (szKeyRoot) < 0) then 

   MessageBox ("Jim Phoenix was not detected on your pc. We recommend to install the application before applying this patch.", SEVERE); 
   abort;
   else 

   MessageBox ("Jim Phoenix was detected on your pc", INFORMATION); 

        endif;  

    // It Takes the registry key value from the reg key  
       szKey = "JimPhoenix";
       szName = "Path2" ;
       nvType = REGDB_STRING;
       //nSize  = -1;
           
    RegDBGetKeyValueEx (szKey, szName, nvType, svValue, nSize ); 

  // Show a message with the registry key value
    szTitle = "Test path";
    szMsg = svValue;
      
    SprintfBox (INFORMATION, szTitle, szMsg, svValue);

So i trusted that the registry key value was taken completely.

Then i decided to set that key value as TRGET DIR and here i found some troubles that i solved specifying theese following code lines:

TARGETDIR = svValue;
    szDir = TARGETDIR;
    TARGETDIR = svValue; 
    

I don't know why specifiying TARGETDIR = SvValue twice it works...while specifying only one time it didn't work 😞

The last idea was to allow the end user to select the correct installation folder ( even if it is useless ) and to set as default location in the Dlg_SetupType2 the path inside the reg key.
So id ecided to set in this way

szTargetPath = svValue;
            szTargetPath = TARGETDIR;

Is everything correct or is there something more elegant to do?

Thanks a lot for your great help, patience and kindness

Cheers

[jchristman]

I am trying to figure out how to create a string value named InstallPath for my application.


this is created by the installer but want to add a string value and name to it

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\COMPANYNAME\PRODUCTNAME

Name = InstallPath
Type = STRING
Descript = TARGETDIR

[RobertDickau]

For an InstallScript project, can you use the graphical registry view to set that value to (where InstallScript expands that expression to the value of TARGETDIR)?

Either that, or perhaps look into calling RegDBSetDefaultRoot and RegDBSetKeyValueEx from script.

[jchristman]

Thank you that worked 🙂