Installation Log incomplete

[Kocoura]

Hello,

when I open the install log via the checkbox in the installation wizard, the opened log file is incomplete. Most importantly the success message of the installation process is missing ("Installation operation completed successfully").
After the installation wizard closes, my text editor prompts to reload the log file and then it is complete.

Is this a known behaviour or can I do something about this?

[dan_galender]

It is expected behavior.  You are asking the log to be opened while the installer is still running and there are log message still in the buffer.  You can try adding an exclamation point (!) to the logging string to cause the Windows Installer to flush each line to the log file as it is created.

[Kocoura]

Thanks for the your reply. So it seems that I can not really do anything about that, or where exactly do I have to put that exclamation mark?. I am not missing any message I print myself, just the overall success message in the log.

[dan_galender]

How are you turning loging on?  Is it by selecting Yes for Create MSI Logs in the General section of the General Information view?  If so, select Custom MsiLogging Value (instead of Yes) and in the edit box that opens up, change the value of the string voicewarmup to voicewarmup!.

[Kocoura]

This option is set to "No". A customer reported this "issue" of missing logs and they have set some values in their registry, so that this "open log" dialog shows up. I could achieve the same by passing the command line argument <pathToSetup.exe>/v" /l* <logFilePath>"

[dan_galender]

OK, if you're specifying the logging value on a command line, then use this string /l*v! instead of just /l*.  The letter V indicates you want a Verbose log (which is the most useful) and the !?  Well now you know what that does. 😊

[Kocoura]

Ok, I tried this, but the log is still incomplete and has to be reloaded afterwards in order to see everything.

[dan_galender · Accepted solution]

It can't have everything, since when the custom action that runs to open the log file, the installation is still running and the log file is still being created.  But you should have everything from the Execution Sequence (and possibly more than you were getting before), which is the part I thought you said you weren't getting.  Sorry I misunderstood and that I wasn't clearer on what was possible in my original reply.

[Kocoura]

OK that makes sense. Anyways thanks for your help