About jstarbird

jstarbird · ‎Dec 18, 2018

Components are set to be self registering, files are installed, no missing dependencies but InstalShield cannot register the DLL's in any of the components. The error shows the correct path but is giving "The Specified module could not be found". I can then complete the install, go to the path shown on the error dialog and manually register the dll's without issue. When the error comes up I have also verified the files are there. Does anyone know what InstallShield uses to do the self registration? This is on several different Windows OS' and it is ran as a 64bit installation.

jstarbird · ‎Dec 18, 2018

Well I seemed to have found the problem. Despite it specifying the 64bit Win Sys dir this dumb thing is creating it in the syswow64 folder.

jstarbird · ‎Dec 18, 2018

I have an installscript project where the Target Dir is WINSYSDIR64\SCI and I've added to the onSetTargetDir function to Create the folder if it does not exist. However, even though it supposedly successfully creates the dir the dir doesn't exist and so the installer fails. Here is what I have for the function, I followed what was in the Help example, and in the Else portion which is supposed to be on Success I do get the MessageBox. However, the installer will fail saying the folder doesn't exist and if I check even when I get the MessageBox the folder does not exist. function OnSetTARGETDIR() number nId, nIgnore, nResult; string szId, szTARGETDIR; begin // In maintenance mode the value of TARGETDIR is read from the log file. if( MAINTENANCE ) then return ISERR_SUCCESS; endif; // Set TARGETDIR to script default. TARGETDIR = " \\SCI"; // Read TARGETDIR from the media. nResult = MediaGetData( MEDIA, MEDIA_FIELD_TARGETDIR, nIgnore, szTARGETDIR ); // Use the TARGETDIR from the media if anything was read. if( nResult >= ISERR_SUCCESS && StrLengthChars( szTARGETDIR ) ) then TARGETDIR = szTARGETDIR; endif; if (ExistsDir(TARGETDIR) != EXISTS) then if (CreateDir(TARGETDIR) < 0) then MessageBox("Unable to create Target Installation Folder", SEVERE); abort; else MessageBox(TARGETDIR, WARNING); endif; endif; end; So are the Help examples wrong?

jstarbird · ‎Dec 03, 2018

DanGalender wrote: To create an Environment Path Variable, you would do the following: [LIST=1] In the Path Variables view, click the New button in the toolbar at the top. From the drop-down in the fifth column, Type, select Environment. In the first column, enter your path variable name (e.g., MyPathVar) In the second column, enter the just the name of the environment variable whose value you want MyPathVar to be assigned. Do not use any delimiters! In the third column, you will see the value of your path variable. In your project, you would use the construct to reference that value. Thanks! Never occurred to me to not use some kind of delimiters.

jstarbird · ‎Nov 30, 2018

Forgive the newb question, it's been years since I used InstallShield and I'm hitting a wall on this one, what should be a, minor issue. I have searched online thru the help and found nothing that works so now posting here. I have an InstallScript project and I am wanting to use a System environment variable as the Value of a Path Variable. The Environment variable is set so not sure why this just doesn't work. I've tried referencing anyway I can think of, %VAR_NAME%, [VAR_NAME], and I also had found one suggestion about creating an Environment Path Variable and referencing the system environment variable there and then referencing that new variable everywhere else in InstallScript but nothing works. I'm looking to use this for the paths to my component source files. The InstallShield docs/help is ridiculous, let us explain what something is but not show you how to actually use it! Oh so useful.

jstarbird · ‎Oct 26, 2015

I tried updating the installer to 2014 and hit the same issue.

jstarbird · ‎Oct 22, 2015

Hello, we have two basic msi installers that have suddenly started having a problem with Windows 2012r2. Both installers have not been touched in almost 2 years so it appears to be Windows update but we have been unable to find the issue. What is occurring is that when you get to the Logon Information dialog InstallShield cannot connect to the domain controller. The computer this is on is on the domain, it's not a new system and these installers have run before on them. The user running the installer is a admin on the system and it so happens is also a domain admin. If you enter a valid domain user in the User Name box, so somedomain\someuser, and enter the users password and click next or if you select Browse and try to find the user you will end up getting an error which says: Server not Found. Verify that the specified server exists. The Server name can not be empty. I've tried entering the fully qualified name to the server, no luck, just keep getting the same error. This is only happening to these two apps but they are the only ones using IS 2013. Thanks, Jon

jstarbird · ‎Apr 19, 2012

thanks, that makes sense on the deferred with system point. To answer your question, yes it is the same user. I can get that result if I run the install and then immediatly uninstall. I finally got it to sort of work by taking it out from under a component and mapping it in the main project registry settings. Once I did that it would at least act correctly but only if the registry was empty below the main key. Anyway, changing the one to Deferred alone did make it work so that is sufficient for my needs. Thanks, J

jstarbird · ‎Apr 18, 2012

I have a Basic MSI and have component that is not shared and not permanent and the registry entries are under that component. I left the entries with the default Automatic setting but on uninstall the entry is not being deleted even though the components files all are. The only way I could get it to remove it was to set it to Uninstall Entire Key setting, the Install if absent, Uninstall if present also did not uninstall correctly. I then also tried creating an InstallScript custom action and called RegDbDeleteKey and when that runs I get a weird error, when put thru FormatMessage, of "The system cannot find the file specified." which of course for registry makes zero sense. This is on Windows 7 and the area is in HKCU and rights/permissiosn are not an issue. Also in the same InstallScript function I make a call to HKLM and that one works just fine. This is set to run as Deferred in System Context. Here is the installscript code I am using for this: function CleanupRegistry(hMSI) STRING svKey, szErrString, svPVer; NUMBER nResult, nRootKey; begin svKey = "SOFTWARE\\"+ IFX_COMPANY_NAME +"\\"+ IFX_PRODUCT_NAME +"\\"; svPVer = "v0"+IFX_PRODUCT_VERSION; nRootKey = HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE; RegDBSetDefaultRoot(nRootKey); if (RegDBKeyExist(svKey) == 1) then nResult = RegDBDeleteKey(svKey); if (nResult < 0) then szErrString = FormatMessage(nResult); MessageBox("Unable to delete registry key - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\"+ svKey +"\n"+ szErrString, WARNING); endif; endif; nRootKey = HKEY_CURRENT_USER; RegDBSetDefaultRoot(nRootKey); svKey = "Software\\"+ IFX_COMPANY_NAME +"\\"+ IFX_PRODUCT_NAME +"\\"; if (RegDBKeyExist(svKey) == 1) then nResult = RegDBDeleteKey(svKey); if (nResult < 0) then szErrString = FormatMessage(nResult); MessageBox("Unable to delete registry key - HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\"+ svKey +"\n"+ szErrString, WARNING); endif; endif; end; Has anyone seen this kind of thing with InstallShield 2012 Sp1? Thanks, J

jstarbird · ‎Mar 15, 2012

I actually did exactly what you're trying to do, set the version as the Folder name in Programs Menu. It's actually not that complicated as the other answers given. What you do is create a Custom Actions to set a Directory. I used a Directory Name of SHORT_CUT_VER_FLDR, then set the Directory Value to [ProgramMenuFolder]\[Manufacturer]\[ProductName]\[ProductVersion] . Then set that to run just after Cost Finalize, I set it there for Install UI and Install Exec with it set to Execute Only Once. Then in the Shortcut properties, Select that Folder you wish to name to the version and in the KEY NAME enter the Directory Name above, SHORT_CUT_VER_FLDR. That's it. Works great for me. Hope that helps, J

jstarbird · ‎Feb 20, 2012

Your post says you're trying to Create Shortcuts but the Automation API is for build time not run time so if you're trying to update the MSI at Run time you need to use another method. So not sure this is really what you're looking for but it sort of sounds like it. I just went through this myself recently and found these links to be helpful: http://community.flexerasoftware.com/showthread.php?t=182498&highlight=shortcut+formatted and http://community.flexerasoftware.com/archive/index.php?t-112283.html This should give you an idea of what you need to do. Goodluck, J

jstarbird · ‎Feb 06, 2012

Thanks for that info. I tried it but I kept getting that Another Version is installed error. I tried changing the Product Code as well, leaving Upgrade code the same, and that did the trick. Thanks I didn't know about that setting the version string like that could make it upgrade all the time. Sorry if you repeated some other post in passing that on but I really appreciate it. I had done a lot of searching but never found a mention of that kind of setting. Thanks, J

jstarbird · ‎Feb 06, 2012

yeah I know that about the MSI, what I don't understand is why IS forces confromity with it. Why not allow us to set the Major, minor, revision and build in separate fields and then they use in the correct method internally?? Sounds like a no brainer to me. Anyway, I'm assuming you mean to use that for the Major Upgrade table, I tried that and it made no difference. Does anyone know how I can just bypass the checks, build my own?? I know I can use things from the command line, Reinstallmode and reinstall flags, but that does not do a true upgrade, remove previous and install new, in on flow which I need to have for the circumstances I have. I know I can call a uninstall and then call an install but that's a crappy user experience since I have to launch the installers twice. Thanks, J

jstarbird · ‎Feb 03, 2012

First appologies if this is something that has been answered, I wasn't sure what to search for to look for this situtation. Our versioning is non standard, xxx.xx.xx.xxx with the last 3 digit number being our build numbers. We also need to allow our users to have multiple versions installed, not multiple instances of the same version but multiple versions. So a user can have 123.01.01.xxx and 123.02.02.xxx. I know how to handle that type of setup but what I am trying to figure out is how to handle alllowing the above while upgrading a situation of 123.01.01.123 to 123.01.01.124 . This is how we handle hotfixes. I figured I could write my own custom action that compares my versions but what I was wondering is can I change a property in the sequence after FindRelatedProducts or CCPSearch and if so what property should I change that would make the installer go into Upgrade mode? Thanks, J

jstarbird · ‎Jan 30, 2012

Thanks. Yeah I know it's a limitation of MSI which I can sort of understand for the name since they use that for the Filename but why can't I modify the Description? In MSI or InstallScript?? Makes zero sense there. Well anyway, I've tried using the code I've found and cannot get any of it to work. Basically it can never seem to access the Shortcut table, I get access to the MSI database fine but it fails when I try to create an object of the Shortcut table. Does anyone have a truly working example they can post here preferrable in InstallScript? Or if you can point me to a post of code you know works that would be great as well. Here is one of the links I tried: This one was incomplete and I tried to work it out but couldn't get it to work. It's missing some function called MSICreateView. http://community.flexerasoftware.com/showthread.php?t=182498&highlight=createappshortcuts I cannot find the other one I found, that code was Deleting the shortcut from the table and then recreating it. What would be really nice is if the InstallShield folks would have an online repository of these scripts so when new users or, like me, returning old users can quickly find solutions. Now unless I search the exact right phrase I may not find what I'm looking for and if I post I have wait for someone to respond. If they kept a repository they could make sure they are following a nice standard of coding, all the error catching, etc., and that would reduce their support calls by a lot. Thanks, J

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InstallScript project Component Self Registration not working

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