I'm setting permissions to 2 parent folders our application uses: a client folder and a database folder. In many environments, the database folder has already been created, and all the necessary permissions have been set by their network administrator. When our installation runs, it frequently errors with a failure to set permissions, and displays Retry/Ignore/Cancel options. I'm getting tired of telling users to just click Ignore. Is there any way to trap those errors and continue with no message to the user? The installation package is a Basic MSI Project. ... View more

I have searched and searched for a definitive answer to this question, and finally produced the desired result! DESIRED RESULT: Disable Next button on CustomSetup dialog if no features are chosen. PROBLEM: 1. Next button events can certainly prevent the dialog from moving on by defining event conditions that require at least one feature be chosen. The Next button, however, remains enabled. 2. Next button conditions can set enable and disable based on the values of each feature. However, the button does not process those conditions until it's clicked. For example, both features are chosen when dialog opens, so Next is enabled. If both features are then unchecked, Next button remains enabled until it's actually clicked, then it reevaluates the conditions and disables. If a feature is then chosen again, the Next button remains disabled, with no way to force a reevaluation of its conditions. SOLUTION: The SelectionTree can publish a SetProperty event that can be subscribed to by the Next button, which enables and disables it as features are chosen or eliminated, dynamically. METHOD: Add a New property named CUSTOMCHOICE, which will be treated as a Boolean value of either 0 or 1. Property Value ============ ===== CUSTOMCHOICE 0 Add two events to the SelectionTree itself (named: Tree), which will set the value of CUSTOMCHOICE based on feature status. These SetProperty events will be published by the SelectionTree, as documented in the 'SelectionTree Control' and 'SetProperty ControlEvent' Help file entries. In this example, the project's InstallLevel is set at 3. Event Argument Condition ============= ======= ========= [CUSTOMCHOICE] 1 (&Feature1=3) OR (&Feature2=3) [CUSTOMCHOICE] 0 (NOT (&Feature1=3)) AND (NOT (&Feature2=3)) The Next button must have entries to both its conditions and subscriptions to work as desired. As noted in PROBLEM 2, above, conditions alone produce only static results. With the addition of a subscription, the effect becomes dynamic. Though not listed in the dropdown list, 'SetProperty' is a valid entry in the event column of the subscriptions list of the Next button. Subscriptions: Event Attribute ========= ========= SetProperty Enabled Conditions: Action Condition ===== ========= Disable (CUSTOMCHOICE=0) Enable (CUSTOMCHOICE=1) Events: No change from standard. With the above method, the Next button (or other control) reacts dynamically to the choices made on the SelectionTree control. It will flip on and off as you check and uncheck features. I hope others can make use of this. ... View more

How do I import an existing MSI into InstallShield 2011 Express Edition? I've looked through the menu bar, the help file, online help, but can't find it anywhere! I hope we don't always need to start from scratch! --Victor ... View more

I want a custom property that's set in the user interface section, then used later during the installation. I know I have to make use of CustomActionData, but that requires manually altering several tables in the MSI (I have Orca to do that). My script runs fine during the UI section, and sets a property called IS_UPGRADE. I've put this Custom Action (called PreExistingData1) "After Database Folder dialog". I've added the property to the Property table, and also included it in SecureCustomProperties (ISACTIONPROP1;IS_UPGRADE) within the same table. Now comes the hard part. What I want to do is called Deferred Execution Custom Action (kb: Q104413). Since the Custom Action Wizard isn't available in Express, I have to add records to 2 other tables manually (so I'm told): CustomAction and InstallExecuteSequence. Nothing I've tried so far works. When I run the Custom Action later (called PreExistingData2) "After File Transfer", I can't get that property, nor any other I need. Here's what I've tried: Added record to CustomAction table: Action: MakeIS_UPGRADEAvailable Type: 51 Source: PreExistingData1 Target: [IS_UPGRADE];[INSTALLDIR];[ProductVersion] (I need the other 2 properties as well) Added record to InstallExecuteSequence: Action: PreExistingData1 Condition: Sequence: 412 (LaunchConditions is 410, another item is 411) When PreExistingData2 is run, I have these lines: [code] PropArray = Split(Session.Property("CustomActionData"), ";") strIS_UPGRADE = PropArray(0) strInstallDir = PropArray(1) strVer1 = PropArray(2) [code end] All 3 variables come up empty, and it doesn't error (both Custom Actions are set: Ignore Exit Code = No). How do I get those values available? ... View more

I want a custom property that's set in the user interface section, then used later during the installation. I know I have to make use of CustomActionData, but that requires manually altering several tables in the MSI (I have Orca to do that). My script runs fine during the UI section, and sets a property called IS_UPGRADE. I've put this Custom Action (called PreExistingData1) "After Database Folder dialog". I've added the property to the Property table, and also included it in SecureCustomProperties (ISACTIONPROP1;IS_UPGRADE) within the same table. Now comes the hard part. What I want to do is called Deferred Execution Custom Action (kb: Q104413). Since the Custom Action Wizard isn't available in Express, I have to add records to 2 other tables manually (so I'm told): CustomAction and InstallExecuteSequence. Nothing I've tried so far works. When I run the Custom Action later (called PreExistingData2) "After File Transfer", I can't get that property, nor any other I need. Here's what I've tried: Added record to CustomAction table: Action: MakeIS_UPGRADEAvailable Type: 51 Source: PreExistingData1 Target: [IS_UPGRADE];[INSTALLDIR];[ProductVersion] (I need the other 2 properties as well) Added record to InstallExecuteSequence: Action: PreExistingData1 Condition: Sequence: 412 (LaunchConditions is 410, another item is 411) When PreExistingData2 is run, I have these lines: [code] PropArray = Split(Session.Property("CustomActionData"), ";") strIS_UPGRADE = PropArray(0) strInstallDir = PropArray(1) strVer1 = PropArray(2) [code end] All 3 variables come up empty, and it doesn't error (both Custom Actions are set: Ignore Exit Code = No). How do I get those values available? ... View more

I'm using an Express Project from InstallShield Express 2008. I want the same install disk to work for new installs and upgrades. I've marked several files 'Never Overwrite'. I've got an upgrade path listed for the just-previous version. (Earlier versions had no UpgradeCode.) The install deletes all the existing data files I want to remain, and then doesn't copy any new ones, leaving the app with NO DATA FILES WHATSOEVER! I've tried several combinations with and without the upgrade path listed, yet it still deletes them! How do I stop it from deleting the data files? 1. INSTALL DATA FILES IF NONE EXIST. 2. NEVER DELETE EXISTING DATA FILES. ... View more

The program I'm installing is an MS Access 2000 format MDE. It'll be installed on systems running Windows 98 and newer. I'm having problems with the shortcuts I've asked it to install. The Target is listed as: [OFFICE]MSACCESS.EXE 1. On my Vista machine, the shortcuts all list the path to MSACCESS.EXE as my Desktop under C:\Users\.... How\why\where does it interpret [OFFICE] as that path? When I set the directory using Browse for Shortcut Target, it's pointing to the correct directory C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office, and MSACCESS.EXE is in fact in that directory. 2. When the install is run on an XP machine, it errors with 1909 for every shortcut it trys to install, so the app is installed correctly, but with no shortcuts. Since I know the directories for Desktop and ProgramFilesFolder are different on Vista vs. earlier OS's, does InstallShield and/or MSIEXEC.EXE know that at install time? Is there anything else I have to do? 3. Is it possible to specify that if a newer version of Access exists on the target system, use OFFICE11 or OFFICE12 instead of Office? I'm flumoxed! ... View more