InstallShield 2012 Spring Express Edition User Guide

• /b : Cache installation locally
• /debuglog : Generate a log file for debugging
• /w : Wait
Passing Parameters to the .msi File Within Setup.exe
Chapter 27: Command-Line Tools
Setup.exe
If you include Setup.exe as part of your installation, you may need to pass command-line parameters to
the .msi package stored within Setup.exe. To pass arguments to the .msi file, use the /v option. Once you
specify this option, you can list any of the supported parameters that can be passed to Msiexec.exe. For
example, to create a verbose log of the installation, enter the following:
Setup.exe /v"/l*v \"c:\My Log Files\test.log\""
There are a few special formatting rules that you need to follow when passing a parameter in this way.
First, you need to place a backslash (\) in front of any quotation mark that resides within existing quotes.
For example, the command line above contains the following: v"/l*v \"c:\My Log Files\test.log\".
Because the path to the log file is a long path, you need to use quotes. However, since you need to have
quotes around the complete argument, the command-line statement fails if you do not use the backslash
in front of all internal quotes.
Another formatting rule dictates that there cannot be a space between the command-line option (/v) and
the arguments that you are passing, as illustrated in the example above.
In addition, if you are passing multiple parameters using the /v option, you need to separate them with a
space—for example:
Setup.exe /v"/l*v \"c:\My Log Files\test.log\" /qn"
This command creates a log file and runs the installation silently.
As an alternative, you can use the /v option multiple times at the command line, once for each argument,
as in the following example:
Setup.exe /v"/l*v \"c:\My Log Files\test.log\"" /v"/qn"
Running Setup.exe Silently
If you do not want the Setup.exe file to display a progress bar when it launches, you can use the /s
command-line parameter. For example, if you enter the following command-line statement, Setup.exe
launches, but the user interface is not displayed:
Setup.exe /s
If you want the .msi setup to run silently as well, you need to pass the /qn command-line parameter
through Setup.exe using the /v parameter—for example:
Setup.exe /s /v/qn
Note: If your installation is password protected, you must also pass the /p parameter.
Specifying a Password from the Command Line
You can specify a password for a password-protected setup by using the /p parameter. If you run a
password-protected setup in silent mode, you must specify the password from the command line or the
installation will fail.
InstallShield 2012 Spring Express Edition User Guide ISE-1900-UG00 681