InstallShield 2012 Express Edition User Guide - Knowledge Base ...

Chapter 1: InstallShield 2012 Express Edition
What Was New in Earlier Versions of InstallShield Express Edition
Previously, InstallShield did not use any custom information in many cases. For example, the Setup.exe
files that InstallShield previously created contained details that pertained to the version of InstallShield
that was used to build the Setup.exe file. Thus, the copyright notice that was displayed in the Setup.exe
Properties dialog box was the copyright notice for InstallShield, rather than the copyright notice for your
product.
Several new settings—Company Name, Product Name, Product Version, Description, and Copyright—let
you specify the custom information that you want InstallShield to use when you build an Update.exe file.
These settings are available on the Advanced tab of the Build Settings area in the General Information
view of QuickPatch projects.
Previously, InstallShield did not use any custom version resource information for Update.exe files.
To learn more, see:
• Customizing File Properties for the Setup Launcher
• Setup.exe Tab
• Customizing File Properties for the Update Launcher
• Advanced Tab
Improvements for Custom Actions: New Custom Action Types; New Maintenance Mode Sequence
Options; Support for Rollback and Commit Custom Actions
InstallShield includes several new features for custom action support.
MSI DLL Custom Actions
InstallShield now lets you add MSI DLL custom actions to your projects. An MSI DLL custom action
calls an entry-point function that is exported from a C or C++ DLL. The DLL can be installed at run time
during the installation, or it can be embedded within the Binary table of the .msi package. The MSI DLL
custom action offers more flexibility for the DLL file’s source location than the standard DLL custom
action, which was the only type of DLL custom action that was supported in earlier versions of
InstallShield. During some parts of the installation, standard DLL actions cannot be stored in the
Binary table; instead, they must be installed with the product. However, during those same parts of the
installation, MSI DLL actions can be stored in the Binary table or installed with the product.
Note that for MSI DLL custom actions, a return value of zero indicates success; non-zero return values
indicate statuses such as failure or cancellation. This is consistent with all other custom action types,
except for standard DLL custom actions. For standard DLL custom actions, a non-zero return value
indicates success, and a return value of zero indicates failure.
JScript Custom Actions
InstallShield also lets you add JScript custom actions to your projects. If you convert a Visual Studio
setup project (.vdproj) that has a JScript custom action into an Express project (.ise), InstallShield now
includes the JScript custom action.
Separate Maintenance and Uninstallation Sequences
The Custom Actions view contains a new Custom Actions During Maintenance node that lets you
schedule actions that you want to occur only during maintenance. The following sequence nodes have
been moved from the Custom Actions During Uninstallation node to this new Custom Actions During
Maintenance node:
• After Initialization (before first dialog)
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