InstallShield 2010, InstallScript, Directory Properties and Windows

Environment Variables
By David Roossien
david.roossien@sbcglobal.net
updated 4/2010

Thats quite a title, but this tutorial explains how to use all of these. I hope it helps you create an
installer that works for you.

The task:
Create a Basic MSI installer using InstallShield 2010 (or 12) that reads a Windows Environment Variable
to determine where to install some files. This sounds like a simple task, but it sure helps to have a 16
page example.

The approach:
Create a Directory Property that we can tie to the Destination computers folder in Application Data-
>Files and Folders.

We will use InstallScript to get the value of an environment variable from the Destination computer.
During installation we will change the value of the Directory Property using InstallScript. When we
change the value of the Directory Property the Destination for that folder will change dynamically during
runtime.

Example project (test):

1. In Windows Explorer, create a folder called c:\test.

2. In InstallShield 2010 (or 12). Create a new Basic MSI project. I called mine test and put it in
c:\test\test.

3. Create a text file called test.txt. Place it in c:\test\test.

4. Go to the Installation Designer Tab.

5. Go to Organization->Setup Design.
 6. Right click on Setup Design and click New Feature. Call it FilesFeature. I called mine
FilesFeature because all this simple installer does is copy files onto the target machine.

7. Change the Display Name to FilesFeature as well.

8. IMPORTANT: Change the Destination from [INSTALLDIR] to {temp}.

a. This creates a Directory Property called DIRPROPERTY1 with a value of {temp}.

b. This is represented in the Destination box by {DIRPROPERTY1}{temp}

c. You can verify that a Directory Property was created by going to Behavior and Logic-
>Property Manager. You should see {DIRPROPERTY1}{temp}

Figure 1 FilesFeature with a Destination that has been changed from

[INSTALLDIR] to a directory property called DIRPROPERTY1 with a value of
{temp}
Figure 2 DIRPROPERTY1 with a value of {temp}

9. Go to Behavior and Logic->Property Manager. Locate DIRPROPERTY1 and change its value to
the folder c:\test. This will now be the default Destination folder for FilesFeature.
Figure 3 Property Manager with Directory Property

10. Save your project.

11. Go back to Setup Design. You should see that {temp} has been replaced with the value c:\test.
Figure 4 Setup Design with Destination changed

12. Go to Application Data->Files and Folders.

13. Right click on Destination Computer under Destination computers folders. Select Launch
Component Wizard.

14. Click Next. For Destination, select the Directory Property you created before.
Figure 5 Launch Component Wizard: Destination
 15. Next. Click Add Files. Navigate to c:\test\test\test.txt. Open.

Figure 6 Launch Component Wizard: Files

16. Next.
Figure 7 Launch Component Wizard: Finish

17. Finish.

18. Now you should see a folder called c:\test with an AllOtherFiles component. Test.txt should
be listed with that component.
Figure 8 Files and Folders

19. If you return to Organization->Setup Design you should see AllOtherFiles listed below the
FilesFeature we created earlier.
Figure 9 Launch Component Wizard: Files

20. Save your project.

21. Now, we are close to adding our InstallScript, but first we still should go down to Media-
>Releases and make a New Product Configuration. For this example, we will create a product
configuration that builds a single compressed setup.exe. Our file, test.txt, will be compressed
inside the setup.exe.

22. Go to Media->Releases. Right click on Releases and select New Product Configuration. Accept
Product Configuration 1 as the name.

23. Right click on Product Configuration 1 and select New Release. Accept Release 1 as the
name.

24. Click on Release 1. On the Build tab, under Compression, select Compressed.

25. Save your project.

InstallScript

Before continuing onto programming the InstallScript we will assume that the Destination computer will
have a Windows System environment variable called test. Its value will be c:\test or any other folder
you wish to designate.

1. Go to Behavior and Logic. Right click on Files below InstallScript. Select New Script Files.
This will create setup.rul below Files and MyFunction below Functions.

2. Below Functions, click on MyFunction. This will open setup.rul in the editor.

3. Create the following method below MyFunction:

#define FXN_NAME "setInstallFolder"

#define ENV_VAR "test" // must exist on the target machine

#define SUB_FOLDER "\\testsubfolder " //sub folder to concatenate

export prototype setInstallFolder(HWND);

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

// Function: setInstallFolder

//

// Purpose: This function reads a Windows environment variable, concatenates

// it with the string "SUB_FOLDER", and uses it to change the

// Directory Property that is tied to the installation folder.

//

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

function setInstallFolder(hMSI)
 NUMBER nvSize, nReturnValue;

STRING svEnvVar, svNewValue;

begin

// Get the value of the environment variable specified by ENV_VAR

if (GetEnvVar (ENV_VAR, svEnvVar) < 0) then

// Report the error.

MessageBox ("Environment variable " + ENV_VAR + " not found. Please create it and set its
value before running this setup program..", SEVERE);

else

// Display the value of the environment variable

SprintfBox (INFORMATION, FXN_NAME, "%s = %s", ENV_VAR, svEnvVar);

// concatenate the value of the env variable and sub folder. This will be the Destination

// for our installation

svNewValue = svEnvVar + SUB_FOLDER;

// set the value of DIRPROPERTY1

if( MsiSetProperty(hMSI, "DIRPROPERTY1", svNewValue) == ERROR_SUCCESS ) then

SprintfBox(INFORMATION, "DIRPROPERTY1 set = %s", svNewValue);

endif;
 endif;

end;

4. Save your project. Right click on setup.rul and select Compile.

5. Go to Behavior and Logic->Custom Actions and Sequences. Right click on Custom Actions.
Select Custom Action Wizard. Next. For Name, give it setInstallFolder.

Figure 10 Custom Action Wizard: Basic Information

6. Next. Under type, select Run InstallScript code. Next.

7. Under Source, select setInstallFolder. Next.

Figure 11 Custom Action Wizard: Action Parameters

8. Next. Next. Next. On the Insert Into Sequence dialog, under Install Execute Sequence,
select After InstallInitialize (we will change this in a minute). Next. Finish.

9. Select the setInstallFolder Custom Action you just made and make the following changes:

a. Change the In-Script Execution to Immediate Execution.

b. Change the Execution Scheduling to Always Execute

c. Change Install Exec Sequence to <First Action>

Figure 12 Custom Action: setInstallFolder parameters

10. Save your project.

11. Go to top menu. Select Build->Build.

12. Copy Setup.exe from C:\test\test\Product Configuration 1\Release 1\DiskImages\DISK1 onto

your test environment, set your test environment variable and execute the setup
program.

13. I like to use a virtual machine for testing installations. This allows me to safely install and
use Add/Remove Programs to uninstall the application.

Conclusion
I hope this example helps you get started with InstallShield, InstallScript, properties and environment
variables. Let me know if it does!