Defining runtimes...

[NickD]

I'm trying to get my installer(s) to detect if the Microsoft.VisualBasic.Powerpacks.dll file exists in the program files directory and I noticed some strange behaviour in the MSI Code editor.

When I'm defining the runtime by using the Wizard, I select the System->Program Files option to search the Program Files directory for the dll. What gets generated in the Check for Microsoft Visual Basic Power Packs script is:

Get Folder Location System->System Directory into FOLDER_MICROSOFTVISUALBASICPOWERPACKS

When delete the runtime I created, then use the wizard to define it again, this time telling the runtime to look in the System->System Directory, the exact same code gets generated in the "Check for Microsoft Visual Basic Power Packs"

Get Folder Location System->System Directory into FOLDER_MICROSOFTVISUALBASICPOWERPACKS

If I'm not mistaken, shouldn't looking in the Program Files directory generate the following?

Get Folder Location System->Program Files Directory into FOLDER_MICROSOFTVISUALBASICPOWERPACKS

This seems to be what happens when I go into the MSICode editor, double click on that line and change it to look in the proper folder.

Secondly, will looking in the System->Program Files Directory look in both the Program Files and Program Files (x86) folders on a 64 bit system? If not, how can I make it also search the Program Files (x86) folder?

I should also mention this is Installaware X3.

Thanks,

Nick

[NickD]

So here's some more info...

I modified the code of the Check for Microsoft Visual Basic Power Packs.mia script (see attached) to check to see if the system is a 64 bit system and to switch the installation mode (temporarily) to 32 bit mode thinking that when it went to go look for the program files folder, it would look at the Program Files (x86) folder. But what I discovered X3 was doing was much more interesting...

After I've defined the runtime I want the installer to check for, and the run time doesn't get detected as installed (even though it is installed), I want to re-define the runtime to look for the file using different parameters. So, I uncheck the box under Application Runtimes for the runtime I defined, save, then I exit out of X3, then go into my Program Files (x86)\InstallAware X3\runtimes folder and delete the following:

Microsoft Visual Basic Power Packs (this is a folder)
Check for Microsoft Visual Basic Power Packs.mia
Microsoft Visual Basic Power Packs.rtm
Setup for Microsoft Visual Basic Power Packs.mia

I open X3 back up which already has my project loaded and define the runtime again, even with slightly different parameters and exactly the same name. Installaware generates the Check for Microsoft Visual Basic Power Packs.mia file with EXACTLY the same code (including the code I added) from the file I previously deleted which I find absurd. If I delete something, Installaware should not be able to generate the code with the lines I added. It should have no memory of what was there before.

If I give the new runtime a different name, new code gets generated that is not the same as before.

[FrancescoT]

Dear Nick,

I suppose that probably, you missed to delete the rtm script files left under your project folder.
Once deselected your custom Runtime from the project "Application Runtime", you should also remove the rtm files from your project folder.
In your case these should be; "Check for Microsoft Visual Basic Power Packs.mia" and "Setup for Microsoft Visual Basic Power Packs.mia" script files.

Regards

[NickD]

I suppose that raises the question of why can't the runtime be deleted from the IDE and all of that done for me? It seems rather user unfriendly to not be able to do that.

[FrancescoT]

it's quite simple the answer, to avoid any possible un-wanted deletion of such files.

Regards