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Change of text files?

Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 12:17 pm
by sfaust
Hi All,

I am currently using InstallShield Limited Edition that comes with Visual Studio, but I am looking for something better. One of the main requirements is that I need to change a text file that I am installing with the product based on user input at install. The file is a .addin file, which is just xml under the hood, and it has a placeholder for the install location. The user should be able to select a new location to install the product to if they choose and the install needs to replace that placeholder in the .addin file with the final program files location.

One twist to this; I'm currently able to do this in InstallShield limited, but only by creating my own exe to do so and having it run as part of the installer. However the exe does not get the same elevated permissions as the main installer so it can't change anything on a locked down machine (the .addin needs to be in an all users location) and gives a failure.

So can InstallAware do this? and if so what license level would I need to perform this action? I have looked around the site but couldn't find anything definitive on this...

Re: Change of text files?

Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 12:31 pm
by FrancescoT
Dear Sfaust,

unfortunately it's not available a command or a method at such purpose.
You may edit any existing XML but currently you cannot create it from scratch.

Regards

Re: Change of text files?

Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 12:36 pm
by sfaust
I'm installing the file with my install, so after the files are installed it should exist, but then I need to change the value... Basically I install it as part of the installed files, then I need to pass the base path that the user picked to... something... and it needs to update the file on the user system with the newly picked path.

Re: Change of text files?

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 10:50 am
by FrancescoT
Dear Sfaust,

it's not quite clear to me which is your target ... maybe you want to know which is the effective target directory of the installed files?
If this is true, this value is stored by the TARGETDIR pre-defined variable (see pre-defined Variables in IA documentation for more details).

Regards

Re: Change of text files?

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 11:27 am
by sfaust
I downloaded a trial and found the 'Xml Files' section and I'm pretty sure this does what I want.

One thing with that, though. With the express version the drop down is disabled and stuck on 'Create Only' for nodes, I can't do an 'Update' in the dialog box. After some browsing on the forum I found a post that you can change it in the MSI Script section. It's the same dialog box when you click it there but the drop down is enabled this time. Is this a bug or intended behavior (i.e. a limitation of express)?

If it's not intended then you are limiting express users as they don't have access to the script to change this. If it's intended then note that if you click to edit it in developer it is still disabled unless you do it from script. It would be nice if developer recognized it's license level and allowed you to change it without being in the script interface (it's easier to find in the standard window).

Re: Change of text files?

Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 1:49 pm
by FrancescoT
Dear Sfaust,

it's in this way, by default that control is disabled when the respective XML command is edited from Design View.

Regards