Transfom file

[Giplo]

Hi, I'm evaluating IA Studio Admin.
My question is : It's possible to create a transform file from an existing .MSI ?

Thank's
Lorenzo Pozzetti

[CandiceJones]

Hi Lorenzo,

If you wish to customize existing MSI databases using InstallAware, you'll want to use either the MSI/MSM Database Import Wizard, or the (Un)Install MSI Setup MSIcode command. InstallAware tries to isolate developers from the internals of Windows Installer, and therefore you do not get low level table access (nor should you ever need to).

[Giplo]

Yes, of course, but I don't want to modify the original .MSI, I just want to create a .MST file for unattended installation of legacy applications.
I'm migrating from InstallShield Admin Studio, which have a specific tool :
"AdminStudio's Response Transform Wizard enables the creation of a transform by simply running through the installation process. All of the selections you make are automatically captured in a transform."

[CandiceJones]

By legacy, do you mean non-MSI installs, or what else did you have in mind?

Assuming its an MSI install, any property you would set in the UI, you can also set from the MSI command line, which you can pass when calling the (Un)Install MSI Setup script command from InstallAware.

You could even, based on runtime parameters, pass different command line parameters to your legacy setups at runtime - something you cannot achieve with a transform at all. You could then roll out this "smart" package in an unattentended fashion via group policy deployment (again, you cannot use transforms in group policy deployment).

[Giplo]

Correct !
But what happens if the .MSI have a lot of options?
Suppose for example to customize the installation of Microsoft Office, do you think is possible to set all options from the command line ?
Fortunately Microsoft provides a tool called "Custom Installation Wizard" that create a Transform File.
I'd like to do the same with other applications.

[CandiceJones]

Sorry, if that's what you're looking for, InstallAware is not your tool of choice.

[Giplo]

I'm comparing several suites for MSI authoring. All other products have this tools, so I was wondering if it is not included in "InstallAware Studio Admin" or I'm not able to find it !
Anyway the "Developer" is very powerful and probably will be my choice.

[CandiceJones]

InstallAware is unique amongst MSI tools in that it offers MSIcode, which is both a descriptive language that creates the MSI file at build time, and also a scripting language which introduces branching decision making at runtime - something that no other Windows Installer tool vendor offers.

Therefore, InstallAware must internally handle all MSI database structures. This is why you don't get a table editor or table level access with any InstallAware edition.