MAKEMSI quickly and reliably creates MSI files in a non-programmatic way\Source CodeCommandsWrapInstall

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The "WrapInstall" Command

The "repackaging" section of this documentation provides a fair range of details, links and options for creating an MSI from an "EXE" based installer (its an "exe to msi" converter if you like). This command provides a simple mechanism to wrap existing installers (one of these approaches).

This command can wrap a single EXE program or a whole CD's tree worth of files (setup.exe plus its associated files and directories). While what it is doing is simple the command itself and the available options are reasonably complex, also if you have a really difficult package you may need to perform the correct actions yourself rather than use this command.

Consider the need to use the "RunProcess.exe" command with a timeout, I recommend that you do this for any InstallShield setup.exe programs (cr.pware), see its "/k" parameter.

Parameters

This command takes these parameters:

• CdImage (optional)
  This parameter determines which of the two major alternatives are being uses, if this value is:

  • Missing or Empty
    Then the EXE parameter is used to indicate the build time location of an executable which is added to the "Binary" table (its not installed by this command).

  • a Build Time Directory Location
    Then all the files (typically more than one) in the directory (and subdirectories) you specified will be added for installation. Obviously you will not be able to sequence the custom action before the files are installed!

    You can specify where the files are installed with the "InstallDir" parameter, otherwise this information is extracted from the "EXE" parameter (if not possible an error message is generated).

• EXE (required)
  If the "CdImage" parameter was not used to define a tree full of files then this defines the MSI build time name of the source file to be added to the "Binary" table.

  If the "CdImage" parameter was used then this is the install time name of the setup executable once installed.

• Args (optional)
  These arguments are using on the setup executable during the install. Most installers will have switches to invoke a silent setup, the trick is finding out how to do so (see the "Repackaging" section for some useful links).

• InstallDir (optional)
  This parameter has no meaning unless the "CdImage" parameter was used, it specifies the directory key into which the image will be installed.

  This parameter must be supplied unless the EXE parameter begins with a directory key (for example "[DirKey]setup.exe"), in which case the setup program is assumed to be in the root directory (and "DirKey" specifies the root).

• WorkDirI (optional)
  This parameter should only be specified if the "CdImage" parameter was used. This specifies the directory key that should be used for the working (current) directory during installation. It defaults to the value supplied for the "InstallDir" parameter.

• WorkDirU (optional)
  This specifies the directory key that should be used for the working (current) directory during any uninstallation. It defaults to the "SystemFolder".

• Rc0 (optional)
  You may pass one of the following values:

  • Y
    The install command returns 0 on success and anything else on failure. Most windows programs are not written this well, this option is however the default.

  • N
    The install command doesn't return anything meaninful (the program is not very nice - but "typical").

    You will probably create a follow up task (possibly with "VbsCa) to check log files or registry to confirm success.

  • ASYNC
    As with "N" above the install command doesn't return anything meaninful. It gets worse however, it also spawns another task asynchronously and so returns before it is finished (basically its a heap of "cr.p"), some InstallShield installs work this way.

    You will probably create a follow up task (possibly with "VbsCa) to wait for completion (read the products documentation) and then check log files or registry to confirm success.

• What (optional)
  If you don't supply this value then the short name of the EXE ("setup.exe" etc) is used for messages in logs and those that a user might see.

  You would definately wish to change this if you were using this command more than once in any msi to eliminate any confusion (the name of the wrapped produce wold generally be ideal).

• UninstallEXE (optional)
  You typically wish to uninstall the wrapped product during the uninstall of the wrapping msi, this parameter allows you to specify the uninstall time name of the uninstall executable on the file system.

  If you do not supply this parameter but do supply the "UninstallKey" parameter then the defined uninstall process will be invoked (you will need to test to see if this is or can be "silent").

  If you don't wish to uninstall the wrapped product (when uninstalling the wrapping msi) then you will probably want to:

  • Not register the MSI at all.

  • Register the MSI for recording purposes or because it does more than simply wrap an install. In this case you will need to set the "WRAPINST_CONDITION_UNINSTALL" option to empty.

  If you do one of the above then you will probably also decide that the correct value for the "WRAPINST_HIDE_WRAPPED_PRODUCT" option is "N" (without the quotes!)..

• UninstallArgs (optional)
  If you supplied the "UninstallEXE" parameter then this is the uninstall arguments the command requires, if you didn't then these arguments are added to those defined in the uninstall registry.

• UninstallRc0 (optional)
  You may pass one of the following values:

  • Y
    The uninstall command returns 0 on success and anything else on failure. Most windows programs are not written this well, this option is however the default.

  • N
    The uninstall command doesn't return anything meaninful (the program is not very nice - but "typical").

    You will probably create a follow up task (possibly with "VbsCa) to check log files or registry to confirm success.

  • ASYNC
    As with "N" above the uninstall command doesn't return anything meaninful. It gets worse however, it also spawns another task asynchronously and so returns before it is finished (basically its a heap of "cr.p"), some InstallShield installs work this way.

    You will probably create a follow up task (possibly with "VbsCa) to wait for completion (read the products documentation) and then check log files or registry to confirm success.

• UninstallKey (optional)
  All products update the registry at "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall". This parameter identifies the key that the wrapped product uses (this is typically not what you would see displayed in the Add/Remove Applet).

  The "Watch Uninstall Keys" tool makes identification of this key relatively easy, once defined it allows (by default):

  1. Determine the uninstall command if the "UninstallEXE" parameter was not used.
  2. Validation of install and uninstall if return codes can't be trusted.
  3. Hide the wrapped product so there are not two related entries.

• SeqI (optional)
  Actions are executed in sequence number order and some actions (or types of) are only allowed at certain "locations". This parameter allows you to specify when this action should be executed in relation to others. The fact that MAKEMSI successfully sequences your action at a particular location should not be assumed to mean that it is valid for it to be there.

  There will typically be a lot of standard actions at known fixed locations (which may however differ in sequence number or even order relative to one another with different templates). Click here for the default "InstallExecuteSequence" and "InstallUISequence" sequencing details.

  Normally you try not to duplicate sequence numbers but it is probably OK to do so as long as you don't care which one executes first! One possible exception would be deferred custom actions where the custom action data needs to be setup before execution. You should get a validation message to indicate a duplicated number (note that validation can't know whether custom action conditions are mutually exclusive etc).

  The sequencing information (see some default sequencing) can be supplied in a number of formats:

  • An Integer
    If you supply a number such as "1001" then this is a literal numeric value which generally should not duplicate any other in the same table. I suggest you only use this format as a last resort!

  • A VBSCRIPT Expression
    If the value you supply starts with "@" then what follows is the name of a VBSCRIPT variable or expression which will evaluate to a sequence number.

  • A MAKEMSI Expression
    MAKEMSI has its own syntax which describes the characteristics of the desired sequence number but leaves the actual value up to MAKEMSI to determine.

    Basically you describe a range of valid values and whether you prefer the value to be chosen from the lower (default) or higher end.

    The range should be specified in the format "lower - higher". Either value can be omitted, be specified as an integer such as "1000" or the name of an action such as "InstallFiles". The default value for the lower end is "1" and for the higher "32767" and leading and trailing spaces for each are stripped. The minimum and maximum values can be returned as the range is inclusive.

    By default MAKEMSI will choose a number as close as possible to the lower end, if you wish it to be as high as possible then begin the specification string with "<".

    Some Examples:

    • InstallFiles-
    • -InstallFiles
    • <-InstallFiles
    • < 1000 - 2000
    • AppSearch - CostFinalize

    You should of course be aware of what your script does, for example if it moves a custom action that you have already sequenced other actions relative to then that would probably be "bad"!

  Defines when the install takes place. You may wish to alter registry or ini files etc.

• SeqU (optional)
  As per "SeqI" above but for uninstall.

• ExList (optional)
  This parameter is ignored unless the "CdImage" parameter is used. See the "Files" command for more details. The CD image you have may include files you don't need, this option allows you to tell this command to ignore them rather than requiring that you alter the "CD Image" (and have to do this every release of the 3rd parties product).

Options

Please see the "options for commands" section of the manual.

#define? WRAPINST_SEQ_INSTALL            StartServices-RegisterUser
#define? WRAPINST_SEQ_UNINSTALL          InstallInitialize-StopServices
#define? WRAPINST_CONDITION_INSTALL      <$CONDITION_INSTALL_ONLY>        ;;You could add repair etc.
#define? WRAPINST_CONDITION_UNINSTALL    <$CONDITION_UNINSTALL_ONLY>      ;;Make this "" if you don't want to ever uninstall (rare?)
#define? WRAPINST_BASETYPE_INSTALL       Deferred                         ;;Base CA attributes (install). You may need to add "SYSTEM".
#define? WRAPINST_BASETYPE_UNINSTALL     Deferred                         ;;Base CA attributes (uninstall). You may need to add "SYSTEM".
#define? WRAPINST_HIDE_WRAPPED_PRODUCT   Y                                ;;Don't show in ARP as wrapping product will uninstall
#define? WRAPINST_(UN)INSTALL_VALIDATION Y
#define? WRAPINST_INSTALL_VALIDATION         <$WRAPINST_(UN)INSTALL_VALIDATION>
#define? WRAPINST_UNINSTALL_VALIDATION       <$WRAPINST_(UN)INSTALL_VALIDATION>
#define? WRAPINST_UNINSTALL_VALIDATION_WAIT  0                               ;;Some uninstalls are ASYNC with task returning before complete!  If non-blank and non-zero then how many seconds do we wish to allow for the uninstall task to complete?
#define? WRAPINST_CDIMAGE_COPYATTRIBUTES                                     ;;See the "CopyAttributes" on the file command

EXAMPLE

You should read the "InstallShield Version 7.00" section of the doco, then look at this example:

;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;--- "SETUP-I.ISS" points here! ---------------------------------------------
;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
<$DirectoryTree Key="PRODUCTDIR" Dir="c:\Program Files\WrappedProducGoesHere">


;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;--- Install the CD-IMAGE here ----------------------------------------------
;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
<$DirectoryTree Key="INSTALLDIR" Dir="[PRODUCTDIR]\MsiSource (wrapper)" CHANGE="\">


;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;--- Set up the response file created with "setup.exe /r" (created in "c:\winnt" dir) ---
;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#(
    #define AddResponseFile
    <$File Source="{$ISS}" Destination="[INSTALLDIR]\{$ISS}" Comment=^Response file for {$FOR} (renamed "setup.iss" file). Generated by manual {$FOR} of product using "setup.exe /r".^>
    <$SourceFile FileName="{$ISS}" HTML="Y">
#)
<$AddResponseFile ISS="setup-I.iss"  FOR="installation">
<$AddResponseFile ISS="setup-UI.iss" FOR="uninstallation">


;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;--- Install InstallShield based Installer ----------------------------------
;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#(
    <$WrapInstall
        ;--- Where is the CD Image? -----------------------------------------
        CdImage=".\CD-IMAGE"

        ;--- INSTALL --------------------------------------------------------
         EXE="[INSTALLDIR]setup.exe"
        Args='/s /f1"[INSTALLDIR]setup-I.iss" /f2"[INSTALLDIR]setup-I-<$ProductVersion>.log"'

        ;--- UNINSTALL ------------------------------------------------------
         UninstallExe="[INSTALLDIR]setup.exe"
        UninstallArgs='/s /f1"[INSTALLDIR]setup-UI.iss" /f2"[INSTALLDIR]setup-UI-<$ProductVersion>.log"'

        ;--- VALIDATION -----------------------------------------------------
        UninstallKey="{149511F11-4375-4557-5541-8F9217A15480}"
    >
#)

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