将InstallShiled项目添加到另一个InstallShield项目

Question

I have two installshield projects, I want to ask is it even possible to wrap an existing ism project within a wrapper ism project?! The desired functionality is: When i use custom installation and select to install the nested project it will behave as like i used it's native installer. I'm using installshield 2011 Professional edition.

Thanks for helping.

Answer 1

I encountered this SAME problem. I wanted an installshield project to run another installshield project (which was an updater) to bring the software up to date before installing the first installer.

I solved this by creating a batch file.

1) The user launches the install msi.

2) The installer prerequisites detects that "previous version must be installed" by checking the registry and runs the batch file

3) The batch file kills the current process of installer and runs the second installer

4) Once the second installer is finished, the batch file re-runs the first installer (by using the batch command START /WAIT, which waits for a process to finish)

5) Now that the second installer was installed, the prerequisites doesn't trigger, and you resume with the installation.

Answer 2

You can, with caveats. If both of your projects are Basic MSI or InstallScript MSI, you will encounter the limitation that Windows Installer will only allow one MSI at a time. The end result of that is you can either run both safely through actions in the UI sequence (and fail if they are run silently), you might be able to use MSI Chaining (which I don't personally recommend), or turn one of the MSI packages into a prerequisite, or you have to find another way.

One option could be to add a third project, a pure InstallScript project, as a wrapper. If you go down this route, you have to consider what user experience you want for installation, maintenance, and uninstallation, including deciding what shows up in Programs and Features. Note that in later versions of InstallShield the Suite or Suite/Advanced UI project type is designed for this, but only in the Premier edition. (The Advanced UI project type in the Professional edition only allows for one main package, and you have two already.)