Summary

Symptoms

When you are building an InstallShield Express project, the following error may occur:

Error -6270: The record [1] in the Icon table exceeds the limit of [2] characters. As a result, the build will be unable to persist the database.

[1] is the specific record in the database that has exceeded the limit, and [2] is the exact character limit that was surpassed.

Cause

This error is known to occur when the specific record in the Icon table indicated in the error message exceeds the character limit also specified in the error message. For example, the following error might appear:

Error -6270: The record ThisIsATestFile.exe.32423_3433_23D3_9IKW_339939830008282.exe in the Icon table exceeds the limit of 57 characters.

The above entry contains 60 characters and, therefore, exceeds the 57 character limit.

The Icon table is typically used when shortcuts, file extensions, and CLSIDs are included in the project.

This behavior is known to occur in the following scenarios:

• The file specified in the error message has been named an extremely long file name, exceeding the Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) limitation.

• A shortcut that exists in the project points to a file included in a merge module that was merged into the project. Files in merge modules have a GUID appended to them, making them considerably lengthier than their original size.

Resolution

If the File with the Long File Name Is Not Part of a Merge Module

If the file with the long file name is not part of a merge module, use Windows Explorer to rename the file being referenced in the error message to a name with 57 characters or fewer. Then, reinsert the file into your project and rebuild your installation.

If the File with the Long File Name Is Part of a Merge Module

If the file with the long file name is part of a merge module, contact the author of the merge module to obtain a revised version of the merge module.

Note: Because a GUID is typically 36 characters in length, ask the author to make sure that the file name of the file included in the merge module has 21 characters or fewer. Then, when the GUID is appended, the file name no longer exceeds the 57 character limit.

If you have more than one merge module in your project and you need to determine which one is causing the issue:

1. In the Redistributables view, right-click one of the merge modules that you have added to your project, and then select Properties. The Merge Module Properties dialog box appears.

2. Notice the number listed in the GUID field.
   1. If this is the GUID that is appended to the end of the file name that is referenced in the build error, this merge module is the one causing the build error. Note that dashes displayed in the GUID field may be changed to underscores in the build error message.

   2. If this is not the GUID that is appended to the end of the file name that is referenced in the build error, review the properties of the other merge modules in your project until you find a match.

   3. If you still cannot find a match, remove all merge modules from your project. Then add one merge module at a time to your project, and build the release until error -6270 occurs. This is the merge module causing the error.

Additional Information

Additional information on the Icon table can be found in the Windows Installer Help Library topic Icon Table.

This error is briefly documented in the InstallShield Help Library topic Build Errors and Warnings.