Summary

This article provides corrections for certain documentation issues regarding suite packages.

Symptoms

The InstallShield 2012 documentation includes some Suite-related documentation issues:

• The list of command-line parameters that the Suite Setup.exe launcher accepts contains some errors.

• The documentation does not explain that if you include an .msi or .msp package in a Suite installation, you should specify only Windows Installer properties for the Command Line setting and the Silent Command Line setting of the package.

This article provides corrections for these documentation issues.

Resolution

Suite Setup.exe Command-Line Parameters

The Setup.exe setup launcher for Suite installations can accept the following command-line parameter:

/language <locale identifier>

This option indicates that the installation should run in the specified language. The locale identifier should be specified as a decimal number. For example, the following command-line parameter indicates that the installation should be run in German:

/language:1031

Note that if you specify a locale identifier that is not supported by the installation or you specify an invalid locale identifier, the parameter is ignored.

The "Suite Setup.exe Command-Line Parameters" topic in the InstallShield 2012 Help Library does not include information about this /language parameter; this help topic includes an /L parameter, which is not valid for the Suite Setup.exe.

Passing Command-Line Parameters to Windows Installer Packages in a Suite Installation

When you are configuring a package in the Packages view of a Suite project, you can use the Command Line settings and the Silent Command Line settings to specify the command lines that you want the Suite installation to use when launching the package. The Command Line settings and the Silent Command Line Settings are available as subsettings in the Operation area of the grid in the Packages view.

When you are entering values in these settings, refer to the following background information, depending on which type of package you are configuring.

.msi Packages

If you are configuring the Install and Remove operations for this type of package, the only type of command-line parameters that you should enter are Windows Installer properties. A Suite installation uses MsiInstallProduct to launch an .msi package in install or remove mode, and this function accepts only Windows Installer properties as command lines.

If you are configuring the Repair and Modify operations for this type of package, the only type of command-line parameters that you should enter are Windows Installer feature properties:

• ADDDEFAULT
• ADDLOCAL
• ADDSOURCE
• ADVERTISE
• COMPADDDEFAULT
• COMPADDLOCAL
• COMPADDSOURCE
• FILEADDDEFAULT
• FILEADDLOCAL
• FILEADDSOURCE
• MSIDISABLELUAPATCHING
• MsiPatchRemovalList
• MSIRESTARTMANAGERCONTROL
• MSIDISABLERMRESTART
• MSIRMSHUTDOWN
• MSIPATCHREMOVE
• PATCH
• REINSTALL
• REINSTALLMODE
• REMOVE

A Suite installation uses MsiConfigureProductEx to launch an .msi package in repair or modify mode, and this function accepts only Windows Installer feature properties.

If you are using a Windows Installer property for a package's Command Line settings and the Silent Command Line settings, use the following format:
MYPROPERTYNAME=MyPropertyValue

Note that the /l command-line option cannot be passed to the package to generate a log file. If you want to log the installation, use either the logging system policy, or the MsiLogging property.

.msp Packages

If you are configuring the Install operation for this type of package, the only type of command-line parameters that you should enter are Windows Installer properties. A Suite installation uses MsiApplyPatch to apply an .msp package to a target system, and this function accepts only Windows Installer properties as command lines.

To update all of the features through an .msp package, you would enter command-line properties such as the following:

REINSTALLMODE=vomus REINSTALL=ALL

To update only certain features that are included in the .msp package, you would set REINSTALL to a comma-separated list of features that you want to be updated:

REINSTALLMODE=vomus REINSTALL=Feature1,Feature3,Feature5

.exe Packages

If you are configuring the Install, Remove, Repair, and Modify operations for this type of package, you can enter any command-line parameters that are supported by the .exe file.

Additional Information

These documentation issues are logged as issue IOA-000065380 (Suite command-line parameters) and issue IOA-000065382 (passing command-line parameters to a Windows Installer package in a Suite); they will be resolved in a future version of InstallShield.