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Title
Running an Installer Silently Using InstallAnywhere

Summary

Silent mode, which enables an installer to run without any user interaction, is fully supported on all UNIX platforms. A near-silent mode is possible on Windows, macOS, and OS X. InstallAnywhere and end-user-defined variables may be set through command-line parameters and/or a properties file.

Synopsis

Using InstallAnywhere, silent mode, which enables an installer to run without any user interaction, is fully supported on all UNIX platforms. A near-silent mode is possible on Windows, macOS, and OS X. InstallAnywhere and end-user-defined variables may be set through command-line parameters and/or a properties file. This article discusses the process for running the installer in silent mode.

Applicable Operating Systems:
AIX 32-bit, AIX 64-bit, FreeBSD 32-bit, macOS, OS X, Red Hat Enterprise 32-bit, Red Hat Enterprise 64-bit, Red Hat Linux 32-bit, Red Hat Linux 64-bit, SCO OpenServer 32-bit, SCO UnixWare 32-bit, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 32-bit, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 64-bit, Windows 32-bit, Windows 64-bit

Discussion

In silent mode, InstallAnywhere has no end-user interaction, and runs either on the defaults provided by the developer, or by providing a response file from which the installer retrieves the values for various InstallAnywhere variables used to control the install.
To trigger a silent installer from the command line, type the following command:

installername -i silent

A response / properties file may also be specified from the command line:

installername -f <properties file>

To run an installer silently while specifying a response file use the following command syntax:

installername -i silent -f <properties file>

You may use the direct or the relative path to the properties file.

If no file is specified, then the installer automatically checks the directory in which it resides in for a file called installer.properties or [installername].properties. If properties files with both of these names exist in the same directory as the client executable, the installer.properties file will take precedence.
This properties file utilizes a simple key=value format. For example, a properties file might contain the following:
INSTALLER_UI=silent
USER_INSTALL_DIR=[selected directory]
The INSTALLER_UI variable allows you to specify the installer mode in the properties file, negating the need to use the -i silent command line switch.

Additional Information

Some additional things to note regarding silent installs:
  1. macOS and OS X support silent mode only when using a UNIX installer.
  2. Silent mode supports the setting of a target directory, shortcuts directory, and Components/Features via either command-line arguments or a properties file.
  3. Silent mode is supported in both the installer and uninstaller runtime environments.
  4. InstallAnywhere and end-user-defined variables may be set through command-line parameters and/or a properties file.
  5. InstallAnywhere variables may be incorporated into the values assigned in the properties file. These values will be resolved at install time. Note that file separators should be denoted by the "$/$" InstallAnywhere variable, or be escaped.
  6. Silent mode will override action panel values.
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Running an Installer Silently Using InstallAnywhere