Normally, to register things for 64-bit, you should create a 64-bit installer. I assume that you are trying to avoid this.
To answer some of your questions, the InstallExecute action can be found in your Custom Actions and Sequences view. It combined with InstallInitialize that comes wayyyy before it make up the sequence of events that commit changes to a pc. Your function should be called via a Custom Action that is placed between these 2 events. It must be a deferred action which is one of the options when you create a CA.
Each CA can not access properties directly. There is a very short list of things they can see on their own. I forget the whole list but the important one is called CustomActionData.
This property acts like a mailbox for your custom actions. You must save variables and their values to it outside of the InstallInitialize <-> InstallExecute sequence. You may then access these values from within each of your CAs. I did a quick search for how to do this and it is not immediately found so below you can find my getter and setter.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//
// Function: CA_GetProperty
// Returns 0 for success; 1 for error.
//
// This function returns a requested property value after parsing CustomActionData property
// and retriving all property name/value pairs. The function reports error if it occurs.
//
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
function CA_GetProperty(hMSI, sPropName, sPropValue)
STRING sCAData, sPropPair, sName, sValue;
NUMBER nResult, nLength;
INT nMode;
LIST listProps, listPropPair;
LIST listPropNames;
LIST listPropValues;
begin
nLength = MAX_PATH;
nResult = MsiGetProperty(hMSI, "CustomActionData", sCAData, nLength);
if (nResult < 0) then
//ReportError(hMSI, "The CustomActionData property does not exist.");
return -1;
else
listProps = ListCreate (STRINGLIST);
listPropNames = ListCreate (STRINGLIST);
listPropValues = ListCreate (STRINGLIST);
// Get each path from the search path into the list.
if (StrGetTokens (listProps, sCAData, "|") < 0) then
// Report the error.
//ReportError(hMSI, "StrGetTokens on listProps failed.");
return -1;
else
// Display the individual paths from the list.
nResult = ListGetFirstString (listProps, sPropPair);
// Loop while list items continue to be retrieved.
while (nResult != END_OF_LIST)
// Display the current element.
listPropPair = ListCreate (STRINGLIST);
if (StrGetTokens (listPropPair, sPropPair, "=") > 0) then
// Report the error.
//ReportError(hMSI, "StrGetTokens on ListPropPair failed.");
return -1;
else
if (ListGetFirstString(listPropPair, sName) != END_OF_LIST) then
ListAddString(listPropNames, sName, AFTER);
if (ListGetNextString (listPropPair, sValue) == END_OF_LIST) then
sValue = "";
endif;
ListAddString(listPropValues, sValue, AFTER);
endif;
endif;
ListDestroy(listPropPair);
// Get the next string in the list.
nResult = ListGetNextString (listProps, sPropPair);
endwhile;
endif;
endif;
// Remove the list from memory.
ListDestroy (listProps);
if (ListFindKeyValueString(listPropNames, listPropValues, sPropName, sPropValue) != 0) then
return -1;
endif;
return 0;
end;
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//
// Function: CA_UseProperty
//
// This function adds a property name/value pair into the property of a custom action name
// so that it can be retrived by the custom action in the deferred action.
//
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
function CA_SetProperty(hMSI, sCustomActioName, sPropName)
STRING sCAData, sPropValue;
NUMBER nLength;
begin
nLength = MAX_PATH;
MsiGetProperty(hMSI, sPropName, sPropValue, nLength);
nLength = MAX_PATH;
MsiGetProperty(hMSI, sCustomActioName, sCAData, nLength);
if (StrLength(sCAData) > 0) then
sCAData = sCAData + "|";
endif;
sCAData = sCAData + sPropName + "=" + sPropValue;
MsiSetProperty(hMSI, sCustomActioName, sCAData);
end;
To use these functions you must call another CA with the setter in it. It looks like this:
CA_SetProperty(hMSI, "CreateStartShortcut", "INSTALLDIR");
Note you need a handle which is passed into the CA this function call is in.
Next is the CA name you want to assign the value to. This will allow you you get the data you want later.
And lastly is the property you want. The Setter above will look up the property value for you.
In your CA where you will use this value, you will do the following:
CA_GetProperty(hMSI, "INSTALLDIR", svInstallDir);
Pretty simple in application.
