8 replies to this topic

[baking]

I am using ISWI 2.01. I have been able to successfully create and launch custom actions, but whenever I insert a dialog into the User Interface sequence, it never shows up when I run my installation; all it get is a progress bar. I have tried using the full I/F option when I run the install: msiexec /i app.msi /qf  and I still don't see the dialog. Is there a userlevel or some setting I need to set? I am new at this, so don't rule out any obvious suggestions.  BTW, this package was created from importing an existing msi created with Wininstall LE discoz.exe.
Thanks,
baking

(Edited by baking at 5:52 pm on Mar. 9, 2001)

[Stefan Krueger]

Remember that you must first uninstall before you can run another test, else your old msi file will be used (Windows Installer caches MSI files)

[baking]

Thanks for the tip Stefan, I have been doing the uninstall. I can tell when I don't because the install flies by since it's cached.

[SteveP]

I don't use IS, but the most probable cause of a dialog not showing up, if it is part of a sequence, is that is not included in the Next<->Back listing of the preceeding and following dialogs.

If you have the finished MSI package and you have ORCA installed, and if you know where in the sequence you want to dialog to appear, this is easy to check.

Let's say that I have a dialog I have created and that I want it to appear in the standard UI (as opposed to the Maintenance UI) and that I want it to display between the LicenseAgreementDlg and the UserRegistrationDlg.  Let's further say that I call my dialog StevePDlg and that it has a Back control and a Next control.  In order to insert it into the dialog string, I need to direct the LicenseAgreementDlg Next control to point to StevePDlg, and I need to point the StevePDlg Back control to the LicenseAgreementDlg.  The same applies to the Next button on StevePDlg ... it has to point to UserRegistrationDlg, and the Back control on UserRegistrationDlg has to point to StevePDlg.  If any of these links is misplaced, then the behavior of the dialog sequence will be ... unexpected.

I don't know that this is your problem, but it is something to check.

[baking]

SteveP,
I think I understand what you're saying, but if I were to create a single dialog without references to other dialogs, it should still come up, shouldn't it? I will open it up in ORCA and take a look. Anyway, I was talking to our admin this morning and all of our installs are in silent mode when pushed down from AD, so dialogs won't show up anyway. My next tack will be to try and come up with a VB script to pop up a window. All I want to do is pop up a warning before the installation for users to remove their Palm Pilots from their cradle, and click OK to continue the installation. Thanks for all the responses, this is a great resource!

[SteveP]

A standalone dialog should display, so long as it has no references to other dialogs in a sequence.  You can also display a dialog from either the InstallExecuteSequence or the InstallUISequence.  What seems to be impossible is to set a value in one thread and the use it in the other.  

Since you are running in Silent mode, you may want to use a one-line script command to display a message box and call it through a Custom Action.  That works well in my test install, and you can put the dialog pretty much where you want it.  If you then ensure that the CA runs synchronously and that the installer will wait for the return code, you should be in good shape.

The only thought I would offer here is that you may want to use a dialog that allows the user to cancel the install at that point.  Particularly if you are running a silent install, it might be a necessary safety valve.

[baking]

SteveP,
I got that to work!! Thanks!! The only problem is I can't figure out how to change the location of the Window. I chose to use an Installer script with a messagebox, but I couldn't find where to set the location of the box. I currently pops up behind the installation status screen(??) and you have to move that to get to the messagebox. If I can stick that message box in another area of the screen, or have it show up in the foreground I will be in business.
Thanks again for your help,
Brian

[SteveP]

Brian,

You may want to use the constant value vbSystemModal after the text like this:

msgbox "<text>",vbSystemModal

That should make the box sit on top of whatever else is on the screen, according to the language reference.

[baking]

Taa Daaa!!!
That did it!! Thanks a buch!!! I really appreciate your help!
Take care,
Brian