Guidelines For Calling Vbscripts And Jscripts - Symantec WINDOWS INSTALLER EDITOR 8.0 Reference

Guidelines for Calling VBScripts and JScripts

Windows Installer Editor Reference
Limitations
Nested installations are supported according to the Windows Installer specification.
While nested installations may sometimes be necessary, we do not recommend using
them because of the restrictions on their use. See a list of restrictions at the end of
Nested Installation Actions in the Windows Installer SDK help.
Usage
According to the Windows Installer SDK, Install MSI custom actions should be placed
between InstallInitialize and InstallFinalize of the main installation's action sequence.
Install MSI custom actions must be set to run synchronously.
Example: Suppose your main installation, Main.MSI, has a button on a dialog box that, if
clicked, installs Second.MSI. You can use an Install MSI custom action to run the second
.MSI. Then you can use another Install MSI custom action to provide for uninstallation if
the main installation is uninstalled.
To specify the circumstances in which a nested .MSI is called, set conditional If
Statements around the Install MSI custom action in the sequence.
See Guidelines for Custom Action Conditions
Note
Getting a nested installation to install is straightforward, but getting it to uninstall
properly when the calling application is uninstalled requires that you add two custom
actions. Set the first custom action to call the nested installation, and set its condition to
NOT Installed (Custom Action Location dialog box). Set the second custom action to call
the nested installation also, set its Property Settings field to REMOVE=ALL (Custom
Action Target dialog box), and set its condition to REMOVE~="All".
With this type of custom action, you can call only Windows Installer installations. To call
an installation that was created with a WiseScript product, use a Run WiseScript custom
action. To call an installation that was created with any other installation technology, use
an Execute Program custom action type.
A nested installation file can be accessed from the following locations:
It can be stored within the main installation file.
See Install MSI From Installation
It can be distributed along with the main installation file.
See Install MSI From Relative Path
It can be an installed or advertised application that already exists on the destination
computer.
See Install MSI From Destination
The return values for nested installation actions are the same as for other custom
actions.
See Custom Action Return Values in the Windows Installer SDK Help.
You can create a custom action that calls a JScript or VBScript file that you have written.
You cannot pass parameters to JScript or VBScript. You must use your script to read and
write properties to the installation—your script can access the current installation
session. The exceptions are the Call JScript From Embedded Code and Call VBScript
on page 455.
on page 478.
on page 479.
on page 477.
Using MSI Script
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