Softpedia >Windows >Authoring Tools >Setup creators >InstallAware Studio for Windows Installer >  Changelog

InstallAware Studio for Windows Installer Changelog

What's new in InstallAware Studio for Windows Installer 17 Build 8.2.13 Wide

Aug 2, 2013
  • IDE:
  • The Power Tweaks and Build Settings design views have been updated with settings for Pre-Compiled Application Runtimes.
  • The Build Settings dialog now has an option to enable Pre-Compiled Application Runtimes.
  • Tools and Libraries:
  • A new Pre-Compiled Runtimes tool is available for accelerating building setups in Web Deploy mode.
  • The Build App-V Package tool has now been upgraded to target Microsoft App-V 5, as well as the continuing ability to target Microsoft App-V 4.x.
  • All components of the build tool chain have now been upgraded with a brand new compression library which results in up to 50% shorter build times and smaller output files.
  • The compression settings for your projects (as accessible from the Build Settings dialog) have been updated for the new compression library:
  • The new best setting outperforms the previous best setting.
  • The new second-best setting is equivalent to the previous best setting, and compresses up to 50% faster; in addition to being able to leverage 3 processor cores instead of only 2 when building.
  • The two remaining compressed slider settings may use up to all available processor cores, for even faster builds (albeit providing reduced compression gains).
  • New Scripting Commands:
  • The Compress 7Zip Archive command creates a brand new archive at runtime.
  • The Delete 7Zip Archive command deletes files from an existing archive at runtime.
  • The List 7Zip Archive command enumerates the contents of an archive at runtime.
  • The Test 7Zip Archive command validates the data integrity of an archive at runtime.
  • Updated Scripting Commands:
  • The Extract 7Zip Archive command may now extract all kinds of archives, above and over the native 7Zip archive format itself.
  • The Get System Settings command may now obtain the number of CPU cores available on the target system.

New in InstallAware Studio for Windows Installer 15 Build 4.13.13 Naquadria (Apr 22, 2013)

  • IDE:
  • The IDE may now import self-registration data from 64 bit COM servers using the Registry design view.
  • The IDE now allows choosing between three different web update modes: automatic, manual, or scheduled.
  • Settings for the new Native Engine 2.0 have been added to the Power Tweaks design view.
  • All components, including the automation interface, the IDE, plug-ins, and the command line build tool, now transcend path length limitations when building setups.
  • Tools and Libraries:
  • The new InstallAware Inline Update tool permits you to issue inline updates for large monolithic or web deployed setups over low bandwidth connections.
  • The updated PackageAware tool is now the fastest setup repackager in the industry.
  • The updated PackageAware tool supports multiple custom capture profiles.
  • The updated PackageAware tool directly captures setups using proprietary InstallAware technologies.
  • The updated PackageAware tool saves and compares any two arbitrary system snapshots.
  • Plug-Ins:
  • The runtimes for Microsoft .NET Framework 2.x have been enhanced to enable installation on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 even on unstable Internet connections.
  • The runtimes for Microsoft .NET Framework 3.x have been updated to enable installation on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
  • The new automatic web update mode directly checks for, downloads, and runs newer setup versions when an installation is run, which may also be used to build dynamically updated product bundles with your main installation
  • Setup Engine:
  • The setup engine can now successfully install your product under all combinations of display languages, user account names, and system locales for non-unicode programs.
  • The new $NATIVE_OVERRIDE_PERMISSIONS$ pre-defined variable permits to overwrite file and registry data in protected system areas when using the new Native Engine 2.0 when the original object permissions can be retained.
  • The new $NATIVE_OVERRIDE_NON_RESTORABLE_PERMISSIONS$ pre-defined variable permits to overwrite file and registry data in protected system areas when using the new Native Engine 2.0, even when the original object permissions cannot be retained.
  • Setup User Interface:
  • The AeroBackButton now automatically displays Windows 8 style back buttons when running on Windows 8 or newer.
  • New Scripting Commands:
  • The new Find All Registry command obtains the names of all subkeys or values contained within a registry key.

New in InstallAware Studio for Windows Installer NX Build 8.24.12 Mooooya (Aug 28, 2012)

  • IDE:
  • The Summary, UAC, and ISO design view now lets you set the ISO/IEC 19770-2:2009 software identification (SWID) tag for your application.
  • The New Project dialog now lets you promote any setup project into a project template.
  • The Replace dialog now replaces all instances of text found in a setup command, instead of replacing only the first instance.
  • The Authenticode Signature design view now has an option to automatically code sign all .EXE, .DLL, .OCX, .SYS, .CPL, .DRV, and .SCR files being installed by setup for Windows 8 logo program compliance.
  • The Build Settings design view now has an option to automatically build all setup layouts as MSI files.
  • The Project Manager now opens all script and dialog browsers inside the active project folder.
  • The Add Dialogs to Project window now permits adding more than one custom dialog simultaneously.
  • You may now create and navigate to bookmarks inside the MSIcode script editor.
  • The code navigation drop-downs now include the full list of available MSIcode script bookmarks.
  • The IDE now prompts to confirm when you attempt to save a read-only file, to ensure your project folders remain synchronized with source control.
  • The IDE most recently used file list now accomodates double the number of projects and displays full project paths on mouse-over.
  • Tools and Libraries:
  • The Dialog Editor now automatically refactors rules when the name of a dialog control is changed.
  • A Visual Studio 2012 Add-In is now available. The add-in automatically generates and builds InstallAware setups for your Visual Studio 2012 solutions. These may then be built as App-V virtualized packages using the Build App-V Package tool.
  • All Visual Studio Add-In generated projects have been updated for the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 eco-system, automatically including the new Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 runtimes as necessary.
  • Group Policy Wizard generated MSI files now do not display dual User Account Control elevation prompts. Elevation prompts are no longer hidden in the background.
  • Group Policy Wizard generated MSI files now display progress feedback with cancel support when extracting large payloads.
  • The App-V Viewer tool has been updated with performance and stability improvements.
  • The command line build tool may now add patch references not included in the original project.
  • A new MiaBuildProjectEy function is available as part of the automation interface which displays the build window with a parent handle.
  • A new .NET assembly is now available as part of the automation interface for use within the .NET eco-system.
  • New MFC, C#, and ASP.NET samples are available for use with the automation interface.
  • The Product Name and Product Version fields in the version information structures of built EXE files are now populated.
  • Plug-Ins:
  • A new .NET Plug-In Bridge is available for calling managed code plug-in assemblies from your setups.
  • A new runtime is available for Microsoft SQL Server 2012.
  • The runtimes for Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, 2.0 with Service Pack 1, and 2.0 with Service Pack 2 have been updated to enable installation on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
  • New runtimes are available for the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 in both 32 bit and 64 bit flavors.
  • New runtimes are available for the Microsoft Visual C++ 11 Runtime in both 32 bit and 64 bit flavors.
  • New runtimes are available for the Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Native Client in both 32 bit and 64 bit flavors.
  • New runtimes are available for the Microsoft IIS Express 8 Web Server in both 32 bit and 64 bit flavors.
  • Setup Engine:
  • The new $CHARSET_OVERRIDE$ pre-defined variable permits to automatically change dialog font character sets without having to duplicate dialogs in multi-lingual setups.
  • Setup billboards now resume automatically from the last billboard shown instead of resetting to the first billboard between different displays of progress dialogs.
  • The $NATIVE_LOGGING$ pre-defined variable can no longer be overridden unless a full file path (including full folder information) is provided.
  • Double-buffering for setup controls is now selectively enabled based on the active system theme, for improved display of setup controls.
  • The new #SIGN_ALL_INPLACE# pre-defined compiler variable controls whether code signing occurs in-place or out-of-place during a build.
  • New Scripting Commands:
  • The new Evaluate XPath Query command runs an XPath query against a specified XML file.
  • The new For Each and Next commands allow for the construction of for loops.
  • Updated Scripting Commands:
  • The Advertised Shortcut/Create Shortcut commands can now run applications as administrator on operating systems with User Account Control (or run them with alternate credentials on operating systems older than Windows Vista).
  • The Advertised Shortcut/Create Shortcut commands can now prevent the automatic inclusion of shortcuts on the new Windows 8 Start Screen.
  • The Advertised Shortcut/Create Shortcut commands can now prevent the user pinning of applications.
  • The Break and Continue commands allow for immediately terminating or continuing to the next iteration of for loops.
  • The Get System Settings command now supports Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machine detection.

New in InstallAware Studio for Windows Installer 2012 Build Mooya.9.26.11 (Dec 13, 2011)

  • IDE:
  • The Files design view now displays both $TARGETDIR$ and $TARGETDIR_X86$ folders when editing hybrid setups containing both 32 bit and 64 bit components, making it very easy to choose where to place your files on 64 bit target operating systems.
  • The IDE now displays native 64 bit registry keys in the Registry design view when running on 64 bit operating systems. Previously, only 32 bit registry keys were visible. These keys still remain visible under the Wow6432Node key.
  • The Shortcuts visual designer of the InstallAware IDE gives your applications prime exposure by pinning them to the Windows 8 Immersive Application Tiles. Use the New Shortcut window to create new shortcuts with pins, or add pins to your existing shortcuts by double-clicking them in the visual designer and editing shortcut properties.
  • Tools and Libraries:
  • The new Build App-V Package tool builds existing InstallAware projects as App-V virtualized packages, either interactively or from the command line. Hybrid 32 bit-64 bit App-V packages are supported.
  • The new App-V Viewer tool views the contents of any existing App-V virtualized package, including those that were not built from InstallAware projects.
  • All build tools, including the automation interface, the IDE, and the command line build tool, may now source files from 64 bit folders when running on 64 bit operating systems. Previously, file system redirection resulted in 32 bit files being sourced instead.
  • A Visual Studio 2011 Add-In is now available. The add-in automatically generates and builds InstallAware setups for your Visual Studio 2011 solutions. These may then be built as App-V virtualized packages using the Build App-V Package tool.
  • Updated Scripting Commands:
  • The Advertised Shortcut/Create Shortcut commands now offer flags to pin the shortcut target to the Windows 8 Immersive Application Tiles. This invaluable real estate provides your applications with prime exposure.
  • The Get Folder Location command can now obtain the path for the Immersive Application Shortcuts folder.
  • The Get OS or SP Level command now supports Windows 8 and Windows Server 8.
  • The Get System Settings command now supports Windows 8, Windows Server 8, Internet Explorer 10, and Internet Information Server 8.

New in InstallAware Studio for Windows Installer 10 Build Mooya.rtm.51110 (Nov 16, 2010)

  • IDE:
  • The Find, Find Next, and Find and Replace tools may now perform both case sensitive and case insensitive operations.
  • Tools and Libraries:
  • A new Native Setup template is available for creating hybrid 32 bit-64 bit application installers using the new native code setup engine, including support for uninstallation of old product versions as well as the modification of setup features during maintenance mode.
  • A new Win64 Setup template is available for creating 64 bit application installers. The template contains pre-defined system folders for both 32 bit and 64 bit locations.
  • Plug-Ins:
  • The MS SQL Server plug-in no longer attempts connections to Microsoft SQL Server on port 1433 by default. However, any desired port may be specified.
  • Setup Engine:
  • A new Native Code Setup Engine is now built-in. The native code setup engine is capable of executing each Windows Installer based action without requiring Windows Installer on the target system. Additionally, the native code setup engine enables setup actions to execute immediately, without deferring them until Apply Install is called - unlike the Windows Installer engine.
  • The new #NO_MSI# pre-defined compiler variable controls whether MSI databases are created as part of a build process.
  • The new $NATIVE_ENGINE$ pre-defined variable controls whether the native code setup engine or the Windows Installer engine will be driving the installation.
  • The new $DELAYUNTIL_APPLYCHANGES$ pre-defined variable permits emulating Windows Installer engine behavior by delaying the immediate execution of setup actions, even when the native code setup engine is active.
  • The new $NATIVE_ERROR$, $NATIVE_OVERWRITE$, and $NATIVE_OVERWRITE_OLDER$ pre-defined variables control how the native code setup engine handles errors and overwrites during native code installations.
  • The new $NATIVE_LOGGING$ and $NATIVE_ROLLBACK$ pre-defined variables control whether the native code setup engine permits uninstallations and rollbacks of native install actions.
  • The new $RECOMMENDEDUPGRADE$ and $NATIVE_OLDLOG$ pre-defined variables indicate if and where an old setup using the native engine was found on the target system.
  • Setup User Interface:
  • Images may now be loaded onto dialog controls at runtime as follows: Define a script variable that has the same name as the target TImage control on your dialog. Before showing the dialog, set this variable to the full file system path of the image that you wish loaded onto the control (such as a file in $SUPPORTDIR$, or a file installed/already present on the target system). If the variable is not defined in the script or does not contain the full path of a file that exists, the existing image will be used and no new image will be loaded.
  • New Scripting Commands:
  • The new Break and Continue commands allow for immediately terminating or continuing to the next iteration of repeat and while loops.
  • The new Reboot and Login command restarts the target system and resumes setup after the Windows shell has been loaded, complementing the Reboot and Resume command which restarts the target system and resumes setup before the Windows shell has been loaded.
  • The new Repeat and Until commands allow for the construction of repeat loops.
  • The new While and Wend commands allow for the construction of while loops.
  • Updated Scripting Commands:
  • The Get System Settings command now supports obtaining the exact resolution of the target system display, as well as obtaining the exact amount of physical RAM installed.
  • The Install Files, Install Assembly, Install Service, Install ODBC Driver commands now support relative path names and environment variables for source file paths. All paths are relative to the root project folder.

New in InstallAware Studio for Windows Installer 9.0 (May 13, 2009)

  • IDE
  • The InstallAware IDE now runs without requiring elevated privileges.
  • The InstallAware IDE can now optionally save human readable TXT file accompaniments for each of your script files.
  • The InstallAware IDE now features multi-level undo and redo in the script editor.
  • On Windows 7, the InstallAware IDE now displays build progress and build errors on the Taskbar.
  • The InstallAware IDE can now be configured to allow multiple instances, or to allow only a single instance, using the IDE customization window.
  • On Windows 7, the InstallAware IDE now features common tasks for immediately launching the IDE and building the last active installation project (or the current active project, when multiple instances are disabled and the IDE is already active).
  • The Shortcuts visual designer of the InstallAware IDE gives your applications prime exposure by pinning them to the Windows 7 Taskbar, or the new Start Menu that is available with Windows XP or higher. Use the New Shortcut window to create new shortcuts with pins, or add pins to your existing shortcuts by double-clicking them in the visual designer and editing shortcut properties.
  • The InstallAware IDE and tools may now launch directly with script files and dialog files, in addition to project files which were previously supported. Custom icons for each file type are now registered in Windows.
  • Tools and Libraries
  • PackageAware now has an expanded registry and file exclusion list to ensure your captured setups contain as little background noise as possible.
  • PackageAware can now optionally create portable projects to make it easier to rebuild setups on systems other than the capture machine.
  • The command line build tool and automation libraries now correctly fail on builds when a compile error occurs in your scripts.
  • The command line build tool now supports multiple simultaneous builds of the same or different projects in any build mode.
  • The Localization Wizard has been updated to provide automatic localizations in 35 languages for InstallAware generated strings found in setup projects.
  • Plug-Ins
  • The SQL Server Express plug-in now installs Microsoft SQL Express 2005 with Service Pack 3 and Microsoft SQL Express 2008 with Service Pack 1.
  • The MS SQL Server, Oracle Database, and My SQL plug-ins now return detailed error information, including a textual error description as well as the SQL script fragment which caused the error.
  • Plug-Ins can now abort the build process in the CompileTimeBuild function they export.
  • A full collection of 64 bit application runtimes are now built-in.
  • Setup Engine
  • The setup engine now records restart requests for the installer in the RunOnce registry key, instead of the Run key.
  • The setup engine can be forced to disallow multiple instances using the new #SINGLEINSTANCE# pre-defined compiler variable.
  • The setup engine no longer waits for tasks to complete when cancelled, returning control to the main setup script from plug-ins, external programs, or other external tasks with only a 5 second time-out. This helps prevent unresponsive child tasks from stalling an orderly setup shutdown.
  • The setup engine no longer attempts to re-connect to network or other removable drives at uninstall time, if such drives were used for local resources at install/maintenance time.
  • The setup engine now times out on network downloads (either for web media blocks or with the Download File plug-in) after 10 seconds.
  • The new #CODEPAGE# pre-defined compiler variable permits you to change the codepage of your MSI databases to ensure successful internationalization of your setups.
  • The setup engine now provides two new pre-defined variables, $ABORTONERROR$ and $ABORTEDONERROR$, which can be used to prevent setup from exiting when an error occurs or setup is cancelled.
  • The setup engine now reads binary and multi string registry values through Read Registry and Check Registry.
  • The setup compiler now generates shorter MSI component names, but old style long MSI component name generation is still available through the #LONGCOMPONENTS# pre-defined compiler variable.
  • The setup engine now reports the exact include file and line number for runtime errors.
  • The setup engine can now be forced to always preserve downloaded installation data and settings, for a later re-installation, using the new $SAVEDATA$ pre-defined variable. While the setup engine preserves this data during an interrupted installation, it always discards this data after a complete uninstallation.
  • The setup engine can now be instructed to always cache or never cache setup sources, regardless of project build type.
  • Setup User Interface
  • When interactive Flash billboards with sound are used, the sound playback properly stops when the progress dialog is no longer showing.
  • On Windows 7, the setup engine now displays additional notifications in the form of a Taskbar Overlay Icon on the new Windows 7 Taskbar, any time a System Tray command is called with a system tray notification icon set to be displayed.
  • On Windows 7, the setup engine displays native installation progress on the Taskbar. The Taskbar button for setup will additionally turn yellow when end-user input is required, and red when a setup error has occured.
  • The pre-defined variable $PROGRESSMODE$ now provides two additional progress modes on Windows 7 to display native progress in yellow or red color on the Taskbar.
  • Updated Scripting Commands
  • The Advertised Shortcut/Create Shortcut commands now offer flags to pin the shortcut target to the Windows 7 Taskbar and to pin the shortcut target to the top of the new Start Menu with Windows XP or higher. This invaluable real estate provides your applications with prime exposure.
  • The Register Assembly command now offers a flag to set the codebase in the registry.
  • The Get OS or SP Level command now supports Windows 7.
  • The Get System Settings command now supports Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8, and Internet Information Server 7.5.
  • The Schedule Task command now lets tasks run without requiring users to be logged on to the target workstation.

New in InstallAware Studio for Windows Installer 8.0 (May 13, 2009)

  • IDE
  • The InstallAware IDE is now integrated with Visual Studio.
  • The IDE now allows choosing between two different update modes: manual or scheduled.
  • The following new design views are available: INI Files, Local Files.
  • The IDE now substitutes pre-defined system folders with standard MSIcode variables when importing registry entries from COM objects or .REG files. You will still need to make sure that the MSIcode variables substituted by the IDE have been defined by your setup (in case they have not been previously defined).
  • The IDE now lets you connect directly to the InstallAware Community Center to download new application runtimes or new plug-ins which have been authored by InstallAware or third parties.
  • The Files and Registry design views now support recursive delete operations on the files, folders, and registry keys being installed.
  • The Shortcuts, Assemblies, File Associations, ODBC, Services, Environment Variables, Access Control, Drivers, IIS Sites, Shared Folders, SQL Databases, and Scheduled Tasks design views now allow creating and filtering design view elements by setup features.
  • The Assemblies design view now allows generating native images, registering assemblies for COM Interop, and invoking .NET installer classes on listed assemblies through conveniently located check-boxes.
  • Tools and Libraries
  • The underlying technology for connecting to SQL servers such as Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server has been updated.
  • The built-in update script has been updated to correctly remove previously downloaded update information upon application uninstallation.
  • The DIFx Driver Install plug-in now performs driver installations using Driver Installation Frameworks 2.1.
  • Plug-Ins
  • The default SQL Server Express application runtime scripts now install SQL Server without enabling network protocols.
  • A new Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 with Service Pack 1 runtime installs .NET 3.5 with Service Pack 1, along with its sub-components .NET 2 with Service Pack 2 and .NET 3 with Service Pack 2. The sub-components may be individually selected for installation independently of .NET 3.5 with Service Pack 1 as well.
  • A new Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 runtime installs .NET 3.5, along with its sub-components .NET 2 with Service Pack 1 and .NET 3 with Service Pack 1. The sub-components may be individually selected for installation independently of .NET 3.5 as well.
  • More new runtimes add support for Visual Studio 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 with Service Pack 1 technologies, such as Visual C++ Runtime 9 with Service Pack 1.
  • A new Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition 3.5 with Service Pack 1 runtime is available.
  • The SQL Server Express plug-in now installs Microsoft SQL Express 2008.
  • Setup Engine
  • The setup compiler features four new optimization switches for shortening setup build times and improving Windows Installer runtime performance. These switches are also accessible from the command line build tool.
  • The setup compiler now performs fast uncompressed builds using hard links instead of full file copy during the build stage using the new #NOHARDLINKS# pre-defined compiler variable.
  • The setup engine has now been optimized to scale for very large setups and provides an approximate 80%-90% runtime performance enhancement for projects involving a lot of MSIcode commands and variables.
  • The setup engine now waits until the Windows Installer service is available, instead of aborting installation with an error message, when another Windows Installer based setup is in progress. The wait can be cancelled by the end-user if so desired.
  • The setup engine now compresses its installer cache folder on NTFS volumes, saving disk space, as controlled by the new pre-defined variable $MYAH_COMPRESS_INSTALLER_CACHE$.
  • The setup engine can now disable Windows Installer rollback to improve runtime setup performance, as controlled by the new pre-defined variable $MYAH_DISABLE_ROLLBACK$.
  • The setup engine can now disable Windows Vista's Restart Manager to improve runtime setup performance, as controlled by the new pre-defined variable $MYAH_DISABLE_VISTA_RESTART_MANAGER$.
  • The setup engine no longer aborts on missing variables (such as persistent variables which cannot be reloaded because of a missing installer cache) - instead, such variables are re-initialized on the fly with an empty initial value.
  • The setup engine now connect to remote IIS metabases, as controlled by the new pre-defined variable $IISHOST$.
  • The setup engine can now use a custom installer cache location, as controlled by the new pre-defined variable $OVERRIDECACHE$.
  • The setup engine can now natively work with IIS 7 web servers without requiring the IIS 6 compatibility interface. However, remote IIS functionality is only available in IIS 6 mode.
  • It is now possible to manually force UAC elevation on Vista to one of the following three states: asInvoker, highestAvailable (previously the default), and requireAdministrator.
  • Setup User Interface
  • When their Writes Values to Variable Object Behavior is empty, Memo and RichEdit controls now indicate if they have been scrolled all the way to the end by setting their MaxLength property to 2147483647 (the default value for this property is 0). This feature may be used when you need to build dialog boxes for your license agreement (and readme) files, and you require the end-user to read all of the information in the dialog (possibly in addition to checking an "I Agree" box) before moving to the next dialog.
  • The Panel dialog control now properly resolves variables used within its Caption property.
  • Updated Scripting Commands
  • The Generate Native Images command now sets its startup folder to the same folder as the assembly being imaged. It also offers a flag to delete previously generated native images.
  • The If command now performs version number comparisons, supporting up to 4 digits in each version number.
  • The Register Assembly command now sets its startup folder to the same folder as the assemby being registered. It also offers a flag to unregister an assembly.
  • The Register Library command now sets its startup folder to the same folder as the library being registered.
  • The Run Program command now sets its startup folder to the same folder as the application being run. A custom startup folder may be specified using the Run Program As command.
  • The Run Program As command can now de-elevate programs being run to original limited user credentials when UAC is enabled on Vista and setup has been elevated to administrator credentials.
  • The Run .NET Installer Class command now sets its startup folder to the same folder as the installer class being run.

New in InstallAware Studio for Windows Installer 7.0 (Jul 27, 2007)

  • The IDE now offers MSIcode categories to easily distinguish between the various kinds of drag-drop scripting commands that are available.
  • Projects now use relative paths for storing the locations of setup scripts, making it easier to move setup scripts and projects between different computers.
  • A new project-level setting now allows you to calculate file hashes during builds.
  • When application runtimes are added using the Application Runtimes view, their associated include scripts are now automatically copied to the local project folder, making it easier for different projects to install runtimes with different settings.
  • When application runtimes are deselected from the Application Runtimes view, their associated include scripts are now automatically removed.
  • When the update script is added using the Project Properties view, the include script is now automatically copied to the local project folder, making it easier for different projects to use different update scripts (and persist changes made to the update script when uninstalling/reinstalling the IDE).
  • When the update script is removed using the Project Properties view, the include script is now automatically removed.
  • Code signing with passwords is now supported during builds inside the IDE.
  • A new Quick Start Wizard is available, allowing you to create functional setups for your applications in literally minutes.
  • The underlying technology for connecting to SQL Servers has been updated.
  • A new IIS Web Sites and Folders sample project is available. This project provides a built-in dialog that enumerates available IIS websites on the target system, and lets the user choose an existing website, or enter a new website name, as well as a virtual folder name. The selected website and virtual folder is then created on the target system.
  • The command line build tool now ignores the debug build project setting during a command line build.
  • Multiple instance dialog editors are now available as an option.
  • Logo suite program tests have been updated with the latest test files from the Windows 6.0 SDK.
  • Builds for compressed, web based, and patch media types now create hard links instead of copying files (where possible). This improves build performance by eliminating redundant file copy steps. This benefit does not apply to uncompressed media types and is not supported on non-NTFS volumes.
  • The compression engine now utilizes all available processors (and cores) on a system to provide near-linear compression performance enhancements.
  • The compression engine now performs nearly twice faster while compressing on a clock-per-clock basis.
  • The Group Policy Wizard has been updated, and now facilitates better distribution of InstallAware MSI packages using Group Policy / Active Directory. Patches may now also be distributed using this wizard.
  • The Code Signing Tool tool has been updated, and now allows specifying a password during the signing process.
  • The SQL Server Express plug-in now installs the Service Pack 2 level of Microsoft SQL Express 2005.
  • XML Paper Specification and Windows Imaging Component have been added to the standard .NET 3 installation. These are optional components and can be commented out.
  • The size of setup packages has been reduced by eliminating redundant data from MSI files.
  • Setup packages can now be extremely large - while packages were previously limited to 32767 files, this limit no longer applies.
  • Setups that use web media blocks and long source file paths no longer run into the maximum path limit. Path generation for files inside web media blocks has been optimized to eliminate problems with source paths of any length.
  • The setup engine has been optimized to perform smoothly for setups containing thousands of lines of MSIcode script - a near 10x improvement over the previous versions.
  • Compiler Variables are now re-substituted during the execution of localized setups.
  • A new pre-defined compiler variable #LOCMODE# is available, determining the way localizations are applied to setups at runtime.
  • A new pre-defined variable is available for use with scripting: $GPOPATH$.
  • The setup engine can now automatically save downloaded web media block files, as well as the main setup file, as controlled by the new pre-defined variable $COPYWEBLOCK$.
  • The setup engine can now automatically load setup data (such as features, feature selections, persistent variables) from an older product version. This behavior is enabled through the new pre-defined compiler variable #LOADOLDDATA#.
  • A new VistaGlass component is now available, letting you design your custom glass surfaces in setup wizards on Windows Vista. Please note that Vista Glass support is currently in the beta stage. Adding Vista Glass support to your setup wizards will not affect the reliability or performance of your setup in any way, but may introduce harmless visual artifacts.
  • The Get Component Space command returns the space required by a component, or the entire setup, at runtime.
  • The Get IIS Site List command returns the list of IIS websites available on the local system.
  • The Get OS or SP Level command returns the exact operating system or service pack version (instead of a minimum version check).
  • The Localization Variable command creates stable string IDs for use with translations.
  • The Remove Assemblies command removes all unpinned assemblies installed by your application from the GAC.
  • The Set Component Choice command enables or disables end-user interaction with a setup feature at runtime.
  • The Set Component Visibility command hides or shows a setup feature at runtime.
  • The File Bag command now supports exclusion wildcards.
  • The Get System Settings command now detects the exact underlying processor architecture for 64 bit systems.
  • The If command now offers an additional parameter, to check if a variable has been previously defined.
  • The Read from Text File command now supports reading in an entire file with a single call.

New in InstallAware Studio for Windows Installer 6.0 (Jul 18, 2006)

  • InstallAware Studio 6 builds Windows Installer packages with 67% improved compression, partial web deployment, and fully customized user interfaces featuring interactive Flash and HTML progress billboards.
  • New in version 6 is unlimited Web Updates, VMware/Virtual PC detection, DIFx 2.01 Driver installations, hybrid 32/64 bit setups, and Vista support.
  • InstallAware's own setup no longer requires a password to install the trial.