Our software installer simplifies the process of building Windows Installer packages by providing a very easy to use, high level interface to the underlying technology. The program implements all the Windows Installer rules and follows all the advised best practices.
With this simple, intuitive interface, building a Windows Installer package will take just a few minutes. Start the program, add a few files, change the name, hit the Build button and you are done. No scripts to learn, no seminars to attend.
The Advanced Installer project files are stored in XML format. This way, they can be easily checked into a version control system. The software installer also operates at command line, so you can build your release packages in a completely automated script, like Make, Ant or NAnt.
Furthermore, the most common operations are also implemented as command line actions, so you can modify your project in an automated fashion.
Using Advanced Installer's intuitive interface you can easily add to your install package all the resources your software requires:
- Files, Folders and Shortcuts (to installed files, existing files or URLs)
- Registry keys and entries
- Environment Variables (which can replace or be appended to existing variables like PATH)
- INI file entries
- ODBC drivers, data sources and translators
If you have merge modules for your components, they can be also added to the installation. Next you can register these resources as necessary:
- .NET and Win32 assemblies
- Services
- File Associations, MIME types
- Permissions for files, folders, registry keys and entries
If a previous version of your product is found already installed on the target computer, Advanced Installer can upgrade it and ensure that older versions will not be installed over newer ones.
If your application needs some other software to be installed in order to run, you can easily specify them as Prerequisites. Advanced Installer will search for them, then download and install as necessary. This is an easy way to install frameworks like JRE or .NET, browsers or database engines.
Searching for applications, files, folders, registry keys and INI entries is also provided. Using this, installing additional files, extensions and plug-ins to existing applications becomes trivial.
Advanced Installer will organize your application in Features and Components as per Windows Installer guidelines. This way you can take advantage of advanced software installer features like partial install and repair without having to do anything.
Further customizing the organization is easy and intuitive.
Advanced Installer can leave your software's files unpacked, compress them into CAB files (split in multiple volumes as needed), insert them into the MSI file and add a EXE bootstrapper for backwards compatibility.
Digitally signing the generated files will ensure that your customers will never have to question the provenience of your software, and the user registration with serial code validation hooks will ensure that only legitimate users get to install your software.
Packed as native EXEs, DLLs or script files written in C, C++, VBS or JS, Custom Actions give you the full power to add anything you want, anywhere you want to your software installer.
From silent (unattended) installation, to adding dialogs and changing the theme, customizing the Installer UI is trivial.
Learn how your users install, upgrade or uninstall your applications. Track failed installations, where on the globe you are most popular or which version of your application is them most used one.
