Advanced Installer Professional
Features
1. Internet Information Services
Advanced Installer offers a fast and uniform installation of your web applications on multiple servers without the need to manually configure IIS on every machine. Since it provides a tight Windows Installer integration it enables you to dynamically configure IIS settings through Formatted fields, Properties, Conditions, Installer User Interface. IIS servers from versions 5, 6 and 7 up to the latest 8 version are supported.
Exclusive Features
Features exclusive to Advanced Installer:
·Web Deploy Packages
·Publish Web Applications to IIS and Microsoft Azure from installers using Microsoft Web Deploy
·Import your Web Applications
·Quickly configure web sites, virtual directories and application pools by importing directly from your working configurations
·Application Pools
·Assign specific configuration settings to a worker process (or processes) that services a group of applications
·Full customization of your Application Pools
·This unique feature of Advanced Installer lets you customize every aspect of your Application Pool's functionality
·Browse Web Sites, Virtual Directories and Application Pools
·Help your users to easily pick target web sites, virtual directories and application pools by showing an User Interface list with what is available
Configure IIS
A large palette of IIS settings and features that can be configured through Advanced Installer.
·Virtual Directories
·Configure and deploy Virtual Directories, associate a Web Application
·Configure IIS server
·Configure the IIS server, backup the metabase, open the Management Console, FastCgi Applications, etc.
·User Accounts integration
·Configure anonymous access for IIS or authentication fully integrated with the User Accounts functionality (both for web applications and pools)
·XML Updates
·Deploy and Update "web.config" files for advanced configuration options
·HTTPS/SSL configuration
·Configure HTTPS/SSL parameters for websites: bindings, digital certificates and options
·ASP.NET registration
·Register your ASP.NET (.NET 2.0/4.0) web application with IIS 7/7.5 or IIS 5/6. Registration from IIS 8/8.5 onwards is performed automatically when enabling the corresponding ASP.NET Windows Feature.
·Additional customizations
·Configure ISAPI filters
·Configure MIME settings
·Configure Application Mappings
·Configure Default Documents
·Configure HTTP Response Headers
·Configure custom HTTP Error Pages
·Enable FTP access for your applications
·Configure Custom Properties (Available from IIS 7, in addition to the previously mentioned dedicated UI features, custom properties help you modify the majority of IIS attributes/collections.)
Additional Features
These features complete your server configuration needs. Even if they are not IIS specific they can be used together with IIS in order to offer a versatile configuration capability: SQL Databases, Assemblies, Windows Firewall, Control Panel Applets, Windows Services, Web Applications Prerequisites.
2. Installer Localization and Internationalization
In an increasingly globalized world, customers demand software products adapted to their culture and environment, starting from the installation process up to the application itself. Localizing setups in Advanced Installer is just as easy as authoring your package and selecting the desired languages for your project.
Over 30 ready-to-use languages
Advanced Installer comes packed with over 30 language dictionaries that contain translations for all user interface strings and certain Windows Installer properties.
Localize in a new language
Translating additional languages is as easy as editing an XML file generated as a dictionary of untranslated strings. Any included dictionary can be used as a starting point in creating your own.
You can specify which parts of the project need translation, from entire segments to individual elements. If your installer has custom elements that don't have translations you can simply edit the dictionary and add them.
Per-language or multi-language installers
Create separate packages for each language you support or just a single big setup file containing all the localized versions of your installer.
At runtime, multi-lingual packages will choose a language based on the default system UI language. If an EXE bootstrapper is used, it can optionally present a language selection dialog.
3. Installing Prerequisites
Software products often depend on other components to be installed in order to run properly. From other applications to databases, frameworks and run-time environments, it is the installer's job to make sure that the right versions are present before the main application is ready to run.
Built-in prerequisite definitions
A number of prerequisite definitions are already built-in Advanced Installer so you can start using them straight away:
·Windows Installer
·.NET Framework
·SQL Server
·Java Runtime Environment
·DirectX
·Internet Explorer
·PowerShell
·Visual C++
·Visual Studio Tools for Office
·and many more...
Adding a brand new prerequisite is just a matter of specifying a search criteria and a packaging method.
Advanced OS configuration like Windows Features and Windows Server Roles is also included.
Checking for prerequisites
Prerequisites are searched using the possible criteria, from file versions to registry keys and values. The search checks if the installed versions fall in the specified range. Prerequisites not found are subsequently scheduled for install.
Various prerequisite launch conditions (like OS version and language) and complex relationships to other prerequisites (reboot, parent/child) are supported.
Downloading prerequisites
Prerequisites install packages can be bundled with the application or downloaded from an URL. Downloaded files are checked for integrity by size and by their precomputed MD5 signatures.
Additionally, a web page can be open and the user prompted to download and install the package himself.
Bundled prerequisites can be individually compressed for smallest installer footprint.
Installing prerequisites
Prerequisites are installed in the order they are specified. Additional options are available, to control the User Interface level (full, basic or none) and what to allow the user to override.
4. Digital Signatures
Today's users and organizations are becoming increasingly wary about installing software of uncertain provenience on their computers. By digitally signing your installers and products in Advanced Installer, you will increase your user's confidence in you and your company, giving them peace of mind about your software.
SHA-1 to SHA-2 transition
Microsoft has announced a mandatory update of the Digital Signature system from SHA-1 to SHA-2. Preparing your digital signatures and signing your installers according to this update is vitally important because starting with January 1st, 2017 Windows will no longer trust installers with a SHA-1 signature (file hash or timestamp).
Sign both your MSI and EXE installers
Digitally sign your installers in Advanced Installer using a SHA-2 certificate to ensure they pass the UAC and Windows SmartScreen check.
Windows SmartScreen check for a downloaded unsigned product or with unverified signature
UAC elevation prompt for an unsigned product or with unverified signature
UAC elevation prompt for a product digitally signed with Advanced Installer
The above screenshots were taken using Advanced Installer's install package itself as an example. When you sign with your own digital signature, your own company and product will appear as the publisher instead of "Caphyon" and "Advanced Installer".
Sign files included in your installation
Advanced Installer allows you digitally sign any eligible file included in your installation in a single, simple, integrated build step. Furthermore, all executable files generated by Advanced Installer (Updater, AutoRun launcher, Java Native Launcher, etc.) are marked to be signed as soon as a digital signature is provided.
Sign patches and external cabinet files
By also signing patches you can enable least-privileged user account patching without UAC elevation prompts on Windows Vista and above.
Signing all install archives allows Windows Installer to verify their integrity and detect possible corruptions before installing.
Sign Visual Studio Extension, Add-In and AppX packages
Sign your VSIX, Add-In or AppX packages and give your customers peace of mind that your software is genuine.
5. ODBC
Install and easily set the attributes on ODBC drivers, data sources, and translators.
6. File Associations
Associate files extensions with your application to open, edit, view or print.
7. COM support
Specify COM, COM+ and DCOM components for registration during install.
8. Multiple Installer Builds
Often you need to create distinct install packages of your products, configured for different platforms or editions. Advanced Installer makes this extremely easy with its integrated build system which allows you to generate multiple separate installers from a single project.
Multiple build configurations
Once your application project is created, simply add different build configurations, starting from scratch or duplicating an existing scenario. For each installer you can then customize:
·Install Parameters
·Prerequisites
·Launch Conditions
·Custom Actions
·Archives and Volumes Layout
·EXE bootstrapper
·User Interface (Theme Variations, Translations)
·Included Features (with files, folders, shortcuts, registry entries)
Resources added later to your project will be automatically available in all build configurations.
Multiple installer types
Advanced Installer supports the following build types, which you can add to your project in any number:
Windows Installer builds
·Most used type of build
·Can be used to create regular MSI installers
·Installers can be optionally wrapped in EXE bootstrappers
UWP Desktop Bridge builds
·Package Win32/.NET applications as AppX packages, ready for Windows Store deployment
·Build Desktop(UWP) and Windows Server 2016(WSA) MSIX/AppX packages
App-V builds
·Available when you are creating App-V packages
·Requires Advanced Installer Architect Edition
MacOS X build
·Installation package for Java applications ready to be deployed on Mac OS X
9. Office Add-ins
Easily create installers for popular software platform extensions, plug-ins and add-ins using the included specialized templates.
10. Automation
Modify your installer projects from command-line, in scripts or batch processing.
11. MSIX (AppX) - Desktop Bridge
Full support to build MSIX packages for your Win32/.NET applications, from your existing projects, through the Desktop Bridge.
12. EXE bootstrapper
Bootstrap your MSI or AppX package into an EXE file with a custom icon, description, and version.
13. Search
Search for components, files, folders, registry and INI entries during install.
14. Updater
Advanced Installer includes an automatic updater that can check for, download and install updates for your software.
Secure, reliable Web or Local updates
·Automatic usage of proxy
·Updates integrity checks using file size and MD5 signatures
·HTTP authentication and HTTPS support for secure update access
·Optional server-side license check before downloading updates
·Install only digitally signed update packages signed with the same certificate as the Updater
The HTTP authentication support and on-line license check allow you to restrict update access to verified paid customers, cutting off users without genuine licenses.
Small and flexible updater client
·Pure, native C++ Win32 code - no arcane scripts to learn
·Single EXE file, with no additional dependencies
·Localizable in all the supported languages.
·Customizable file name and other properties (icon, etc.)
Visual Updates Editor
After all settings are specified in the GUI, the project is built into a lightweight property/value format (INI text files) configuration file. This file format is small to download and it doesn't require separate parsing, thus resulting in a smaller, faster updater.
Fully integrated in your application and OS
·Run from application menu or at a fixed number of days when the application is started
·Run the Updater from the Windows Scheduler service using the integrated
·Run minimized to tray
·Optional silent download and unattended install of critical or all updates
Improved end-user update experience
·Allow users to specify and overwrite update frequency and times
·Shut-down compliant applications before updating and restart them afterwards, similarly to Vista's Restart Manager.
·Update advertising
Each update can have an included description, together with a list of the features, enhancements and bug fixes provided. These will be displayed nicely formatted to the user when he is prompted to update.
Updater for UWP packages
Our classic Auto-Updater has been upgraded for Windows 10 and UWP. Now you can use it to automatically update sideloaded MSIX/AppX packages.
15. Installer Themes
The installer is the first part of your application seen by the user. A good impression is essential for your success, while a smooth, simple install experience ensures a higher rate of happy users.
However, dedicating more resources for your installer could mean less time for your main product. To solve this dilemma Advanced Installer strives to create not only powerful, rock-solid installers out-of-the box, but also beautiful, intuitive and easy to use installer User Interfaces.
Classic Themes
From its very beginning, Advanced Installer has carefully engineered DPI-aware MSIs with adaptive controls and image scaling. As refinement to the UI standards, our designers have provided over 40 prepackaged themes, ready to use a mouse click away.
Enhanced Themes
With the advent of our Enhanced Native UI, we were eager to expose the power and functionality made possible with no more work from you than a simple selection. A set of built-in, native themes were added to Classic:
Surface |
Air |
Azure |
Graphite |
Modern |
Spring |
Red Surface |
Breeze |
Light Coral |
Metal |
Light Cyan |
Light Sky Blue |
White Surface |
White |
Orange |
Blue Cave |
Red Ilusia |
Lavender |
... |
... |
... |
... |
... |
... |
Theme Variations
Each built-in theme offers countless stylistic variations able to satisfy even the most critic eye. Starting from the system look and feel you can tweak your themes to perfection with alternative backgrounds, colors, window frames and other provided UI elements.
Customize Your Theme
Of course, all themes are fully customizable. Using our Dialog Editor you can change, improve or even create your own extended HTML 5 theme from scratch.
Add your own PNGs, large 256x256 true color Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/Vista icons, Command Link controls, any HTML, hyperlinks, transparent controls/images and more. Let your imagination run wild.
16. Custom Actions
Extend your installer's capabilities by executing your code during install.
17. Installing Windows Services
Adding a service to your project is as simple as going to the Services page, pressing the New Service button and selecting it.
Now all you have to do is begin customizing the newly added service to fit your application with options like Start Type, Error Control, User Account, Actions, Service Parameters, etc.
Services
Your service will be automatically installed and configured for all the users running the setup package. It will also be upgraded / removed automatically when they install a new version or uninstall your application.
18. Windows Features and Server Roles Configuration
Establish the required deployment environment on the target operating system by installing prerequisites along with your software. With Advanced Installer's intuitive GUI you're only a few clicks away from setting up sophisticated Windows configuration like:
Windows Features
Certain programs and features included with Windows, such as Internet Information Services, need to be turned on before your application can use them.
Advanced Installer offers the support to configure Windows Features during your application's installation.
Windows Server Roles
For the target computer to perform a specific function for multiple users or other computers within a network, a set of software programs called server role must be installed and properly configured.
Advanced Installer simplifies how you install Server Roles and lets you install multiple roles at the same time.
19. Installer Continuous Integration
Built-in support for integration with TFS, Jenkins, TeamCity, and Bamboo.
20. Tiles for Desktop Applications on Windows 10
Make your application stand out from the crowd, use native tiles. You can easily customize how your tile looks in the in Start Menu with options like custom logos, colors and more.
Customization
Advanced Installer now allows you to change how your Win32/.NET desktop application looks in the Windows Start Menu. Simply go to the Tiles page, select your executable files and start customizing the new tiles.
21. Mixed 32/64-bit installers
Author single, unified installers for both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms.
22. Organizing MSI Packages
Organizing package resources into features and components can easily help you create predefined setup types (Typicall, Complete, Server, Client, etc.), download content on demand through web based installations or self-heal your application to repair broken installations.
Use the MSI organization view from Advanced Installer to quickly add/remove/configure features or components with a couple of clicks:
Perfect Organization by Default
Add resources to your Advanced Installer project and they will be automatically organized into components and features according Microsoft's rules and best practices.
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