Adding a VBScript Custom Action to Installshield Merge Module

This article explains about adding a VBScript Custom Action to the Merge Module created using InstallShield 2010 SP1 and using the same in another InstallShield Project (Say Basic MSI Project).

Create a VBScript Custom Action (stored in binary table) in traditional way as you do in your Basic MSI or InstallScript MSI project. But the options to specify the Install UI / Execute Sequence and Conditions are not directly available as Custom Action properties in merge module project

So the conditions can be added to a custom action in a merge module by inserting the custom action into the sequence and modifying the condition column of the ModuleInstallUISequence or ModuleInstallExecuteSequence table. The following knowledge base article explains how to Insert a Custom Action into a Merge Module:

http://kb.flexerasoftware.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=Q112907

If you want the custom action to run only when a specific patch is being applied then you would possible use the PATCH property and the specific property name for the patch as part of the condition.

This is documented in the following msdn article:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa370576(VS.85).aspx

To run the custom action during the uninstallation of a patch, you can set the "Run during Uninstall of Patch" property to yes. This can be changed under the custom action view and is described in the following helpnet article:

http://kb.flexerasoftware.com/doc/Helpnet/installshield16helplib_sp1/CustomActionSettings.htm

How to register a .Net assembly into GAC using VBScript CA?

This article focuses on registering .Net assembly into GAC using VBScript Custom Action. We generally use the two approaches detailed here to register .Net Assembly into GAC. In case, if both the approach does not seem to work for your .Net DLL and you observe the following, then VBScript CA detailed below can be used to register the assembly.

• When building the InstallShield project with .Net COM Interop property set to 'YES' (along with Destination Path to [GlobalAssemblyCache]), if you get the error =>
  Error -6210: An error occurred building COM .NET Interop information for Component [1].[1] indicates the part of your installation that is causing this error.
• When .Net COM Interop property is set to 'NO', building the InstallShield project would succeed but running the installation does not register the .Net assembly into GAC.

Steps to Register .Net Assembly into GAC:
• Add the .Net Assembly to be registered under Support directory.
• Add a VBScript Custom Action (stored in binary table - MSI Type Number : 3078)– RegisterAsmToGAC with the below mentioned code snippet.

Function RegisterAsmToGAC

on error resume next
' Declaration
Const IDABORT=3
Dim szCommand, szCommand1, szCommand2, szCommand3
Dim PropArray, szSupportDir, sProductName,sAssemblyName
' Reading & Parsing the property values in Deferred CA
PropArray = Split(Session.Property("CustomActionData"), ";")
szSupportDir = PropArray(0)
sProductName = PropArray(1)
sAssemblyName = PropArray(2)
'Display Debug Message
'MsgBox szSupportDir, ,sProductName


' Using GACInstaller.exe utility downladed from http://www.codeproject.com/KB/install/GAC_Installer.aspx
szCommand1 = Chr(34) & szSupportDir & "\GacInstaller.exe" & Chr(34)
szCommand2 = " i "
szCommand3 = Chr(34) & szSupportDir & sAssemblyName & Chr(34)
szCommand = szCommand1 & szCommand2 & szCommand3
'MsgBox szCommand, ,sProductName
Set wshShell = WScript.CreateObject ("WScript.Shell")
rc = wshshell.Run(szCommand, 0, True)
if rc <> 0 then
       MsgBox "Error Registering the Assembly", ,sProductName
       wscript.quit
end if

if Err.Number <> 0 then
       MsgBox Err.Number & " - " & Err.Description, ,sProductName
       RegisterAssemblyGAC = IDABORT
End If

End Function

• The RegisterAsmToGAC CA uses 3 MSI Properties (say SUPPORTDIR, ProductName and .Net Assembly to be  registered). By default the MSI properties will not be available to the Custom actions that are in Defered mode.
• To pass parameter to Deferred CA, create a Set Property CA (MSI Type Number: 51) as 'SetRegisterAsmToGAC', set the property name as RegisterAsmToGAC and set the semicolon separated property names to the property value as [SUPPORTDIR];[ProductName];[AssemblyNameToBeRegistered].
• Schedule the SetRegisterAsmToGAC as a Immediate CA after RegisterProduct.
• Schedule the RegisterAssemblyGAC as a Deferred in System Context after SetRegisterAsmToGAC.

Reading ComputerName - VBScript & InstallScript Samples

Often we have a requirement to read the target computer name to update INI / config file etc., and this article discuss the different ways to read the Computer Name in Script, which can be used within any installer.

VBScript
 Function GetCompName
          Set objNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")
          ComputerName = objNetwork.ComputerName
          GetCompName = ComputerName
 End Function

InstallScript
function STRING  GetCompName()
       STRING szKey, szName, svValue;
       NUMBER nvSize, nvType;
begin
      szKey = "System\\CurrentControlSet\\Control\\ComputerName\\ComputerName";
      szName = "ComputerName";
      // Set the default root.
      RegDBSetDefaultRoot(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE);
      // Retrieve the registry key value.
      RegDBGetKeyValueEx(szKey, szName, nvType, svValue, nvSize);
   return svValue;
end;