Build Options Page
AdminStudio 2023 | 25.0 | ThinApp Assistant
On the Build Options page, you can perform the following tasks:
| • | Specifying Build Options |
| • | Including Additional Windows Installer Packages in a ThinApp Application |
| • | Building a Windows Installer Package to Assist in the Distribution of a ThinApp Application |
| • | Selecting Releases to Build |
| • | Enabling Citrix Profile Building When in Direct Edit Mode |
| • | Clearing the ThinApp Cache |
| • | Opening the ThinApp Application Folder |
| • | Building a Citrix Profile |
| • | Supporting AppSync and AppLink |
The options on the Build Options page vary depending upon whether you are editing an InstallShield project or a Windows Installer package:
InstallShield Project
When you open an InstallShield project in InstallShield:
| • | The Build Options page includes a releases tree, and you select the release that you want to build. |
| • | To build the ThinApp application, you click the Build button on the toolbar. |
Windows Installer Package [Direct Edit Mode]
When you open a Windows Installer package in InstallShield:
| • | Because you do not have to select a release for a Windows Installer package, there is no releases tree. |
| • | Because a Windows Installer package has already been built, InstallShield’s standard build functionality is disabled. To build the ThinApp application, select the Build ThinApp application option and click the Build Virtual Package button. |
On the Build Options page, you can specify the following options:
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Option |
Description |
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(Direct Edit/Direct MST Modes Only) When you directly edit a Windows Installer package, it is not necessary to build the package, because it is already built. Therefore, InstallShield’s Build function is disabled. Select the Build ThinApp Application option to enable the Build function. When this option is selected, the Build Virtual Package button is enabled. For more information, see Enabling Citrix Profile Building When in Direct Edit Mode. |
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(Direct Edit/Direct MST Modes Only) When you directly edit a Windows Installer package, if you select the Build ThinApp Application option, this button is enabled. Click it to build the ThinApp application. Note:This button will also be enabled if the Build Citrix profile option is selected on the Build Settings page of the Citrix Assistant. In this scenario, if you click this button without also selecting the Build ThinApp application option on this page, the ThinApp application will not be built. |
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Generate a Windows Installer (MSI) file as part of the build output |
You can choose to build a Windows Installer package with your ThinApp application. This enables you to use enterprise distribution tools such as ConfigMgr (Formerly called as System Center Configuration Manager) or Microfocus ZENworks Configuration Management to distribute your ThinApp application. To build a Windows Installer file with your ThinApp application, select this option. By default, this option is not selected. For more information, see Building a Windows Installer Package to Assist in the Distribution of a ThinApp Application. |
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Select this option if you do not want to allow ThinApp Log Monitor tracing for a ThinApp application. ThinApp Log Monitor is an application in the ThinApp Suite that allows you to record detailed information about any application’s execution history for later review. For more information, see Setting ThinApp Log Monitor Tracing Options. |
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Select one of the following options to specify the ThinApp application’s compression type:
Note:For more information, see Compressing a ThinApp Application. |
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Would you like to include additional MSI files in the virtual package? |
Sometimes a primary Windows Installer package uses other Windows Installer packages indirectly, such as driver files, client components, etc. To include additional Windows Installer packages in a ThinApp application, set this option to Yes, and then select the packages that you want to add. Note:For more information, see Including Additional Windows Installer Packages in a ThinApp Application. |
Including Additional Windows Installer Packages in a ThinApp Application
Sometimes a primary Windows Installer package uses other Windows Installer packages indirectly, such as driver files, client components, etc. In addition to being able to convert a single Windows Installer package to a virtual package, you can also use the ThinApp Assistant to convert an application suite of multiple Windows Installer packages into one virtual package.
To include additional Windows Installer packages in a ThinApp application, set the Would you like to include additional MSI files in the virtual package? option to Yes, and then select the packages that you want to add.
| • | Click the New button ( ) and select the Windows Installer packages that you want to add. After each file is selected, it will be listed in the Windows Installer Files (.msi) list. |
| • | The order of the packages can be changed by selecting a package in the list and clicking the Move Up ( ) and Move Down ( ) buttons. |
| • | Use the Delete button ( ) to delete a package from the list. |
Building a Windows Installer Package to Assist in the Distribution of a ThinApp Application
You can choose to build a Windows Installer package to assist in the distribution of a ThinApp application by selecting the Generate a Windows Installer (MSI) file as part of the build output option on the Build Options page. By default, this option is not selected.
The Windows Installer file can be run to properly install the ThinApp application on an end-user’s desktop. This simplifies the deployment of a ThinApp application by enabling you to use enterprise distribution tools such as ConfigMgr (Formerly called as System Center Configuration Manager) or Microfocus ZENworks Configuration Management.
A ThinApp application installed using a Windows Installer package can be uninstalled using Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel.
Selecting Releases to Build
You select the releases that you want to build a ThinApp application for on the Releases tree of the Build Options page. By selecting a release, you are specifying that whenever that particular release is built, a ThinApp application will also be built.
Note:If you are editing a Windows Installer package (Direct Edit Mode) or transform file (Direct MST Mode), the Releases tree on the Build Options page is not displayed.
About Building Releases
When you select a release on the Releases tree on the Build Options page, you are specifying that whenever you build that particular release, you want to also build a ThinApp application for that release. However, the releases that are selected on the Build Options page have no bearing upon which release is built when you click the Build button on the toolbar. When you initiate a build by clicking the Build button, a build is initiated for the active release—the release that was most recently selected on the Installation Designer Releases view. The output of that build would depend upon what releases were selected on the Build Options page:
| • | Active release selected—A Windows Installer package and a ThinApp application would be built. |
| • | Active release not selected—Only a Windows Installer package would be built. |
Note:To build more than one release at a time, perform a batch build. See Performing Batch Builds.
About Creating Releases
You cannot create or edit a release in the ThinApp Assistant. If no releases exist, you can simply click the Build toolbar button to create a new release or open the Releases view of the InstallShield Installation Designer. You must create at least one release before you will be able to build a ThinApp application. For more information, see Creating and Building Releases.
If you are editing a Windows Installer package (Direct Edit Mode) or transform file (Direct MST Mode), the Releases tree on the Build Options page is not displayed.
Enabling ThinApp Application Building When in Direct Edit Mode
When you are editing a Windows Installer (.msi) package or a transform (.mst) file in the ThinApp Assistant, you are in Direct Edit Mode or Direct MST Mode. Because you are directly editing a Windows Installer package, you save your changes by selecting Save on the File menu. It not necessary to build the package, because it is already built. Therefore, InstallShield’s Build function is disabled.
However, you do need to run the build process to build a ThinApp application for this Windows Installer package. To enable the Build button to build just the ThinApp application, select the Build ThinApp application option on the Build Options page.
After you select this option, the Build ThinApp application selection on the Build menu becomes enabled, as does the Build toolbar button.
When you perform compressed builds, large temporary files are saved in a cache location. To delete all of these temporary files, select the Clear the VMware ThinApp Cache option in the More Options list on the Build Options page
Opening the ThinApp Application Folder
To quickly open the folder containing the ThinApp application files that were generated when this InstallShield project or Windows Installer package was built, click Open ThinApp application folder in the More Options menu.
Building a ThinApp Application
The method for building a ThinApp application depends upon what file you have open—an InstallShield project or a Windows Installer package. For detailed instructions, see one of the following topics:
| • | Building an App-V Package from Within an InstallShield Project |
| • | Building an App-V Package from Within a Windows Installer Package in InstallShield |
Supporting AppSync and AppLink
To configure AppSync and AppLink settings for your ThinApp application, click the AppSync Settings or AppLink Settings option in the More Options menu. For more information, see the AppSync Settings Dialog Box or the AppLink Settings Dialog Box.