Adding InstallShield Prerequisites, Merge Modules, and Objects to InstallScript Projects

InstallShield 2016

Project • This information applies to InstallScript projects.

For information on adding redistributables to Basic MSI and InstallScript MSI projects, see Adding InstallShield Prerequisites, Merge Modules, and Objects to Basic MSI and InstallScript MSI Projects.

Merge modules and objects must be associated with a feature in order to be installed during an InstallScript installation. You can associate a single merge module or object with as many features or subfeatures as needed. If no features exist in your installation project when you attempt to add a merge module or object, the Create a New Feature dialog box opens, enabling you to create a feature. If you do not create a feature, these two types of redistributables cannot be added to your installation project.

When you add an InstallShield prerequisite to an InstallScript project, you cannot associate it with one or more features.

To add an InstallShield prerequisite to an InstallScript project:

1. In the View List under Application Data, click Prerequisites.
2. Select the check box in front of the InstallShield prerequisite that you want to add.

Tip • The right pane in the Prerequisites view shows details about the InstallShield prerequisite that is selected in the list of available redistributables. Review this details pane to find out information such as which files a redistributable installs. You can hide or show the details pane by clicking the Show Details button in this view.

Note • If Needs to be downloaded is specified in the Location column for an InstallShield prerequisite that you added to your project, that InstallShield prerequisite is not installed on your computer. You can download the InstallShield prerequisite from the Internet to your computer if you would like to include it in your project. If you build a release without first downloading one or more required InstallShield prerequisites, and if you specify that the InstallShield prerequisites should be included with the media (instead of being downloaded from the Web to the end user’s computer), one or more build errors may be generated. To eliminate the build errors, remove the InstallShield prerequisite from your project, download it to your computer, or change the InstallShield prerequisite location for the release to the download option; then rebuild the release.

To add a merge module or object to an InstallScript project:

1. In the View List under Application Data, click Objects.
2. In the Features pane, select the feature to which you want to add an object or merge module.
3. Right-click the object or merge module that you want to add and select Add to selected feature. (You can instead drag the object or merge module and drop it on the feature.) For some objects, an associated wizard appears to guide you through the customization process.

Note • Merge modules that are added to a feature in an InstallScript project appear in the Features pane as subitems of the Merge Module Holder object. This object requires the Windows Installer engine. For more information, see Adding Windows Installer Redistributables to Projects.

Tip • To see information about an object or merge module, such as files it installs and other actions it performs, select the object or merge module name. The information is displayed in the pane on the right.

Caution • You should not alter another company’s merge module.

Obtaining Objects

Note that some of the objects are not installed with InstallShield. You may need to download them. For more information, see Obtaining Updates for InstallShield.

See Also