Thanks to all of you who were able to join us for our recent What’s New in InstallAnywhere 2014 webinar. Lots of good questions. Here are your top 10 questions and answers. And if you missed the webinar, you can view it any time, on-demand.
- Is it possible to manage silent installs with InstallAnywhere?
Yes. InstallAnywhere Premier Edition and InstallAnywhere Premier Edition with Cloud Pack include support for running installers silently (without a user interface). - Does InstallAnywhere 2014 support minor upgrades or patches?
InstallAnywhere 2014 has support for upgrades that are similar to the Windows Installer technology called major upgrades—upgrades that remove earlier versions of a product before installing a new version. Support for minor upgrades—style updates and patches is on our radar for future releases. - How does an upgrade handle the scenario in which multiple instances are installed on the target system?
It is possible to have an installer that includes both upgrade support and support for installing multiple instances of the product on the same system. If an end user has multiple earlier versions of the product installed when launching an upgrade installer for a newer version of the product, the installer performs an upgrade. Depending on how you configure the upgrade support in your InstallAnywhere project through the new Upgrades view, you can either have the upgrade update all of the earlier instances that are installed on target systems, or enable end users to choose which instance to update. - Can an upgrade remove all old versions of my product?
Yes, you can configure your upgrade to remove all of the old versions. Use the Upgrade Configuration area in the Upgrades view to define information about the earlier versions of your product that you want to be able to update with the upgrade that you are creating. Note that several requirements should be met to support upgrades. - Can I use InstallAnywhere to share projects across different users?
InstallAnywhere projects can be shared among multiple users using source control systems. Multiple teams can use merge modules to collaborate. - How complicated is it to learn the script language used in InstallAnywhere?
InstallAnywhere does not use a script language. - Can I have custom scripts included in InstallAnywhere for custom actions?
Yes, you can use custom code actions in InstallAnywhere. - Can we code the installation within InstallAnywhere?
Yes, you can code parts of the installation in Java and then execute it within InstallAnywhere. - Can I change the behavior of InstallAnywhere installation? Via clicks only or via script?
Yes. About 99% of the time, via clicks. Though InstallAnywhere includes very rich support for scripts, Java code, XML, and more, these are recommended for advanced installs. - How is InstallAnywhere different from InstallShield?
Great question. InstallShield is for Windows-based installations only; it is often used to create installations that the Windows Installer engine runs. InstallAnywhere creates Java-based multiplatform installers for Linux, OS X, Solaris, as well as Windows and other platforms.
InstallAnywhere is the leading multiplatform development solution for application producers who need to deliver a professional and consistent cross installation experience for physical, virtual and cloud environments. From a single project file and build environment, InstallAnywhere creates reliable installations for on-premises platforms – Windows, Linux, Apple OS X, Solaris, AIX , HP-UX, and IBM iSeries – and enables you to take existing and new software products to a virtual and cloud infrastructure. Get your free trial of InstallAnywhere or contact us for more information.
InstallShield® is the world’s leading Windows installation development solution. InstallShield is designed to enable development teams to be more agile, collaborative and flexible when building reliable InstallScript and Windows Installer MSI installations for desktop, server, Web, virtual and traditional applications. The software installer of choice for today’s sophisticated application producers, InstallShield is the only software installer that can directly convert MSIs to Microsoft App-V virtual packages. Get your free trial of InstallShield today or contact us for more information.
