how to add directory to SupportFiles in InstallShield

Question

Hello

Is there a possibility to add directory (with sub directories) to SupportFiles section in installshield. I have dynamically created content (list of files changes constantly) that I use to support my installation.

Is there any other method to add dynamically whole directory to installation package. I need files from this directory only during installation process. At the end of the installation I want IS to remove these files automatically ?

Answer 1

The ISSetupFile table ( which drives the Support Files pattern ) only supports extracting files to a single directory. There is no way in the UI to tell it to be dynamic although you could have a build automation step that reflects the contents of a directory and wires it up to the table using the automation interface. This still couldn't do sub directories though.

What you probably want to do is creating a self-extracting zip of the files you need as part of your build and add that EXE to Support Files. Then write custom actions that call the EXE to extract the payload to Support Files and another CA to clean it up. Look for the custom action ISSetupFilesExtract and ISSetupFilesCleanup to figure out the best way to do this.