InstallShield Automation Using c#

For the last few days I did a quick search for a solution to automate my nightly Installshield MSI builds . After going through a few code snippets developed in VBS etc, I decided to create my own using C# which I would like to share.

To start with you need to create a C# project then add a reference for Installshield Automation Library, can be locate at C:\Program Files\InstallShield\[Version]\. Depending on the IS version you are using, the Library name may vary.

It would be more present if Installshield provided a factory to serve up the different automation interface versions since this already presents a challenge of the code being version dependent. In my solution here am using IS 2011 whose reference appears as ISWiAuto17.

using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Linq;

using System.Text;

using ISWiAuto17;

namespace xxx

{

    public delegate void LogStatus(String smessage);

    public delegate void logprogress(int lIncrement);

    class InstallShieldAuto

    {

        private string sProjectFileName;

        private string sISExFilename;

        private string sBuildLocation;

        private string sBuildNumber;

        public event LogStatus log;

        public event logprogress progress;

        public InstallShield() {}

        public InstallShield(string projectName, string isexFileName, string buildLocation, string buildNumber)

        {

            sProjectFileName = projectName;

            sISExFilename = isexFileName;

            sBuildLocation = buildLocation;

            sBuildNumber = buildNumber;

        }

        /// <summary>

        /// Holds the location where the ISM project

        /// </summary>

        public string ProjectFile{

            get{

                return sProjectFileName;

            }

            set {

                sProjectFileName = value;

           

            }

        }

        /// <summary>

        /// Holds the Install Shield Executable file location

        /// </summary>

        public string ISExecutableFile

        {

            get

            {

                return sISExFilename;

            }

            set

            {

                sISExFilename = value;

            }

        }

        /// <summary>

        /// Holds the release location

        /// </summary>

        public string BuildLocation

        {

            get

            {

                return sBuildLocation;

            }

            set

            {

                sBuildLocation = value;

            }

        }

        /// <summary>

        /// Holds the build number

        /// </summary>

        public string BuildNumber

        {

            get

            {

                return sBuildNumber;

            }

            set

            {

                sBuildNumber = value;

            }

        }

        /// <summary>

        /// execute the build process

        /// </summary>

        public void BuildProject()

        {

            ISWiProductConfigs oProdConfigs;

            ISWiProductConfig oProdConfig;

            ISWiRelease oRelease= new ISWiRelease();

            ISWiProject oISWiProj = new ISWiProject();

            try

            {

                //Create IS object

                oISWiProj.OpenProject(sProjectFileName, false);

                oISWiProj.ProductVersion = sBuildNumber;

                oProdConfigs = oISWiProj.ISWiProductConfigs;

                oProdConfig = oProdConfigs[oProdConfigs.Count];

                oRelease = oProdConfig.ISWiReleases[1];

                oRelease.ProgressIncrement += new __ISWiRelease_ProgressIncrementEventHandler(release_ProgressIncrement);

                oRelease.StatusMessage += new __ISWiRelease_StatusMessageEventHandler(this.release_StatusMessages);

                oRelease.BuildLocation = sBuildLocation;

                oRelease.Build();

                 oISWiProj.SaveProject();

                 oISWiProj.CloseProject();

            }

            catch

            {

                log("Build Failed...");

            }

            finally {

                oRelease.ProgressIncrement -= new __ISWiRelease_ProgressIncrementEventHandler(release_ProgressIncrement);

                oRelease.StatusMessage -= new __ISWiRelease_StatusMessageEventHandler(this.release_StatusMessages);

            }

        }

        private void release_ProgressIncrement(int lIncrement, ref bool pbCancel)

        {

            progress(lIncrement);

        }

        private void release_StatusMessages(string sMessage, ref bool pbCancel)

        {

            log(sMessage);

        }

    }

}

As you can see there is nothing much of the code is self-explanatory, Let’s expound on some of the major area in the  Buildproject() method.

1.    Declare and open your project

                        oISWiProj.OpenProject(sProjectFileName, false);

2.    Retrive all the available configurations and pick the right configuration, in this case I have used the last one.

oProdConfigs= oISWiProj.ISWiProductConfigs;

          oProdConfig = oProdConfigs[oProdConfigs.Count];

3.    From the selected configuration, you will have a collection of  releases, pick the release want by providing the index. In my case index one [1] is Release 1.

oRelease = oProdConfig.ISWiReleases[1];

4.    As the build progresses, the process provides status messages and the progress value through events.  

                oRelease.ProgressIncrement += new __ISWiRelease_ProgressIncrementEventHandler(release_ProgressIncrement);

                oRelease.StatusMessage += new __ISWiRelease_StatusMessageEventHandler(this.release_StatusMessages);

5.    Build the release then save ad close the project.

oRelease.Build();

oISWiProj.SaveProject();

              oISWiProj.CloseProject();

One thing that I still haven’t figured out is how to use the names to pick out he configuration and the release from the collection. Once I have that ready I will post my finding but for now I will make do with the indexes