File

Enter the source path of the file (i.e., the path to the file on your own system), or click ... (browse) to open the standard Open dialog box that allows you to select the desired file.

Note: Source paths are always displayed as fully qualified paths. However, by default InstallMate stores source paths as relative to the project file's folder. This allows you to move the entire project to a different location, or to access the project and its contents through a different path, for example through a network share on a shared file server.

To store source paths as absolute paths instead of relative paths in the project file, you must change the project default settings by choosing the File > Properties command from the main menu bar and selecting the Preferences page. The options on this page allow you to change the way the various file paths in the project file are stored.

Tip: To move the project file to a different location without moving its source files, use the File > Save Project As... command from the main menu bar. Do not move the project file itself manually, because that will break the relative paths (if any) in the project file.

Check this box to let InstallMate check if the source file in question has a valid digital signature. Only some file types can be digitally signed (mostly executable files), so this option is typically used to ensure compliance with Windows application guidelines that mandate that all executables of a product have a digital signature.

If this option is checked and the source file does not have a valid digital signature, then a BLD:W0155 diagnostic is produced, which by default stops the build process (this is subject to the Treat warnings as errors setting in the package attributes).

Enter the installation name of the file; this is the name under which the file will be installed. By default, it is set to the file name in the Source path, but you can change this if desired. You can also use wildcards in this field if you want to perform wildcard file removal; see Uninstalling files created by the application for details.

Check this box to keep the file during updates, i.e., when the uninstaller is run in upgrade mode (TsuUpgrade is nonzero). If this box is checked, the Remove action is ignored during upgrades (only) and the file will remain on the target system.

This option is useful if the file contains data that must be retained during upgrades of the product, but should be removed during full product uninstallations.

Check this box to indicate a shared file; clear it for an application-private file.

If you mark an installation file as Shared file, its SharedDlls reference count is incremented when the file is installed. This is true even if the file is not physically installed, for example when the existing version is reused because of versioning considerations.

Conversely, when a shared file is removed its SharedDlls reference count is decremented. The file is only physically removed from the target system if both its SharedDlls reference count is zero and its removal condition is satisfied.

Check this box to exclude the file from any installation rollback; clear it to let the file participate in the rollback, if any.

An installation rollback is performed if the installation fails; in that case, any files that were replaced prior to the failure are restored to their original versions. However, this requires additional disk space during installation (to save copies of the original files), so for very large files that are not critical, you might choose to disable the rollback functionality.

Enter a number between 0 and 65535 that determines in which order the file will be registered, if its Registration field allows registration. The default registration order number for DLLs is 1000; see File registration for a full list of file registration orders.

When you add a new installation file to your project, InstallMate will automatically assign a registration order to the file based on built-in heuristics and detected dependencies. However, not all registration dependencies can be statically detected, so if you know that a particular file must be registered before or after another one, then you can set the file's Registration order field to a lower (before) or higher (after) number than the other's registration order number.

Files are registered by increasing order number and unregistered in the opposite order. If two files have the same Registration order number, their mutual order may vary between installation sessions.

Check this box and enter a semicolon-delimited list of search paths for the file if any App Paths registration must take place for the file; clear it for no App Paths registration.

App Paths registration registers the file name and its location in the Windows registry and optionally adds application-specific search paths that are used when the application loads DLLs.

For a detailed overview of the interaction between the file packaging options and those of its component and package, see the Installer packaging topic.

Tip: If you distribute the file in uncompressed (plain) format, you can obtain its source path at installation time through the $srcpath() runtime function. This allows you to refer to the file prior to installation (after installation, you can use the normal <#file_alias> syntax).

If the installation file does not yet exist on the target system, it is installed. If the installation file already exists, the existing file is replaced by the installation file only if the installation file is newer than the existing file. See File version comparisons for information about "newer" files.

Note: This is the recommended action for Add-on and update installers.

Restores the version of the file that was present before the current product was installed. If there was no pre-existing file, the current file is removed as per Remove always.

Tip: This is the recommended action for Add-on and update installers.

If the installation file exists it is removed if, and only if, it was not modified since its installation. If it was modified since installation (i.e., if its Modified date is later than its Created date), the file is retained. Note that even if the file is removable (i.e., not modified), the actual file removal is still subject to its SharedDlls reference count; see Shared file above for more information.

Tip: This removal action is useful to preserve files that may be modified by the user or the program and whose modifications should be preserved even if your product is uninstalled. If you also set Install action: Install if not present on the file, then the file will not be replaced by the installer during updates.

1. Compare the ProductVersions (binary). The file with the higher ProductVersion is newer.
2. If both ProductVersions are equal, compare the FileVersions. The file with the higher FileVersion is newer.
3. If the FileVersions are also equal, both files have the same version.

1. The file with the VERSIONINFO resource is newer, regardless of its actual version.

1. The file with the later Modified date is newer.
2. If the Modified dates are equal, both files have the same version.