Download Astrum InstallWizard 2

Major new features

• The outlook of InstallWizard, Dialog editor and help documentation has been renewed
• AutoUpdator tool: AutoUpdator enables installation creators to add professional looking automated update functionality to their own software with only couple of mouse clicks
• Aiw now uses XML to store the project files. This enables setup creators to create automated batch jobs that modify the project and/or modify the file contents by hand. (Care should still be taken when editing the files – read the "Manually modifying project files" help topic before making modifications.)
• Possibility to install 3rd-party software. The initial release of Aiw 2 supports installing .NET Framework, Java Runtime Environment, HTML Help Viewer, Microsoft Data Access Components and DirectX
• Renewed file handling. The files on Files to install –page are presented in more convenient format which makes it easier to handle larger amounts of files. The system now also allows storing relative paths, specifying free file masks, specifying exclude file masks, changing the properties of individual files when dynamic recursion is on, etc.
• Possibility to add new dialogs. Previously it was only possible to edit existing dialogs but the new version allows adding any number of new dialogs. It is also possible to freely change the display order of the dialogs (both build-in and custom). It is also possible to display the dialogs conditionally
• Resource files: Resource files are files that can be used before the actual installation is performed. This functionality enables you to run required 3rd-party software, display custom documents, etc.

Minor new features

• Required property for checkboxes, radio buttons and edits (in Dialog editor). The user must enter a selection to all of the components marked as required before he can continue to next dialog
• It is now possible to specify the name and location of the uninstaller. The uninstaller shortcut is now also created as a normal shortcut, making it possible to freely specify any attributes of the shortcut
• Button controls now have (in Dialog editor) an On Click property which can be used to make the button work as a Browse for Folder or Browse for File –button
• Registry values now have Uninstallation mode property which specifies when the values should be removed
• It is now possible to add conditionals to also registry keys. Registry keys also have Uninstallation mode –property
• Assign variable –action. It is now possible to set the value of a variable depending on the values of other variables
• Show text box –action. The user will be prompted for a string value which can be stored in a variable
• It is now possible to perform the system requirements check and display the system information screen only if the user’s configuration does not meet the requirements. (Previously the check was only performed when System information –dialog was shown unconditionally.)
• Autorun-mode: When Autorun-mode is set, the installation checks whether or not the program to install is already installed. If the program is already installed, the installer quits and starts the installed program instead
• Support for specifying required Java and/or .NET Framework version in System requirements
• The Add folder –functionality on Files to install –page now remembers the last directory and automatically expands it
• The InstallWizard now displays a project wizard at program start-up which enables the setup creators to more quickly choose desired functionality
• The CPU requirements can now be entered in more convenient way
• The background image (if .bmp) is now compressed to save space

Bugfixes

• The project file timestamp (nor file contents) no longer change when closing a project which has not been modified
• Changing the visual appearance of dialogs in the Windows XP Theme no longer causes some areas of the modified dialogs not to be drawn correctly
• Hyperlinks now work also in the Windows XP Theme
• Execute program and wait –operation no longer requires the program name to be written in both File and Command Line –fields
• JPG sizes are now determined correctly also for JPG files containing thumbnails
• The text in license agreement and readme fields is no longer limited to about 30 000 characters
• The system no longer inserts trash after bullets in license agreement and readme texts when saving the project
• The setup creation no longer ceases to print messages after certain limit in Windows 9x/ME

Behavioral changes

• Shell (Interactive and shell) operations are now executed only if the respective dialog is shown. That is, if you have chosen to display a message box after Language dialog, the message box will not be shown in Aiw 2 unless the Language dialog is shown. In Aiw 1 the message box would have been shown regardless of whether the dialog was shown or not. This change was made because the dialog order is now free and installer no longer can determine which dialogs have (or should have) been displayed between two points in installation
• Same change applies also to custom DLL entry points (EntryPointXX)
• Clicking Next while on the Create Setup –page (in InstallWizard) no longer causes the setup to be created. This change was made due to the confusion caused by the feature

Importing old projects
Old projects can usually be imported to version 2 without any conserns. There are two occasions in which some attributes cannot be imported, however. First one is when Aiw 1 has been installed to non-default folder and it uses some other language-set(s) than English. In this case the language-set information cannot be imported. The second case is when the project contains "Copy only" files. These files cannot be copied to v2 project file because v1 project files contain insufficient information. If you do not get any warnings while importing the old project, all the settings have been successfully transferred.
Still one thing to notice which doesn't affect the project import per se but which is good to acknowledge, is that in version 2 the <__AppName__> constant has been replaced by <AppNameInFileNameFormat> and <Organization> by <CompanyName>. The project converter automatically changes any instances of these constants. The old constant names also still work, so you can use them interchangeably.

Q & A regarding update
Q: Can I install version 2 on the same machine with version 1?
Yes. Version 2 should work without problems on the same machine.

Q: Can I use my version 1 project files with version 2?
Yes. Version 2 will convert the old project files to the new project file format when they are opened for the first time. See above for additional details regarding project import.

Q: How much does upgrade from Astrum InstallWizard version 1 to version 2 cost?
The upgrade costs 34 USD. With the exchange ratio on February 9th, that would be about 27 EUR.

Q: Where can I purchase the upgrade?
The upgrade can be purchased from this address: https://www.sirid.com/shop/order.jsp?productid=202469

Q: I currently have 2 licenses but I would like to purchase more. What can I do?
You can purchase any number of licenses with the upgrade discounts - including volume discounts. That is, if you have 2 licenses for version 1, you can purchase 7 upgrade licenses with only 25 USD each.

Q: I purchased version 1 only n days ago. Do I really have to pay for the upgrade?
Yes. It would have been difficult to draw a line to who would get a free upgrade and how wouldn't; there would always have been some people who purchased their license just a couple of days before getting a free upgrade. Many of our users have received 70 free updates while others have received none. It would be difficult to judge also in this perspective who should get the upgrade for free and who shouldn't. You should also note that the 34 USD upgrade is for Professional version whose price without upgrade discount is 79 USD. Thus, if you're interested in the features of professional version, you lose only 5 USD by having to upgrade.

Q: Am I forced to upgrade?
No. We will no longer introduce any new features to version 1 but critical (and only critical) bugs will still be fixed.

Index

Major new features
Minor new features
Bugfixes
Behavioral changes
Importing old projects
Q & A regarding update