Windows Installer Editor Reference
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Custom Action Reference
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Run WiseScript From Destination
on page 483
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Run WiseScript From Installation
on page 483
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Run WiseScript From Installed Files
on page 485
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Set Directory
on page 486
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Set Feature State
on page 486
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Set Property
on page 487
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Terminate Installation
on page 488
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Using the Custom Action Location Tab
on page 488
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Using the Custom Action Location Tab for Merge Modules
on page 489
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Using the Custom Action Properties Tab
on page 490
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Using the Custom Action Description Tab
on page 493
About Custom Actions
While Windows Installer provides standard actions that perform most functionality you
need in an installation, occasionally you might need additional functionality not available
in standard actions. In that case, Windows Installer supports a variety of custom
actions, which let you call code from other development environments, display a
message, download a file from a Web site, open a Web page, post information over the
Internet to your organization’s server, run another installation, set directories, set a
feature state, set properties, and more. These custom actions let you add extensive
functionality to an installation without having to write the code yourself.
For technical details on custom actions, see Custom Actions in the Windows Installer
SDK Help.
For help using the MSI Script interface, see
The MSI Script Window
on page 441.
Call Custom DLL From Destination
This custom action calls a .DLL file that already resides on the destination computer.
Tips
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You can send a variable parameter list to the .DLL.
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Because .DLLs are processor-specific, the .DLL that you call must target the same
platform (32-bit, x64, or 64-bit Itanium) as the installation. In a mixed-target
project file (.WSI), condition each Call Custom .DLL custom action for the
appropriate platform. Example: Your .WSI contains a 32-bit release, an x64 release,
and an Itanium release. You add three Call Custom .DLL actions to the project: one
to call ABC32.dll, one to call ABCx64.dll, and one to call ABCItanium.dll. Place each
custom action inside a condition block that checks for the appropriate platform.
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The .DLL should be common to all Windows computers, such as user32.dll.
Note
Before being passed to Windows Installer, calls you make with Call Custom DLL actions
are passed through a .DLL that facilitates the passing of parameters.
