User Guide

416
Properties
Note
You cannot enter other properties to set the value of a new property because text
you enter is interpreted literally. This is not true for some specific Windows Installer
properties, such as DiskPrompt and PrimaryFolder. To set a property to the value or
values of other properties, use the Set Property custom action. See Set Property on
page 530.
• Hidden property
Mark this to designate this property as hidden. This Windows Installer 2.0
feature prevents the property’s value from being written to the log file. Use this
for properties that contain information, such as serial numbers or passwords,
that you don’t want end users to see.
• Add to the list of restricted public properties
Mark this to designate this property as a restricted public property. Do this if the
installation is to be performed on locked-down Windows NT, 2000, or XP
computers and you want the ability to change and pass its value from the UI
Sequence to the Execute Sequence. See Restricted Public Properties in the
Windows Installer SDK Help. This is disabled if you entered any lowercase letters
in the name.
3. Click OK.
The property is added to the list of properties initialized by this installation.
You can also create a new property from any dialog in the product that has a Property
drop-down list with a New button next to it.
To edit a property, double-click its name under the Properties icon in Setup Editor >
Product tab.
Caution
You can edit and delete properties, but many of the properties you see in the Properties icon
are Windows Installer properties. You should be proficient in the Windows Installer
development environment before you edit or delete Windows Installer properties. If you
change the name of a property, make sure you update any dialog controls or conditions that
reference the property name.
Build Properties
Properties defined by settings in an installation at build time are listed below. Some of
them, such as INSTALLLEVEL, can be changed at runtime from the command line or
during the Action Sequence. You can also create new properties for your own use. See
Creating a New Property on page 415.
On the Build Options page, you can configure an installation to create an .EXE that
launches an .MSI. Then the installation includes an .INI file that contains settings
necessary for the installation to run. Some of the build properties below determine the
default value of some of the properties in the .INI file. In that case, the property
description includes the name of the corresponding property in the .INI file.