User Guide

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About Billboards

Billboards consist of a series of text and images that are dynamically displayed on a

dialog during installation. Typically, billboards highlight features of the program being

installed, promote related products, or encourage product registration.

A billboard is associated with an action, and is displayed while that action is performed

during installation. A billboard consists of:

! The billboard. The billboard defines the area of the dialog where a sequence of text

and images is displayed. The billboard is like a screen on which bitmaps, icons, or

text controls are projected.

! The billboard control. The billboard control is associated with a feature and an

installation action. It also defines how many bitmaps, icons or text controls are

displayed, and in what order. You create one billboard control for each bitmap, icon,

or text control.

! Bitmap/Icon/Text control. Bitmap, icon, or text controls are associated with a

billboard control, and you place them inside the billboard area.

Where to Use Billboards

Billboards typically are used on the Progress Dialog under the Install Dialogs, and are

associated with the InstallFiles action. You can add billboards to other dialogs, if:

! The dialog is displayed to the end user while the installation is performing an action.

! You associate the billboard with an action that takes some time to perform. If the

action is completed in a fraction of a second, the end user will not see the billboard.

A billboard typically consists of several bitmaps, icons or text controls. If you want to

display only one control, add it to the dialog directly instead of within a billboard.

Windows Installer does not support the display of billboards outside of installation

dialogs.

Adding Billboards to a Dialog

In the following steps, bitmaps, icons, and text controls are referred to as content items.

1. Select Setup Editor > Dialogs tab.

2. In the left pane, select the Progress Dialog under Install Dialogs.

By default, the Progress Dialog contains a billboard, which is represented by a small

outline in the lower left corner of the dialog. Content items you add will be bounded

by this outline.