Writing custom action scripts

Article
09/10/2006

For basic custom action scripts, you can use any supported scripting language like VBScript or JScript. For the BPSDK sample installer, VBScript was used.

When using Visual Studio .NET to create a basic setup project, it’s important to know that custom action scripts run in deferred mode. This means that many of the installer session properties provided by the Windows Installer service won’t be available when the custom action script is run. Keep this limitation in mind as you write the custom action scripts for your integration.

The custom action scripts for Business Portal integrations need to perform some basic functions:

Finding the installed files The custom action script must know where the files installed by the installer have been placed. One way to do this with a script that runs in deferred mode is to use the CustomActionData property of the custom action script. When the installer is run, it can set the value of the CustomActionData property, which can be retrieved in the script using the following code:

InstallLoc = Session.Property("CustomActionData")

Finding the Business Portal installation The location of the Business Portal installation can be found by using the Installer object from the Windows Installer service to look up information about installed products. Since the Business Portal was installed using the Windows Installer service, it is included in the list of installed products. For Great Plains, you will search for the product named “Microsoft Business Portal for Great Plains”. For Solomon, you will search for the product named “Microsoft Business Portal for Solomon”. An example of this is found in Example custom action scripts.

Finding the Business Portal \bin folder The location of the \bin folder for the Business Portal will depend on the web site selected in the installation. The location is written to the Windows Registry during the Business Portal installation, so the value can be retrieved by the custom action script. An example of this is found in Example custom action scripts.

Copying and deleting files and folders Standard VBScript commands for the Windows Scripting Host are used to copy and delete files when adding or removing them from the Business Portal installation. Documentation for the Windows Scripting Host is available online from msdn.microsoft.com.

Invoking the MBF Packager The Run command is used to invoke other applications such as the MBF Packager from within the custom action script. Command line options control the actions of the MBF Packager. Refer to Installing package files for more information about running the MBF Packager from a command line.

Example custom action scripts

The following is the Install custom action script used for the Great Plains version of the BPSDK sample installer. The custom action is written in VBScript.

'This script runs after all files have been copied onto the system.
'It also runs when the installation is repaired.

Set sh = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

'Connect to Windows Installer object
Dim installer : Set installer = Nothing
Set installer = CreateObject("WindowsInstaller.Installer")

'Look up information for the Business Portal
ProductName = "Microsoft Business Portal for Great Plains"

For Each productCode In installer.Products
    If LCase(installer.ProductInfo(productCode, "ProductName")) _
    = LCase(ProductName) Then Exit For
Next
If IsEmpty(productCode) Then
    MsgBox "Business Portal is not installed."
    Quit
End If

'Look up the install location for the Business Portal
BPLocation = installer.ProductInfo(productCode, "InstallLocation")

'Set up the locations that specify where to place things
'bin folder, as determined by the Registry
key =  "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Business Framework\" _
& "Install\BinInstallDir"
BPBin = Sh.RegRead(key)

'map folder
BPMap = BPBin + "map\"

'application folder
BPApp = BPLocation + "Applications\"

'Find out where the various pieces were installed by looking
'at the CustomActionData property passed from the installer
If(IsEmpty(Session)) Then
    'Not running from within the installer. Get the source path based
    'on the current folder.
    InstallLoc = sh.CurrentDirectory
    InstallLoc = Left(InstallLoc, InStr(InstallLoc, "\Scripts"))
Else
    'Running inside the installer, so use the CustomActionData
    InstallLoc = Session.Property("CustomActionData")
End If

'--------------------------------------------------------
'Note that other Session properties aren't available
'since this custom action is running in a deferred state
'--------------------------------------------------------

'Copy the items to the appropriate Business Portal locations
'Business Components
fso.CopyFile InstallLoc & "Bin\*", BPBin, true

'Entity Maps
fso.CopyFile InstallLoc & "Map\*", BPMap, true

'Association Assemblies
fso.CopyFile InstallLoc & "Associations\*", BPBin, true

'Application folder content
fso.CopyFolder InstallLoc & "Application\*", BPApp, true

'Run the MBF Packager to install the package files
sh.Run Chr(34) & BPBin & "MbfPackager.exe" & Chr(34) & " " _
& "Import /P:" & Chr(34) & InstallLoc & "PackagerData/BPSDKInstall.project" _
& Chr(34) & " /I:Keep", 0, True

The following is the Uninstall custom action script used for the Great Plains version of the BPSDK sample installer. The custom action is written in VBScript.

'This script runs before any files are actually removed from system

Dim fso, f, f1, fc

On Error Resume Next

Set sh = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

'Connect to Windows Installer object
Dim installer : Set installer = Nothing
Set installer = CreateObject("WindowsInstaller.Installer")

'Look up information for the Business Portal
ProductName = "Microsoft Business Portal for Great Plains"

For Each productCode In installer.Products
    If LCase(installer.ProductInfo(productCode, "ProductName")) = _
    LCase(ProductName) Then Exit For
Next
If IsEmpty(productCode) Then
    MsgBox "Business Portal is not installed."
End If

'Look up the install location for the Business Portal
BPLocation = installer.ProductInfo(productCode, "InstallLocation")

'Set up the locations that specify where to place things
'bin folder, as determined by the Registry
key =  "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Business Framework\" _
& "Install\BinInstallDir"
BPBin = Sh.RegRead(key)

'map folder
BPMap = BPBin + "map\"

'application folder
BPApp = BPLocation + "Applications\"

'Find out where the various pieces were installed by looking
'at the CustomActionData property passed from the installer
If(IsEmpty(Session)) Then
    'Not running from within the installer. Get the source path based
    'on the current folder.
    InstallLoc = sh.CurrentDirectory
    InstallLoc = Left(InstallLoc, InStr(InstallLoc, "\Scripts"))
Else
    'Running inside the installer, so use the CustomActionData
    InstallLoc = Session.Property("CustomActionData")
End If

'Remove the MBF Packager items
sh.Run Chr(34) & BPBin & "MbfPackager.exe" & Chr(34) & " " _
& "Import /P:" & Chr(34) & InstallLoc & "PackagerData/BPSDKRemove.project" _
& Chr(34) & " /I:Replace", 0, True

'Delete the business components from the Bin folder
Set f = fso.GetFolder(InstallLoc & "Bin")
Set fc = f.Files
For Each f1 in fc
    'Delete the item
    fso.DeleteFile(BPBin & f1.name)
Next

'Delete the associations assembly
Set f = fso.GetFolder(InstallLoc & "Associations")
Set fc = f.Files
For Each f1 in fc
    'Delete the item
    fso.DeleteFile(BPBin & f1.name)
Next

'Delete the items from the Map folder
Set f = fso.GetFolder(InstallLoc & "Map")
Set fc = f.Files
For Each f1 in fc
    fso.DeleteFile(BPMap & f1.name)
Next

'Remove the folders from Applications folder
Set f = fso.GetFolder(InstallLoc & "Application")
Set fc = f.SubFolders
For Each f1 in fc
    fso.DeleteFolder(BPApp & f1.name)
Next

Writing custom action scripts

Example custom action scripts

Additional resources