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\->Source Code->Commands->VbsCa

The "VbsCa" Command

This command is used to start the definition (and creation) of a Windows Installer VBSCRIPT based custom action which ends when the /VbsCa command is encountered. The generated script is automatically added into the "Binary" table. You should be aware of the "Norton's Malicious Script Detection" issue.

If you have an existing Windows Scripting Host (WSH) script which you want to use, use the "ExeCa" command to invoke "WSCRIPT.EXE". All parameters will typically be passed on the command line and no logging will take, in my mind good reasons why this should be avoided at nearly all costs.

You will indicate the function entry points (which you will schedule via the VbsCaSetup command) with the VbsCaEntry and /VbsCaEntry commands. You place your code between these two commands. You may define contants and common initialization code above the first use of "VbsCaEntry".

I highly recommend the use of the CaDebug function and will be reluctant to look at any user supplied code which doesn't make use of it to indicate progress and to make the code easier to debug when it fails.

If imbedding within a macro please ensure that the "current" line continuation is "<?NewLine>".

The generated script has these main characteristics:

By default binary vbscripts will be generated via the "FileMake" command, if you find your scripts being "rebuilt" for no obvious reasons (and you care) then you probably forgot to use the "FileMakeIgnore" command to "hide insignificant changes" in your code.

Microsoft actually have some very useful script information and samples at "http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/default.mspx". I have a collection of other useful scripting links at "http://dennisbareis.com/bookmark_developer_windows_scripting_host.htm".

Parameters

This command takes these parameters:

Main "VbsCa" Options

Please see the "options for commands" section of the manual.

;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;--- General Options --------------------------------------------------------
;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#define? DEFAULT_VBSCA_MUST_DEFINE_VBS_VARIABLES Y
#define? DEFAULT_VBSCA_CAD_DELIMITER             ,_,                 ;;Must be 1-9 characters long (and something your parameters won't contain)
#define? VBSCA_CmdLineTrapsHandledByVb           true                ;;Best way for testing script from command line (given how lame "err" object and its support is)
#define? DEFAULT_VBSCA_SEQTABLE                  InstallExecuteSequence
#define? VBSCA_INC_BY_SPACE_COUNT                4
#define? VBSCA_ROW_@VALIDATE                     NEW                         ;;See the "@Validate" parameter of the "ROW" command
#define? VBSCA_ROW_@VALIDATE_INLINE              NEW -Target:STRINGOVERFLOW  ;;See the "@Validate" parameter of the "ROW" command (lets allow the script to exceed the columns 255 character width)
#define? VBSCA_PAUSE                             <$SUNDRY_CA_PAUSE>          ;;Debug pauses (Y/N)
#define? VBSCA_DISABLED                          <$SUNDRY_DISALLOW_USE_OF_SCRIPT_CUSTOM_ACTIONS>  ;;Make non blank to disable (text is error message)
#define? VBSCA_DEFAULT_TYPE_ATTRIBUTES                                ;;For binary based CA
#define? VBSCA_DEFAULT_TYPE_ATTRIBUTES_INLINE     immediate           ;;For inline (in CA table) based CA
#define? DEFAULT_VBSCA_DOCO                       Y                   ;;"N" = Don't add to doco
#define? VBSCA_BINARY_COMMENT                    This file generated by the "VbsCa" command at <??RxMmLocation>
#define? VBSCA_CADEBUG_FORMAT_LINE12             {{[Time]: }}[1]      ;;Time only visible in log! MUST include "[1]"
#define? VBSCA_CAMSGBOX_PREFIX_ERROR             ERROR: [1]           ;;Windows Installer message template for ERROR messages
#define? VBSCA_CAMSGBOX_PREFIX_INFO                                   ;;Windows Installer message template for INFO messages
#define? VBSCA_CAMSGBOX_PREFIX_OTHER                                  ;;Windows Installer message template for "other" messages
#define? VBSCA_VBEXP_CURRENT_DATE                FormatDateTime(now(), vbShortDate)
#define? VBSCA_VBEXP_CURRENT_TIME                FormatDateTime(now(), vbLongTime)
#define? VBSCA_INLINE_DISABLE_TARGET_VALIDATION  String overflow (greater than length permitted in column); Table: CustomAction, Column: Target
#define? VBSCA_USE_FILEMAKE_TO_CREATE_BINARY_VBS Y                    ;;Use old VBS (and date/time) if only "insignificant" differences


;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;--- Logging Related --------------------------------------------------------
;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#define? VBSCA_LOG_TO_FILE.D                     Y                   ;;Logging OK in development
#define? VBSCA_LOG_TO_FILE.P                     N                   ;;Logging may trigger the dodgy Norton Antivirus, if not issue (or you are doing file IO in any case) then turn on!
#define? VBSCA_LOG_TO_FILE                       <$VBSCA_LOG_TO_FILE.[MMMODE]>
#define? VBSCA_LOG_OK_ENVVAR                     MAKEMSI_LOG         ;;Set this environment variable to N to disable logging
#define? VBSCA_LOGDIR_ENVVAR                     MAKEMSI_LOGDIR      ;;Set this environment variable to directory for logging
#define? VBSCA_LOGDIR_EXP_4_DEFAULT              "<??*TEMP>"        ;;By default place in user temp directory (can be any VBS expression)
#define? VBSCA_LOGDIR_EXP_4_DEFAULT               CaGetEnv("TEMP", false)   ;;By default place in user temp directory (can be any VBS expression)
#define? VBSCA_LOGFILE_BASENAME_PREFIX           MAKEMSI_VBSCA-
#define? VBSCA_LOGFILE_BASENAME_MIDDLE           <$ProdInfo.ProductName>(<$ProductVersion>)
#define? VBSCA_LOGFILE_BASENAME_SUFFIX           -" & WeekDayName(Weekday(date())) & "   ;;Can help to reduce likelyhood that lots of logging will cause truncation
#define? VBSCA_LOGFILE_EXTENSION                 .log
#define? VBSCA_LOGFILE_EXP_4_DEFAULT_BASENAME    "<$VBSCA_LOGFILE_BASENAME_PREFIX><$VBSCA_LOGFILE_BASENAME_MIDDLE><$VBSCA_LOGFILE_BASENAME_SUFFIX><$VBSCA_LOGFILE_EXTENSION>"   ;;Any VB Expression ("BINARY" parameter is passed)
#define? VBSCA_LOGFILE_MAX_AGE_IN_DAYS           100                 ;;If older than this then whole file removed prior to logging starting (0=Do Nothing)
#define? VBSCA_LOGFILE_MAX_SIZE_IN_K             300                 ;;If bigger than this many K then shorten (before logging - so log can grow larger than this)
#define? VBSCA_LOGFILE_REDUCE_TO_PERCENTAGE      75                  ;;If log is too big then reduce it to what percentage of max size?
#define? VBSCA_LOG_EXP_4_ADD_2_HEADER                                ;;Define to hold appropiate calls to "CaDebug"


;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;--- Allow overriding of default logging behaviour --------------------------
;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#define? VBSCA_DEBUG1  CaDebug 1,           ;;Line 1 output goes to line 1, allow redirection, example: CaDebug 0,
#define? VBSCA_DEBUG2  CaDebug 2,           ;;Line 2 output goes to line 2
#define? VBSCA_DEBUG0  CaDebug 0,           ;;Log    output goes to log.


;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;--- Custom Action conditions -----------------------------------------------
;----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#define? VBSCA_CONDITION_INSTALL_ONLY    <$CONDITION_INSTALL_ONLY>
#define? VBSCA_CONDITION_UNINSTALL_ONLY  <$CONDITION_UNINSTALL_ONLY>

EXAMPLE - Very Simple INLINE Custom Action to Remove Trailing Backslash

<$VbsCa Binary="!SimpleVbs">
     InstallDir = session.property("INSTALLDIR")
     InstallDir = left(InstallDir, len(InstallDir)-1)

     'MsgBox "DEBUG: The INSTALLDIR without a trailing backslash ===> " & InstallDir
     session.property("DIR_NO_SLASH") = InstallDir      ;;You will see this action logged in any verbose log
<$/VbsCa>
<$VbsCaSetup Binary="!SimpleVbs" Seq="CostFinalize-" SeqTable="InstallExecuteSequence" CONDITION=^<$CONDITION_INSTALL_ONLY>^>

EXAMPLE - Simple IMMEDIATE Custom Action

;--- Simple immediate CA ----------------------------------------------------
<$VbsCa Binary="ImmediateExample.vbs">
   <$VbsCaEntry "EntryPoint">
        dim Version : Version = session.property("ProductVersion")
        session.property("CREATE_NEW_PROPERTY") = "This product is version " & Version ;;Should see in "verbose" install log
   <$/VbsCaEntry>
<$/VbsCa>

;--- Schedule it ------------------------------------------------------------
<$VbsCaSetup Binary="ImmediateExample.vbs" Entry="EntryPoint" Seq="<-LaunchConditions" CONDITION="<$CONDITION_INSTALL_ONLY>" Type="immediate FirstSequence" SeqTable="InstallUISequence InstallExecuteSequence">

See the "Remove Trailing Slashes from Directory Names" tip for some other languages.

EXAMPLE - DEFERRED - With CustomActionData

;--- Set up the 2 parameters (CustomActionData) -----------------------------
#data "Fred"
   "Name1" 'Name 1 Value'          ;;Parameter 1 (name + value)
   "Name2" "[INSTALLDIR]"          ;;Parameter 2
#data

;--- Deferred Custom Action which accesses 2 passed parameters --------------
<$VbsCa Binary="TestCustomActionDataPassing.vbs" DATA="Fred">
   <$VbsCaEntry "Install">
       ;--- Do something ----------------------------------------------------
       Show("Install: NAME1=" & VbsCaCadGet("Name1"))
       Show("Install: NAME2=" & VbsCaCadGet("Name2"))
   <$/VbsCaEntry>

   '=======================
   sub Show(Text)
   '=======================
       CaMsgBox "I", Text
   end sub
<$/VbsCa>

;--- Set up the Deferred custom action passing the CustomActionData ---------
<$VbsCaSetup Data="Fred" Binary="TestCustomActionDataPassing.vbs" Entry="Install" Seq="InstallFiles-" CONDITION=^<$CONDITION_INSTALL_ONLY>^>

EXAMPLE

;--- Create a VBSCRIPT and add to the binary table --------------------------
#( '<?NewLine>'
   #define InstallationOnTrap

   ;--- This code must be called to "clean up" after failed install ---------
   'clean up code statement 1
   'clean up code statement 2
   'clean up code statement 3
#)
<$VbsCa Binary="TEST.vbs">
   <$VbsCaEntry "Install" OnTrap="<$InstallationOnTrap>">
       ;--- Do something ----------------------------------------------------
       UserFunction("Called during Install...")

       ;--- Set the return code ---------------------------------------------
       '<$VbsCaEntryName> = 1603         ;;Error Return code
   <$/VbsCaEntry>

   <$VbsCaEntry "UnInstall">
       ;--- Do something ----------------------------------------------------
       UserFunction("Called during UNInstall...")
   <$/VbsCaEntry>

   '=======================
   sub UserFunction(Text)
   '=======================
       CaMsgBox "I", Text
   end sub
<$/VbsCa>

;--- Call the above script during install and uninstall ---------------------
<$VbsCaSetup Binary="TEST.vbs" Entry="Install"   Seq="InstallFiles-" CONDITION=^<$CONDITION_INSTALL_ONLY>^>
<$VbsCaSetup Binary="TEST.vbs" Entry="UnInstall" Seq="InstallFiles-" CONDITION=^<$CONDITION_UNINSTALL_ONLY>^>


Microsoft awarded me an MVP (Most Valuable Professional award) in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009 for the Windows SDK (Windows Installer) area.Please email me any feedback, additional information or corrections.
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Microsoft awarded me an MVP (Most Valuable Professional award) in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009 for the Windows SDK (Windows Installer) area.