Sequences

Introduction

Action sequences allow you to specify the order in which actions are executed. In a typical installation package, there are three types of sequences. The Installation sequences are run when the program is installed in default installation mode. The Administration sequences are run when the user launches the setup with the /a command-line option, creating an administrative installation. The Advertisement sequence is run when the user launches the setup with the /j command-line option, creating an advertised installation. The installation and administration action sequences both have corresponding user interface and execution sequences. The user interface sequence specifies which forms are shown to the user and in what order. You should also include non-essential pre-install actions in the user interface sequence. The execution sequence contains all the actions that constitute the installation. All actions in the execution sequence can be rolled back if the installation fails.

Working with sequences

The tree in this section shows you the sequences in this installation and the actions they contain. The actions are shown in the order they are executed. Select an action to move it up or down, edit its properties, or remove it from the sequence.

To add an action to a sequence, right-click the sequence and choose Add Action from the menu. You will see the following window:

Select the action type and an action you want to add and click OK to insert it into the action sequence.

Validation

By default, all action sequences that must obey certain rules are validated each time a change is made. You will get an error message if a modification you make results in an invalid sequence. You can also validate the sequences manually by right-clicking the tree and choosing Validate Sequences. You can turn off automatic sequence validation. Find out how.