All Features V2012

ALL FEATURES:	Premier	Professional	Express
GENERAL FEATURES
Suite Installs With the new InstallShield Suite Project type, multiple products can be easily bundled together into a single, unified suite installation. More »
Application Tagging InstallShield 2012 is the only strategic installation development solution that creates ISO 19770-2 software identification tags as part of the installation development process. More »
Monitoring for COM Extraction InstallShield 2012 supports a new monitoring method for COM extraction. The method uses a kernel driver to monitor the areas of the registry that are modified during dynamic COM extraction at build time and static COM extraction at design time. It combines the advantages that the earlier methods provided, allowing the DLL to read existing registries entries and preventing changes to the build machine.
Merge Module Projects Merge Module Projects now include built-In support for IIS, text file changes, and XML file changes. This property corresponds with the Required Execution Level setting on the Setup.exe tab for a release in the Releases view. This property is available for Basic MSI, InstallScript, and InstallScript MSI projects.
Read-write property RequiredExecutionLevel The read-write property RequiredExecutionLevel has been added to the ISWiRelease object. The method uses a kernel driver to monitor the areas of the registry that are modified during dynamic COM extraction at build time and static COM extraction at design time. It combines the advantages that the earlier methods provided, allowing the DLL to read existing registries entries and preventing changes to the build machine.
Support for new Technologies InstallShield 2012 includes enhanced support new technologies. More »
Microsoft App-V Support Deploy your applications as App-V virtual packages that run without conflict. More »	With Virtualization Pack	With Virtualization Pack
InstallShield Best Practices Validation Suite Avoid common installation issues by getting alerts from validators in this suite, if your installation violates best-practices guidelines. More »
Multilingual Support Present installation text in up to 35 languages, eliminating hours of installation dialog and message box translation. More »
Unicode Support InstallShield includes Unicode support in almost every view to improve multi-language installation development. More »
Standalone Build System Maintain a clean build machine by using only the part of InstallShield that builds the installations. More »	5 Free Licenses	1 Free License
Network Repositories Build a repository of common elements to quickly rollout new setups. More »
Virtual Machine Detection Block your installations from running on virtual machines. More »
Setting Permissions Overcome MSI LockPermissions limitations such as adding permissions without overwriting existing ones. More »
Managed-Code Custom Action Support InstallShield lets you easily add managed-code custom actions to Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, and Merge Module projects. More »
Installing Multiple Product Instances Give your MSIs the ability to install multiple instances of the same product on the same machine. More »
Windows Installer Installation Chaining Add MSI packages to your main installation and chain them together so they are processed as a single transaction. More »
Associate Prerequisites with Features Associate setup prerequisites with features to chain multiple MSIs together in a single installation. More »
Automation Interface Improvements Use script to add new files, add or delete features, initiate the build process, and change product name and upgrade code, release settings, summary information stream items, release flags, and more. More »
Setup Prerequisite Editor Create custom setup prerequisites that you can include in your projects. More »
XML Support Save time by quickly testing XML configuration changes to installation projects. More »
Require EULA Reading "Force" users to scroll to the end of EULA before installation can proceed. More »
Registry-Free COM Registration (Application Manifests) Instead of writing COM information to the registry on a target system, write COM information to an application manifest file. More »
Local Repositories Quickly rollout new setups and ensure consistency across projects. More »
Modify Users and Groups Add and manage Windows users during installation. More »
Expiring Setup Launchers Prevent your end users from installing outdated versions of applications. More »
Industry-Standard InstallScript Achieve maximum flexibility in your installations with InstallScript—a powerful and easy-to-use scripting language. More »
Transform File Editing Easily edit Windows Installer transform files. More »
Complete Project Debugging Step through the entire installation to confirm behavior or identify and eliminate trouble spots. More »
Source Code Control Integration Manage installation projects the same way your team manages other code. More »
Save Projects as XML Files Save projects in an XML format, making them easier to manage and manipulate. More »
Patch Creation Patches created with the Premier and Professional editions contain updates to a previous installation or set of installations on a file-level or byte-level basis. Distribute on the Internet and save end-user time and server bandwidth. More »
Release Management Build several flavors or versions of a product from one installation project. More »
Reusable Project Templates Maintain consistency across installation projects using project templates. More »
Search the Target System Identify if certain files, folders, or registry entries exist on a user's system before conditional action is taken. More »
New Predefined System Searches New searches for .NET Framework 4.0, SQL Server 2008 Express SP1, and Adobe Reader 9 check if the required component is installed on the target system and take appropriate action.
Media Spanning for Large Applications Build an installation that spans multiple media and never impose limits on the size of your application. More »
Support for Digital Signatures Save time by digitally signing all your files at build time. More »
Specify Custom Icon and Version Resource Properties Modify the icon and version resource properties to match your company and product branding. More »			Partial
Command Line Builder Have your build process automatically occur every night by using the command line build option.
Build Reports View a summary of a build's contents for troubleshooting, training, or creating documentation. More »
Microsoft Build Engine (MSBuild) Support Build Visual Studio solutions with InstallShield projects in build lab environments where Visual Studio is not installed. More »
Referencing Developer Installation Manifest (DIM) Files Reference DIM files created with the InstallShield Collaboration plug-in. More »
Installation Prerequisites Check for and install prerequisites before your installation is executed. More »
InstallScript Prerequisites Add InstallShield prerequisites to your InstallScript projects. More »
Specify Folders for InstallShield Prerequisite Searches This enhancement makes it easy for your development team to share prerequisites and store them in source code control. More »
Always Overwrite Speed setup creation by marking files that will always need to be overwritten at installation time, regardless of version or modification date.
One-Click Install Technology Create software images that users can install from a Web site with a simple mouse click. More »
VB Script and J Script Code Editor Edit and format your VB Script and J Script custom action code directly inside the InstallShield interface. Access this dialog from the Script Text field in the properties grid of VB/JScript custom actions. In the dialog, enter the script code your custom action should execute.
COM+ Support Add the setup information from a COM+ application to an installation package with no script writing. More »
File Dependency Scanning Run automated file dependency checks when adding DLLs, EXEs, OCXs, and other file types. More »
Portable Projects Easily move projects from one drive to another or from one machine to another.
Easily Run Custom Actions Schedule a custom action to run at precisely the right moment in your installation. More »
Quick Build Quickly rebuild a project for testing purposes. This option allows you to quickly rebuild only part of an installation, without retrieving and compressing all the files again. This accelerates testing of changes to the user interface, such as the dialogs included or specific dialog graphics, or to project properties.
Registry Entry Creation Create registry entries and set permissions while viewing all the registry changes associated with the project.
Multiple Media Options Installations can be built for CDs, DVDs, a network drive, or for media of any custom size.
Operating System Filtering Create one installation that supports multiple operating systems.
Conditional Features Tailor the set of features to be installed per target system.
Launch Extension Scripts or Files Easily extend your installation's capabilities by using VBScript, an EXE, or a function in a DLL.
Upgrade Creation Support Enhance your end-user's experience by limiting their interaction with maintenance mode dialogs.
LZX Compression Option (Basic MSI and InstallScript MSI) Use an advanced compression algorithm to obtain the smallest installation image (useful for Web distribution).
Billboard Support for Custom Branding Display Adobe Flash billboards and other graphic files during the install process. More »			Limited
Support for HTML Controls on InstallScript Dialogs InstallShield includes support for HTML controls on dialogs. More »
Displaying Installation Progress on the Taskbar Installations that are run on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 now show a progress bar on the Windows taskbar during file transfer.
PLATFORM FEATURES
Enhanced 64-Bit Application Support New functionality gives developers more power to deploy applications on 64-bit systems. More »
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Support Easily install software on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. More »
Visual Studio Support Microsoft recommends that all Visual Studio developers standardize on InstallShield. More »
Integration with Microsoft Team Foundation Server Use the Visual Studio IDE to effectively manage, compile, and build Visual Studio and InstallShield projects in a single environment. More »
Support for Restart Manager All installations must contain an option that enables end users to automatically close applications and attempt to restart them after an installation is complete More »
DIFx 2.1 Support (Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, and InstallScript) InstallShield includes support for the latest version of Driver Install Frameworks for Applications (DIFx). More »
ClickOnce Support InstallShield includes a ClickOnce Deployment project type, which is a lightweight application deployment mechanism that is easy to use. More »
ClickOnce to MSI Converter Convert a ClickOnce project to a Basic MSI project with an associated .dim file.
.NET Framework Support (InstallScript) InstallShield's InstallScript functionality includes new or updated system variables, functions, and constants to support multiple versions of the .NET Framework.
Specify Files for 32-Bit Platforms (InstallScript) A platform suite option and corresponding constant allow you to specify files that should only be installed on 32-bit platforms.
Call .NET Assemblies (InstallScript) Call functions in .NET assemblies without the assembly being registered for COM interoperability. InstallShield introduces the CoCreateObjectDotNet function, which calls functions in .NET assemblies without the assembly being registered for COM interoperability. Each object created with this function is associated with a single class in a single .NET assembly.
64-Bit Application Support Build Windows Installer setups for both pure 64-bit applications and hybrid applications that mix 32-bit and 64-bit code. More »
InstallScript 64-Bit Support InstallScript installations can also install and register 64-bit files. More »
Support for 64-Bit COM Extraction If you are using InstallShield on a 64-bit system, it can extract COM data from a 64-bit COM server. InstallShield now supports 64-bit COM extraction. If you are using InstallShield on a 64-bit system, it can extract COM data from a 64-bit COM server. In order to install the data to the correct locations, the component must be marked as 64 bit.
Java Runtime Engine Redistributable Add support for Java technology to your installation with a single click. More »
Certified for Windows 7 Validation Suite Validate both full projects and merge modules; ensure that your installation meets "Certified for Windows 7" program guidelines. More »
Updated Direct X 9.0 Object Support You can use the Windows Installer-based object for Basic MSI and InstallScript MSI projects in compressed and silent installations. More »			Limited
32- and 64-Bit .NET Framework Support Get support for all 32- and 64-bit versions of .NET in both Basic MSI and InstallScript MSI. More »			Limited
Windows 7 Support Robust support for Windows 7 and related technologies such as UAC, Restart Manager, and much more; also get support for Windows 7 in InstallScript and One-Click Install projects. More »			Limited
Support for UAC InstallShield lets you create installations that handle UAC authorization requests in a user-friendly manner, requesting elevated privileges required for all installations just once, and using those privileges throughout the installation. More »
SaaS Support (IIS 7 and SSL Technologies) Easily deploy Windows-based Web applications with improved support for SQL and Web-based technologies such as IIS 7 and SSL. More »			Limited
Stay Current with the Latest Microsoft Technologies Get support for SQL Server 2008 SP1 and SQL Server Compact Edition 3.5 SP1. InstallShield enables you to run SQL scripts on SQL Server SP1 (available in InstallShield Premier and Professional Editions only), and includes support for SQL Server Compact Edition 3.5 SP1 for mobile device installations.			Limited
Multilingual User Interface (MUI) Support If you are preparing an installation for a multilingual application and Windows Installer will be running the installation, you can now use InstallShield to create shortcuts that include support for the Windows multilingual user interface (MUI). More »
.NET Framework 4.0 Support Create setups that allow the installation of Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0. More »
Create Windows Installer (MSI) Installations Quickly and easily create Basic MSI installations by specifying files, registry settings, shortcuts, and other installation behavior, with InstallShield's easy-to-use interface. More »
Live Redistributable Gallery Over 200 objects and merge modules makes it easy to add support for popular technologies to your project. More »
Improved, Time-Saving IDE New flattened architecture and dynamic search tools will save you tons of time. More »			Limited
String Editor View Control the localizable text strings displayed at run time with this spreadsheet-like table. More »
Text File Changes View Configure search-and-replace actions for content in text files to be modified at run time. This view lets you configure search-and-replace behavior for content in text files (such as .txt, .htm, .xml, .config, .ini, and .sql files) that you want to modify at run time on the target system. The text files can be part of your installation, or they can be files that are already present on target systems.
Enhanced Script Editor New auto-completion functionality increases developer efficiency by reducing the time spent on typing code and helps eliminate typographical code errors.
Build Events InstallShield eliminates the need for you to manage external script files by integrating new pre- and post-build events with the InstallShield build process.
USER INTERFACE FEATURES
Try and Die Functionality Create a fully functional trial version of your product with a few simple configuration changes. More »
Four InstallShield MSI Tools Four InstallShield MSI tools save you time and effort by providing a rich UI for common troubleshooting tasks. More »
MSI Log Analyzer Generate easy-to-use reports from Windows Installer log files to troubleshoot run-time issues. More »
Windows Device Driver Wizard Create installations for both hardware and software device drivers in a matter of minutes. More »
MSI Difference Checking Identify differences between two existing MSI packages for troubleshooting purposes. Identify differences between two existing MSI packages for training or troubleshooting using the automated MSI differencing tool. The differences between two projects are highlighted in the Direct Editor, with options to accept or reject the changes.
Dialog Editor The Dialog Editor lets you modify the layout of existing end-user dialogs or create new custom dialogs. Import and export dialogs to share them across projects. Construct different dialogs for each language supported in the project. More »
End-User Dialog Themes for Basic MSI Projects Refreshed dialog designs for Basic MSI give you fresh choices for the look-and-feel of your installation's user interface, improving the end-user experience. Includes 10 for Premier and 5 for Professional. More »		Limited	Basic
Intuitive Help Library Use this task-based system to quickly get up to speed on using InstallShield.
Project Assistant Jumpstart a project by using a simplified set of views to quickly guide you through the installation process. More »
Intuitive Design Environment The advanced user interface makes installation creation more efficient by outlining the major steps involved in the process. The advanced user interface makes installation creation more efficient by outlining the major steps involved in the creation of an installation, providing you separate views for common tasks within each of these steps, and enabling drag-and-drop support for files, registry entries, and other project elements. More than 20 task-based wizards simplify your development tasks, from starting Visual Basic projects to building custom releases.
Installation Designer Explore your setup options in more detail using a series of task-based views to organize your work. To explore your setup options in more detail, the Installation Designer uses a series of task-based views to organize your work. Quickly edit project elements using check boxes and drag-and-drop support. Express marks the steps you've finished as "complete" to help you keep track of what you've done and what's left to do.
Jump to Knowledge Base Articles Speed testing time and increase efficiency by eliminating searches for error messages. Instant error assistance speeds testing time and increases efficiency by eliminating searches for error message explanations. The error message output window contains a direct link to Error Central, which has the latest details and solutions to resolve the error. This is supported in both the Express IDE and in the Visual Studio .NET design environment.
System Search Wizard Build searches for specific files and use the results to install the whole application, individual features, and more.
Easily Find Files The find option in the files view lets you quickly search for and find specific files in your project.
Features for Server Installation Developers
Installation Streaming Installation Streaming reduces the downloading wait time required before installation can begin. More »
SQL Scripts View Several enhancements have been made to the SQL Scripts view. More »
Database Import Wizard Use the Scripting Options panel to specify whether the script should be compatible with Microsoft SQL Server's latest version.
Oracle Database Support Easily connect to Oracle database servers and run SQL Scripts as part of your installation. More »
MySQL Support Configure all aspects of the MySQL database server. More »
XML File Updating Modify XML files on any target system as part of the installation or uninstallation process. More »
IIS Web Services Support Create a new installation project to deploy a Web service, or add a Web service to an existing project. More »
IIS Tools for Web Apps New IIS scanner and improved view make it easy to create IIS Web sites, applications, and virtual directories. More »		Limited	Limited
Features for Mobile Device Installation Developers
Latest Windows Mobile Platform Support Get support for the latest Windows Mobile platforms (including Windows Embedded CE 6.x). More »
Microsoft Smartphone Support Create installations for all versions of the Microsoft Smartphone with no dependencies on Windows Installer (MSI), InstallScript, or any other desktop technology.
Redistribute SQL Server CE Extend enterprise data management capabilities to mobile devices. Easily redistribute SQL Server CE as part of your installation with just a single click.
Mobile Devices View Create installations for all Windows Mobile and Palm OS devices with just a few clicks. More »
Palm Handheld Support Easily create installations to target Palm handhelds or any other mobile device running the popular Palm OS platform.
MODULES AVAILABLE
Standalone Build Add-On InstallShield provides a Standalone Build add-on that enables installation developers to maintain a clean build system by using the part of InstallShield that builds the installations, plus any redistributables included in the installations More »	5 Free Licenses	1 Free License
InstallShield Collaboration The InstallShield 2012 Collaboration add-on has been significantly enhanced to better support distributed, collaborative installation development More »
InstallShield Repackager With this Premier-only feature you can easily create Windows Installer setups from any legacy installation, without starting from scratch. More »

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