Imagine that you have table-driven custom action. This custom action would need to read the values out of a table to determine what work to do. In this scenario you need an immediate custom action which can read the appropriate tables and stuff the data into CustomActionData. Then a deferred custom action can read the data out of CustomActionData and perform the actual work. This two-stage approach is necessary because Windows Installer does not allow deferred custom actions to read many of the tables in the MSI database. If you written a table-driven custom action then you likely also have custom tables which are most definitely not available in the deferred custom action.
For very simple deferred custom actions where you only need to pass in a very small number data to the deferred custom action, such as a single property value, then it would be appropriate to add the property to SecureCustomProperties. Edwin G. Castro Software Developer - Staff Electronic Banking Services Fiserv Office: 503-746-0643 Fax: 503-617-0291 www.fiserv.com Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail > -----Original Message----- > From: Matt Walker [mailto:matt.wal...@synergis.com] > Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 10:48 AM > To: General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset. > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Command LineParameterstoDeferred > CustomAction on Vista > > I know how to get stuff to-out of Custom Action Data, but I guess I really > would like to know when it is absolutely necessary to use it. > > From you link with an emphasis on the first part... > > "Custom actions are run at the end of an installation and cannot access > information about the installation; the CustomActionData property allows > you to store information about the installation that can be read by the > custom action." > > I guess my question boils down to... why do I NOT have to store the value of > my public property from the Property Table (and not set in any way via the > UI) in CustomActionData? I can access the original property and its value > fine > with my Deferred action that is run in System Context. > > > > > Matt Walker > Installation Development > 200 Kelly Road | Quakertown, PA 18951 > Phone: +1 215.529.9900, x192 | 800.836.5440 > Fax: +1 215.536.9249 > http://www.synergissoftware.com/ > Adept Engineering Document Management & Workflow This message (and > any associated files) is intended only for the use of the individual or > entity to > which it is addressed and may contain information that is confidential, > subject to copyright or constitutes a trade secret. If you are not the > intended > recipient you are hereby notified that any dissemination, copying or > distribution of this message, or files associated with this message, is > strictly > prohibited. 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Any views or opinions presented are > solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the > company. > -----Original Message----- > > From: Chad Petersen [mailto:chad.peter...@harlandfs.com] > Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 1:27 PM > To: General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset. > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Command LineParameterstoDeferred > CustomAction on Vista > > CustomActionData is that magical packet of information passed from the > installer to your deferred CustomAction using the Value= attribute. > > Then, your .exe (or VBScript or Javascript) has to set a variable to the > value of > Session.Property("CustomActionData"); so it gets a copy of this information > to use. > > This info might help a little > > http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/2w2fhwzz(VS.71).aspx > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Matt Walker [mailto:matt.wal...@synergis.com] > Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 10:07 AM > To: General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset. > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Command Line ParameterstoDeferred > CustomAction on Vista > > I guess I'm still a little foggy on it so I'll keep digging. If > CustomActionData is > needed to get values to Deferred Custom Actions, how then is my property > value, populated in the Property Table, getting to my deferred action? In > addition to having the property pre-populated in the table, I also added it to > SecureCustomProperties. However I'm not using the Set Directory CA > mechanism to get the value to CustomActionData. > > I don't know if I mentioned this before, but my Deferred Custom Action fires > an .exe stored in the Binary Table with the following command line > parameters being passed [ProductCode] [OURVERSION], the later being the > pre-populated property. > > I don't know why, but I can't seem to get a handle on this! :( > > > Matt Walker > Installation Development > 200 Kelly Road | Quakertown, PA 18951 > Phone: +1 215.529.9900, x192 | 800.836.5440 > Fax: +1 215.536.9249 > http://www.synergissoftware.com/ > Adept Engineering Document Management & Workflow This message (and > any associated files) is intended only for the use of the individual or > entity to > which it is addressed and may contain information that is confidential, > subject to copyright or constitutes a trade secret. If you are not the > intended > recipient you are hereby notified that any dissemination, copying or > distribution of this message, or files associated with this message, is > strictly > prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us > immediately by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer. > Messages sent to and from us may be monitored. > Internet communications cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as > information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or > incomplete, or contain viruses. Therefore, we do not accept responsibility for > any errors or omissions that are present in this message, or any attachment, > that have arisen as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is > required, > please request a hard-copy version. Any views or opinions presented are > solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the > company. > -----Original Message----- > > From: Wilson, Phil [mailto:phil.wil...@invensys.com] > Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 12:52 PM > To: General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset. > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Command Line Parameters toDeferred > CustomAction on Vista > > They are still two separate items. SecureCustomProperties is need if you > want to pass properties from the UI to the execute sequence, whether they > get passed to custom actions or not. If you pass them to a immediate custom > actions there's no need to use CustomActionData. So if you wanted to collect > a property value in the UI sequence AND pass it to a deferred custom action > then you'd need to use SCP to get it into the execute sequence AND use > CustomActionData to pass it to a deferred custom action. > > You might be thinking that CustomActionData is a single property, but it's > not. > Every deferred custom action can have its own CustomActionData associated > with it. Yes, it's used to pass property values into deferred custom actions. > You simply cannot directly get property values in deferred custom actions, > that's what CustomActionData is for. > > There'a a paragraph or two at the end here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en- > us/library/aa370543(VS.85).aspx > > Phil Wilson > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Matt Walker [mailto:matt.wal...@synergis.com] > Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 6:45 PM > To: General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset. > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Command Line Parameters to Deferred > CustomAction on Vista > > Since both worked in my scenario, I still, really don't know the difference. > > When you say SCPs is used to pass property values to the execute sequence, > does that include access during or for deferred custom actions? Or, is CAD > used to pass information to the deferred actions? > > Would there be a good example to illustrate the need for the use of > CustomActionData where simply adding a property to > SecureCustomProperties would not provide access during the deferred > sequence? > > Any further help greatly appreciated. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Wilson, Phil [mailto:phil.wil...@invensys.com] > Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 5:17 PM > To: General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset. > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Command Line Parameters to Deferred > CustomAction on Vista > > Briefly, CustomActionData is a parameter passing scheme to get property > values passed to a deferred custom action. SecureCustomProperties is a list > of properties that you want to pass from the UI sequence (where you > probably collected their values) across the context boundary into the > execute sequence. > > Phil Wilson > > -----Original Message----- > From: Superfreak3 [mailto:matt.wal...@synergis.com] > Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 11:59 AM > To: wix-users@lists.sourceforge.net > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Command Line Parameters to Deferred Custom > Action on Vista > > > So what exactly is the difference between SecureCustomProperties and > CustomActionData? I still do not fully understand this. > > We have a public property that holds a string that we write to the > registry > in certain cases. Is is held in the Property table. Let's say it > contains > 8.1.2.3 and is called OURVERSION. > > I have a little widget that runs near the end of the install that tests > the > condition for the registry edit and edits accordingly. I used a Set > Property custom action sequenced in the Immediate Sequence to set the > above > mentioned property to something like PASSDATAACTION. > > Then, in the Deferrec Sequence action, I reference CustomActionData that > now > holds the value I passed. All seems to work OK here. > > I then thought, lets add the original property, OURVERSION, to > SecureCustomProperties and just reference that directly as a parameter > in my > Deferred action, guess what. This works too. > > So, I'm unclear as to the true purpose of each. > > I know this really is off WiX topic, but I've gotten great help here > before > so any now is greatly appreciated. The scenario described above may not > be > exactly what is going on, but just to give an example. > > Thanks in advance for any help!! > -- > View this message in context: > http://windows-installer-xml-wix-toolset.687559.n2.nabble.com/Command- > Li > ne-Parameters-to-Deferred-Custom-Action-on-Vista- > tp2652448p5555733.html > Sent from the wix-users mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > ------ > Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances > and start using them to simplify application deployment and > accelerate your shift to cloud computing. > http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > *** Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail, including any associated or > attached files, is intended solely for the individual or entity to which > it is addressed. 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This e-mail is confidential and may well also be > legally privileged. If you have received it in error, you are on notice > of its status. Please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and > then delete this message from your system. Please do not copy it or use > it for any purposes, or disclose its contents to any other person. This > email comes from a division of the Invensys Group, owned by Invensys > plc, which is a company registered in England and Wales with its > registered office at 3rd Floor, 40 Grosvenor Place, London, SW1X 7AW > (Registered number 166023). For a list of European legal entities within > the Invensys Group, please go to > http://www.invensys.com/legal/default.asp?top_nav_id=77&nav_id=80&pr > ev_i > d=77. > > You may contact Invensys plc on +44 (0)20 3155 1200 or e-mail > recept...@invensys.com. This e-mail and any attachments thereto may be > subject to the terms of any agreements between Invensys (and/or its > subsidiaries and affiliates) and the recipient (and/or its subsidiaries > and affiliates). > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > ------ > Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances > and start using them to simplify application deployment and > accelerate your shift to cloud computing. > http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances > and start using them to simplify application deployment and > accelerate your shift to cloud computing. > http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances > and start using them to simplify application deployment and > accelerate your shift to cloud computing. > http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances > and start using them to simplify application deployment and > accelerate your shift to cloud computing. > http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Start uncovering the many advantages of virtual appliances and start using them to simplify application deployment and accelerate your shift to cloud computing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/novell-sfdev2dev _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
