Advanced Installer

What's new in this version:

Advanced Installer 22.3
New:
- Windows features bundle support for Windows Server 2025
- Predefined launch condition for Windows Server 2025

Enhanced:
- PowerShell automation support for licensing
- Command-line support for adding .NET Core launch conditions
- Enabling the selection of different COM registration extraction methods
- Configurable option to include or exclude custom actions from certain builds
- Enhanced multiline text editor with scrolling for full-text visibility
- "Terminate Process" custom action can close processes for all users when running in immediate mode
- Improved "Evaluate Condition" option, now easier to access in the Custom Launch Condition tab
- Changed default file replacement setting to "Always Overwrite Existing Files" for new projects
- Update .NET Core 8 prerequisites to version 8.0.11
- Predefined prerequisite for .NET 9
- Predefined Launch Conditions for .NET Core 9.0

Fixed:
- Fixed an issue in the "Prerequisite UI Level Switches" window where an EditBox was incorrectly displayed instead of a Static Text control
- Error notifications rendered with WinUI were not using the correct font color
- Fixed filter issues in the "Move to Component" window
- Crash when deleting a folder with component policy set "One component per folder"
- The UAC appeared hidden in the taskbar when the setup contained chained packages
- Fixed initialization issue on the Start Page
- Fixed prerequisite repair issue where incorrect file versions were not updated during the main installer repair
- An unexpected message box popped up during installation on Windows Server 2022
- The "Create a new component" option from the Synchronize folder did not work as expected
- The slideshow progress dialog was not displaying as expected in the App Installer and Serene themes
- Patch project is checked as modified after navigating in the Add/Remove (Control Panel) view
- Crash in a merge module project if using "Go to Location" for Property.ARPCOMMENTS localization ID
- Addressed flickering issue in Edit Box content on the "ProgressDlg" dialog
- Scrollable Text Control jumped to the end when switching focus
- The default button option in the message box custom actions was not updating for each new custom action added
- Corrected unexpected behavior of the "Test URL" function for prerequisites
- Fixed issue where the "Uninstall MSIX/Appx Package" action failed to save the Publisher ID string
- Resolved multiple prompts during build-time synchronization of registration data from a file
- Addressed a potential memory leak related to GDI handles
- The reboot prompt was not displayed when the package used Embedded UI
- Fixed issue where importing registry entries resulted in incorrect paths due to bitness discrepancies
- Fixed issue where moving standard actions in the Custom Actions view could result in a stack trace error
- The second prerequisite was incorrectly launched in the background instead of in the foreground


Advanced Installer 22.2
New:
- Create a nested context menu for File Associations from an MSI, using Sparse Packages
- Nested Context Menu for MSIX Packages on Windows 10
- Redesigned CustomActions View using WinUI

Enhanced:
- Ability to conditionally use the "Extract Archive" support
- Ribbon improvements for Project Summary
- Modernized information window pop-up with WinUI
- Update .NET prerequisites and Windows App Runtime to the latest version (6.0.35 & 8.0.10 & 1.6.1)
- Update SQL Server and VC++ prerequisites to the latest versions

Fixed:
- The prerequisite progress bar didn’t work for multilingual packages on non-English OS display languages
- The Prerequisite feature was not correctly determining installation conditions
- Custom Action Properties reset when adding another Custom Action of the same type
- Windows Firewall rules were not correctly imported into the MSM packages
- The "Mark component as 64-bit" option was not preserved when copying registry values
- Invalid MSI identifier string error when using MSI QuickEdit
- QuickEditing an MSI caused changes in UI-related tables
- Crash when deleting a service from a project containing only MSIX builds
- Infinite prompts for the "Select PowerShell script file source" dialog when previously canceled
- Fixed folder duplication during the preserve operation if the folder name contained a version number
- The builds parameter did not work for the /NewPrerequisite and /UpdatePrerequisite commands
- The project was not marked as modified when pasting a registry key
- EnhancedUI.exe was packaged unsigned in our advinst.msi setup
- Fixed the Close button misalignment when using Custom frame with the Graphite theme
- Custom Action return code was ignored when added to Init Events of the WelcomeDlg dialog
- SVG images could not be loaded from folders located on the C: drive
- Crash on WinUI when closing the application and using Azure Key Vault (only on Windows 10)


Advanced Installer 22.1
New features:
- Predefined custom action to copy Current User registry values to all users during installation

Enhancements:
- PowerShell automation support to add "Copy File/Folder" custom action
- Modernized About dialog, MessageBox dialog, and SolutionContent dialog using WinUI
- Added info tip to clarify custom action runs on all stages when “Last Stage” is unchecked
- Improved IIS WWW Root path when the IIS feature was not enabled
- New command line option for /GenerateAssets to support relative and absolute paths
- Option to evaluate custom launch conditions during development
- Updated SQLite and zlib to their latest versions
- Added message prompts for empty Repository Manager pages
- Enhanced property creation by preventing the automatic formatting of references
- Updated Italian dictionary
- Updated .NET Prerequisites to the latest version (6.0.33, 8.0.8)
- Added Net Framework 4.8.1 Launch Conditions

Fixed:
- Fixed an issue in User Interface Themes where the Preview was not updating for Dialog or Banner bitmaps in version 22.0
- The CopyToUserProfile functionality was copying existing disk information to all user profiles, instead of limiting the operation to installer-defined data only
- The "Call function from standard DLL" action didn’t invoke the specified function
- "Digitally sign the script" option was wrongfully enabled for "Script from disk" PowerShell custom actions
- Custom Language Code in Summary Info was reset during build
- Fixed crash when attempting to remove a registry entry after repackaging
- 64-bit decimal registry (REG_QWORD) was created as a binary registry type (REG_BINARY) when the "Mark component as 64-bit" option was used
- Fixed crash when copy-pasting, and changing sequence on SQL connection
- Crash occurred during Test Installation with an empty Advanced CAB layout
- "UpdatePrerequisite" command failed to work as expected
- Patch was not applied when the Target MSI had Embedded UI enabled
- Fixed download link for Microsoft WebView2 predefined prerequisite
- MSIX Bundle Import failed to map resources correctly according to sub-builds
- Rebuild command ignored the -buildslist parameter
- Property fields for "Call method from .NET Assembly" custom action were corrupted when using separators
- Prerequisite progress bar didn't function for non-English language packages
- AppV5 changes are not saved after closing and reopening the project
- App Installer theme crashes on some Windows 10 versions when pressing the "About" image button


Advanced Installer 22.0
New features:
- New WinUI theme for the Auto-Updater
- Gallery with ready-to-use sample projects and tutorials

Enhanced:
- Predefined custom action: Copy File to User Profile
- Predefined custom action: Exit Early
- New environment variable for accessing the latest advancedinstaller.com path
- Added the -locid parameter to the SetProperty command, allowing you to specify a custom localization identifier
- Predefined launch condition for SQL Server Express 2022
- Added new options to NewPrerequisite and UpdatePrerequisite commands
- UI improvements in Organization view
- Update .NET Prerequisites to the latest version
- Update Java prerequisites to the latest versions

Fixed:
- Feature size is not displayed when using MSI Embedded UI
- The icon for the EXE patch file cannot be configured in Patch projects
- Languages for the missing localization identifiers are displayed twice when building a mixed 32/64-bit package
- The prerequisite command line is set before the MSI process starts during a silent or basic UI installation
- Translated string changes are not reflected until you change the view
- Stack trace after capturing App-V build with Repackager
- New project/Return to project shortcut (CTRL + N) leads to a blank page
- The "Source file not found" error is displayed when a prerequisite performs a machine reboot
- Fixed issue where install-only custom actions incorrectly execute during uninstall
- No notification should be displayed when opening a template project
- Additional space set for a component is reset if higher than 2048 MB
- The default command line for the custom Sign Tool is invalid in patch projects
- Fixed the "Vector too long" error for MSIX build when the Logo image is renamed/removed from the disk
- Universal Windows views are not shown in the Left Pane when needed
- Typing Chinese characters does not work in the latest versions
- Prerequisites created with a newer version are incorrectly loaded from the repository
- Fixed the error: The digital signature of the object did not verify on the merge module build when verifying the digital signature
- Fixed Surface themes translation issues
- Already installed prerequisites are checked for installation on PrerequisitesDlg when using WinUI
- URL-based prerequisites fail to be installed when they are scheduled silently after the main package
- Random Stack Trace occurs when resizing the Behavior panel on the Dialogs page
- File Association is triggering repair for .AIP extension
- “Go to Table Editor” option from Issue List and Search Results doesn't work
- Project Summary won't load after importing Repackaging Results
- Addressed issue with prerequisites extraction folder names being too long
- Selecting an external file that's currently in use results in an error during installation
- The installation window silently crashes when trying to open AboutDlg from ProgressPrereqDlg


Advanced Installer 21.9
New:
- Nested Context Menus for File Associations in MSIX

Enhanced:
- Move/Copy operation now completes after Reboot when file is in use
- Add reboot option for NewPrerequisite and UpdatePrerequisite command line
- Add translations for default strings
- Add support for remembering the last used build
- Add BrowseDlg dialog support in the AppInstaller theme
- Refactoring the build log for improved clarity and efficiency
- Add support for Java 19, 20, 21, and 22 versions for Java products and Launch Condition

Fixed:
- Fix EXE icon issue in non-English language projects
- Fix bug where the description field fails to set MSI name in UAC using trusted signing
- Resolve the issue with the "Install side-by-side" option not always being preserved on upgrades
- Fix the error causing files to be digitally signed twice in an MSIX build
- Correct reboot prompt behavior during uninstallation
- Address the logo overlapping with dialog elements on PrepareDlg for Surface theme variations that use two colors
- Crash on builds view when editing an App-V package
- The installer hangs when the "Display error message" Custom Action is used on a dialog
- Size doubles in the Control Panel after “Modify a package” that uses custom ARP
- The file can not be removed from the project after version sync and unsync
- Rendering issues with SetupTypeDlg dialog icons on the Serene theme
- Resolved an issue where the system did not prompt for the certificate password when the entered password was incorrect
- Fix scheduled task that failed if it was scheduled to run at task creation
- Uninstall certificate CA does not work if the thumbprint contains uppercase letters
- Per build default file path is not updated if changing the source


Advanced Installer 21.8.2
- The Visual Studio extension failed loading new projects


Advanced Installer 21.8.1
- Embedded UI installations hang instead of displaying Files in Use dialog


Advanced Installer 21.7.1
- Trial users may encounter errors when building their projects


Advanced Installer 21.7
New:
- Azure Trusted Signing support in Visual Studio Extension
- PowerShell support for Trusted Signing

Enhancements:
- Updated Korean localization
- Each setup package now extracts temporary files into its unique folder
- Updated the source for downloading the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable
- Updated Python prerequisite to the latest version 3.12.3
- Updated .NET prerequisites to the latest version (6.0.29, 7.0.18, 8.0.4)

Fixed:
- The Convert Paths wizard now successfully resolves the SignTool Custom Path field
- "Refresh the current dialog" now works with MSI Embedded UI
- Fixed validation errors for mandatory fields in the Digital Signature section when signing is disabled
- Fixed the PrerequisiteSelector dialog issue that incorrectly checked prerequisites scheduled to be skipped
- Fixed prerequisite skipping on non-English machines
- Corrected the "MSI from EXE" wizard to use the "Same as main package" option for UI Level
- Fixed an invalid command line error for a prerequisite set to Silent Install when the main package is installed using the /qb! Parameter
- Product and company names are now fully displayed in dialogs
- Text on the Dark AppInstaller theme is now visible
- The second repair no longer triggers the "Cab file not found error"
- Fixed appxbundle installation issues
- Files are now displayed in the Files and Folders view when editing specific MSI in Advanced Installer
- View Readme and Launch application options are now displayed on the ExitDialog during Maintenance
- Controls on new dialogs are now working as expected when the "User Interface" project segment is checked
- Added validation for the shortcut name in the Icon Table


Advanced Installer 21.6.1
- Digitally sign your files using Azure Trusted Signing


Advanced Installer 21.6
New:
- Custom context menu for file associations installed via MSIX

Improved:
- Predefined Prerequisite for .NET on ARM machines
- Update .NET prerequisites to the latest version (6.0.28, 7.0.17, 8.0.3)
- Java Launcher DPI awareness
- Build log warning for untranslated strings in multi-language projects
- Suppress toast notifications for uninstalling older versions
- Updated hyperlink control on publish event
- Support the latest OpenJDK bundles for macOS builds
- Updated MSIX schema for 23H2

Fixed:
- Fixed translation issue when using the "Refresh the current dialog" event
- EditBox control with password attribute now properly hides text when disabled
- LeftMenu keeps the selection unchanged when the right view has invalid data
- Fixed crash when closing projects with unselected Custom Frame on Windows 10
- Left menu item was not selected when opening a project in a view from the Custom Behavior group
- The "Edit Property's Value Source" window allows resizing to a smaller size
- "Could not read server response" error when using Azure Key Vault signing
- Prerequisite installation fails when using the "Store Feature-based prerequisites in MSI database" option for EXE packages
- Incorrect prerequisite status displayed during uninstallation with the "Allow uninstall" option enabled


Advanced Installer 21.5.1
Fixed:
- Opening a project from Start Page triggers an error on Windows 10
- Import or Edit operations sometimes fail for MSIX Bundles
- Stack trace error when creating Repackager installation or session monitoring
- Prerequisites after main package not being installed for Professional projects
- MSIX Editor "Save As" triggers an error when changing package name
- Rare app-freeze because of registry data corruption or invalid property sheet values for dialogs


Advanced Installer 21.5
Enhanced:
- PowerShell commands for EULA and Readme integration
- Merge-friendly AIP format for side-by-side project management
- Updated default “Track Disk Space“ attribute from “InstallDlg“ dialog on the Surface theme
- AppCompat configurations support case-insensitive file name patterns
- Professional project includes “Select All“ and “Deselect All“ options for FileAssociationsDlg for streamlined file association management
- Support for Web Installer deployment from network locations
- Organization Page enhancements: Expanded search by resource and file types for improved navigation
- CTRL+A shortcut now enables the selection of all dialog events for efficient editing
- Update .NET prerequisites to the latest version (6.0.27 & 7.0.16 & 8.0.2)

Fixed:
- The build process for the Windows 11 context menu option now works correctly in both Professional and Enterprise editions
- Fixed Stack Trace errors on closing projects with deselected custom frames in Windows 10
- Table Editor no longer crashes when selecting prerequisites for systems with Vista/Windows 2008 in WinNTVersions/WinNT64Versions
- The “Fast Installation“ option no longer suppresses dialogs
- Prerequisite folder field no longer auto-fills with blank spaces for certain prerequisites
- SQL script name validation is now correctly enforced for file imports, aligning with inline script standards
- ErrorMessage custom actions can now precede Paths Resolution in the workflow
- Removing synchronization now resets all stored rows in other tables
- Installation of framework prerequisites can now be canceled
- The "Do not save files into the project" option now works when synchronization is on
- Components no longer disappear when a prerequisite feature is deleted
- The “Reset“ button now correctly maintains disk space values for the Graphite theme
- Fixed various issues when using the Tab Host control
- The themes view is no longer enabled when the MSIX build is selected at load


Advanced Installer 21.4
New features:
- MSIX Deployment Streamlined: Introducing MSIX External Application Shortcuts
- Support for OpenSSH Server/Client Windows features during installation

- Enhanced:
- Encrypt all Azure Key Vault signing parameters in the AIP setup project for heightened security
- WinUI Start Page revamp for Repackager
- Toast notifications for real-time update status
- Command-line support for revoking and removing floating licenses
- Upcoming VBScript deprecation notification
- Support file and folder operation on TARGETDIR
- Update .NET prerequisites to the latest version (6.0.26, 7.0.15, 8.0.1)

Fixed:
- UpdatePathVariable command failed for global path variables
- IIS settings were not preserved when more packages were combined into a single one
- Group Box control was not displayed when using WinUI
- Theme image path was not refreshed when trying to move to the edge of the path
- An unidentified error appeared in Event Viewer for any EXE package created with Advanced Installer
- Serene theme: The back button was visible on PrepareDlg, TabHost on ConfigureDlg was not correctly displayed if "Use external UI" was disabled
- Invalid input error when pressing the Enter key on the Set Installer Property custom action field
- Floating license visual notifications were not working when running on Windows 11
- "Invalid Drive" was thrown when using the "Reset" button from the "SetupTypeDlg" dialog
- Modern context menu didn’t work with all certificate types
- Scheduled Tasks running under the system account were not created on the machine
- Adding new rows into an imported table resulted in a stack trace/silent crash
- Crash after the undo operation of deleting InstallTypeDlg
- The project was not rebuilt from CLI when the ProductVersion was retrieved from a file
- The "Always install prerequisite" option was ignored when the AND operator was previously used for prerequisite searches
- Set Installer Property Window from New Control Event Window was not responsive to resizing
- The extraction folder was not removed after installation when using a multilingual package on Windows Server 2022
- Removed the environment variable name length limitation
- The registry key was cleaned up at the end of installation when the setup was added as chained
- Files view search was slow and with no indication that it was in progress
- MSI Import was not working properly
- Launch application CheckBox overlapped static text control when using WinUI on the Classic theme
- Stack trace error when using indirection for ProgressBar control on Surface and Vivid theme
- Text Style didn’t work for CheckBox controls on the Air theme with WinUI
- Custom Actions view glitched when adding PowerShell inline script CA in a solution
- Packages with the Hebrew language couldn’t be installed when using WinUI
- The registry key was cleaned up at the end of installation when the setup was added as chained
- Silent installation no longer worked with the latest versions when passing properties
- Crash when selecting the MsiEmbeddedUI table


Advanced Installer 21.3.1
Fixed:
- CLI build error when Product Version is retrieved from a synchronized file
- NewUpdate CLI command exits with an error


Advanced Installer 21.3
New:
- ARM64 support for VSIX packages
- New global policies for creating and grouping components

Enhanced:
- Detect and highlight the User Account Control dialog(UAC) if another dialog is in the foreground
- Support multiple ActiveSetups with the same name
- PowerShell automation support to configure MSIX package dependencies
- Control Flow Guard enabled for EXE installers
- Validate components' GUIDs at build time
- The "Find All" function now includes script custom action content in the search result
- Improved the error message in case the Updater does not find the custom EXE
- Improved UI functionality for users to easily set any prerequisite as a Framework Prerequisite
- Enhanced global commands in the Home ribbon group to recognize and interact with the selected current build
- Updated Updater's GitHub integration to search in both per-user ("HKUD") and per-machine ("HKLM") registry hives
- Added filter option for adding a prerequisite from the repository
- Improved Repackager CLI
- Support for creating Scheduled Task folders and adding a Scheduled Task to a folder
- Predefined Prerequisite for .NET 8
- Predefined Launch Condition for .NET Core 8.0
- Predefined launch conditions for Windows 11 version 23H2
- Update .NET Framework 4.8.1 prerequisites install conditions for Windows 11
- Updated .NET prerequisites to the latest version (6.0.25 & 7.0.14)
- Updated Supported Operating Systems in the Launch Conditions view

Fixed:
- Prerequisite was searching for "UpgradeCode" instead of "ProductCode"
- Consecutive executions of .NET Core Custom Actions fail
- Malfunction in MSIX Editor when handling the APPDATA folder
- Stack Trace error when navigating to the Themes view
- License Agreement text was selected when using the Tab key with EUI enabled
- Paths to files entered directly in the manifest editor are not always resolved at build time
- FRendering issues with "PrereqProgressDlg" when the package includes Framework type prerequisites
- SQL Browse control was not populating when Enhanced UI was enabled
- "AppSearch" behaves incorrectly during EXE setup execution when Enhanced UI was enabled
- Missing right border for the "GroupBox" control in the Surface theme
- Valid licenses were overwritten by disabled ones before completing the registration process
- Issue pane was displayed empty in "Edit MSI"
- "Continue with main installation" option was ignored when a prerequisite necessitated a reboot
- Prerequisite install command lines were mistakenly transferred to uninstall during project conversion
- Reboot initiation prevented during Control Panel uninstall or change operations when EUI is enabled
- Confusing error message was displayed if a project with the same name already existed during project creation
- Sporadic issues with Arabic language support (RTLO) in WinUI
- Prerequisite Dialog was shown during pre-installation even on operating systems that are not supported
- MultipleInstancesDlg dialog was not displayed when WinUI rendering was enabled
- Scroll bar didn't work in the "Properties" pane of the "Shortcuts" view
- Maintenance actions failed if the EXE installer was renamed or moved to a different path
- EXE packages used with Windows Setup Custom Scripts were not installed with the OS