File attributes

If the installation file does not yet exist on the target system, it is installed. If the installation file already exists, the existing file is replaced by the installation file only if the installation file is newer than the existing file. See File version comparisons below for information about "newer" files.

Note: This is the recommended action for Add-on and update installers.

Restores the version of the file that was present before the current product was installed. If no new version was installed (for example, if the pre-existing version was up to date), nothing happens. If there was no pre-existing file at all, the current file is removed as per Remove always.

Restoration of a shared file is subject to its SharedDlls reference count (see below); if this count is > 0 after decrementing, the file is not restored but left as-is. This prevents problems in the sharing products, which might rely on the current version of the file.

Note: This is the recommended action for Add-on and update installers.

1. Compare the ProductVersions (binary). The file with the higher ProductVersion is newer.
2. If both ProductVersions are equal, compare the FileVersions. The file with the higher FileVersion is newer.
3. If the FileVersions are also equal, both files have the same version.

1. Compare the ProductVersions (binary). The file with the higher ProductVersion is newer.
2. If both ProductVersions are equal, compare supported languages. The file with language that best matches the installation language or includes the largest selection of languages is used.
3. If the languages are also equal, both files have the same version.

1. The file with the VERSIONINFO resource is newer, regardless of its actual version.

1. The file with the VERSIONINFO resource is newer, regardless of its actual version.

1. The file with the later Modified date is newer.
2. If the Modified dates are equal, both files have the same version.

1. If the existing file has a Modified date later than its Created date, it is retained.
2. The file with the later Modified date is newer.
3. If the Modified dates are equal, both files have the same version.

Register the file with the Win32 API RegisterTypeLib and unregister it with UnRegisterTypeLib. This is typically used with COM type libraries that do not contain their own registration code.

Windows Installer does not support this option. See Typelib for an alternative approach.

Register the file by running it with the /RegServer command line argument and unregister it with the /UnregServer command line argument. This is typically used with stand-alone applications that contain their own registration code.

Windows Installer does not support this option. See File Type for alternative approaches.

Register the file as a WinHelp file on the target system. This is typically used with WinHelp .hlp files; do not use it with HTML Help .chm files.

Windows Installer does not support this option. If you want to use a WinHelp file, you must do so using a registry value under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Help.

Enter the installation name of the file; this is the name under which the file will be installed. By default, it is set to the file name in the Source path, but you can change this if desired.

Enter the alias for the file. This alias must be unique in the project; it is used as a key in the Windows Installer database. Both Tarma Installer and Windows Installer use the alias to retrieve the file's installation path using the <#file_alias> syntax.

Note: Windows Installer can also use [#file_alias], but the Tarma <#file_alias> syntax is preferred while working in Tarma ExpertInstall because it allows better preflight checking. The Tarma <#file_alias> syntax will automatically be converted to [#file_alias] when you build a Windows Installer installer.

Enter the source path of the file (i.e., the path to the file on your own system), or click ... (browse) to open the standard Open dialog box that allows you to select the desired file.

Note: Source paths are always displayed as fully qualified paths. However, by default Tarma ExpertInstall stores source paths as relative to the project file's folder. This allows you to move the entire project to a different location, or to access the project and its contents through a different path, for example through a network share on a shared file server.

To store source paths as absolute paths instead of relative paths in the project file, you must change the project default settings by choosing the File > Properties command from the main menu bar and selecting the Preferences page. The options on this page allow you to change the way the various file paths in the project file are stored.

Tip: To move the project file to a different location without moving its source files, use the File > Save Project As... command from the main menu bar. Do not move the project file itself manually, because that will break the relative paths (if any) in the project file.

Check this box and enter the arguments for the file's DllInstall function if the file needs to be registered through its DllInstall entry point; clear it for no additional file registration. This is in addition to the Registration self-registration option.

Check this box and enter a semicolon-delimited list of search paths for the file if any App Paths registration must take place for the file; clear it for no App Paths registration.

App Paths registration registers the file name and its location in the Windows registry and optionally adds application-specific search paths that are used when the application loads DLLs.

Check this box to indicate a shared file; clear it for an application-private file.

If you mark an installation file as Shared file, its SharedDlls reference count is incremented when the file is installed. This is true even if the file is not physically installed, for example when the existing version is reused because of versioning considerations.

Conversely, when a shared file is removed its SharedDlls reference count is decremented. The file is only physically removed from the target system if both its SharedDlls reference count is zero and its removal condition is satisfied.

Windows Installer only maintains the SharedDlls reference count for the key file in a component if that file is marked Shared file or if the file has a pre-existing reference count. For other files, no reference counting takes place, irrespective of the Shared file option.

Check this box to exclude the file from any installation rollback; clear it to let the file participate in the rollback, if any.

An installation rollback is performed if the installation fails; in that case, any files that were replaced prior to the failure are restored to their original versions. However, this requires additional disk space during installation (to save copies of the original files), so for very large files that are not critical, you might choose to disable the rollback functionality.

Check these boxes to set the corresponding file attribute when the file is installed; clear them to install the file without the corresponding attribute. These attributes are initialized from the source file's attributes, except for Archive, which is always cleared.