Is it possible to pass a file path within a wininst package to a customExecute?

[jfolerka]

Hi,

I've built a wininst package with a third party installer (exe), I'm interested in leveraging the functionality of setting returnCodeConvention="installer" in the customExecute step, and at the same time, I would like to include a responses file so the installer exe executes silently with certain options.

I know I can get this functionality by creating a file package instead of a wininst package, but then I don't have the returnCodeConvention option.

I've been looking in the documentation and I can't find how to refer to a file included in the wininst package payload. Has anyone ever done this?

[Scott_Richardson]

Your are correct that a wininst package cannot directly install files, and a file package does not have the ability to interpret return code values like the wininst package.

Some options that I immediately think of:

1. Create an simple msi (maybe using WiX toolset) that installs the required response file, and add it to the your wininst package. I cannot remember if the order to install msi is based on the order in the instructions file, or alphabetical. If the simple msi is installed first, the installer msi can access the file.
2. Install the required response file using a file package and have the wininst package depend on the file package. The file package will be installed first and the wininst package's custom execute can use it.
3. Depending on the complexity of the response file, not sure if there is a way using compound commands to cmd or powershell to generate the file on the fly using a custom execute the runs before the call to the installer.

Assuming that you cannot simply specify the silent arguments via the command line arguments passed to the custom execute invocation. The assumption is that you cannot simply