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May 23, 2023

The Ultimate Guide to Delphi InstallShield: Download, Installation, and Usage Tips

How to Download and Install Delphi InstallShield for Windows

If you are a Delphi developer, you might be looking for a way to create professional and reliable installers for your applications. One of the best tools for this purpose is Delphi InstallShield, a leading Windows installation development solution that supports Delphi projects.

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In this article, we will show you how to download and install Delphi InstallShield for Windows, and how to use it to create installers for your Delphi applications.

What is Delphi InstallShield?

Delphi InstallShield is a product of Flexera Software, a company that specializes in software installation, licensing, security and compliance solutions. Delphi InstallShield is designed to enable development teams to be more agile, collaborative and flexible when building reliable InstallScript and Windows Installer (MSI) installations for PCs, servers, web and virtual applications.

Delphi InstallShield can directly convert MSIs to Microsoft App-V virtual packages and includes automated tools to productize, install and bundle software in application virtualization and traditional EXE and MSI formats. Delphi InstallShield also supports desktop virtualization technologies such as Microsoft App-V 5.0, VMware ThinApp and Citrix XenApp.

Delphi InstallShield can simplify installations of complex web/server applications by automating installing roles and features, running PowerShell scripts, and using multi-tier templates to deploy web/server applications as a single cloud-ready package. Delphi InstallShield also follows Microsoft best practices and validates installations against Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 compatibility tests.

How to Download Delphi InstallShield for Windows?

To download Delphi InstallShield for Windows, you need to have an active maintenance plan with Flexera Software. If you do, you can sign into the Flexera Community and click Other Resources -> Product and License Center -> Lets Go button. Note, your community login must have access to your Flexera Product and License Center login to access the download.

If you don't have an active maintenance plan, you can purchase Delphi InstallShield from ComponentSource, a trusted online reseller of software components and tools. You can choose from different editions of Delphi InstallShield, such as Express, Professional or Premier, depending on your needs and budget. You can also get a free trial version of Delphi InstallShield from ComponentSource before buying it.

How to Install Delphi InstallShield for Windows?

To install Delphi InstallShield for Windows, you need to run the downloaded installer file and follow the instructions on the screen. You will need to accept the license agreement, choose the installation location, select the features you want to install, and enter your serial number if you have one. The installation process may take some time depending on your system configuration.

After the installation is complete, you can launch Delphi InstallShield from the Start menu or the desktop shortcut. You will see a welcome screen that gives you some options to start a new project, open an existing project, or learn more about Delphi InstallShield features.

How to Use Delphi InstallShield to Create Installers for Your Delphi Applications?

To use Delphi InstallShield to create installers for your Delphi applications, you need to start a new project or open an existing one. You can choose from different project types, such as Basic MSI Project, Suite Project or Convert MSI Project. Each project type has its own advantages and disadvantages depending on your requirements.

Once you have chosen a project type, you can use the Project Assistant or the Installation Designer to customize your installer. The Project Assistant guides you through the basic steps of creating an installer, such as specifying application information, adding files and folders, defining features and components, setting installation requirements and actions, configuring user interface and dialogs, building releases and testing your installer.

The Installation Designer gives you more control and flexibility over your installer settings. You can access advanced features such as custom actions, registry entries, INI files, services, environment variables, shortcuts, launch conditions, prerequisites, merge modules and more. You can also use the Direct Editor to edit the tables of your MSI database directly.

When you are satisfied with your installer configuration, you can build your project and generate an output file that contains your installer. You can then distribute your installer to your customers or end-users by using any method you prefer.

What are the Benefits of Using Delphi InstallShield?

Using Delphi InstallShield can bring you many benefits as a Delphi developer. Here are some of them:

You can create installers that are compatible with the latest Windows platforms and technologies, such as Windows 10, .NET Framework 4.8, Visual Studio 2019, MSIX and more.

You can create installers that are secure and compliant with industry standards and regulations, such as digital signatures, UAC, GDPR and more.

You can create installers that are easy to use and customize for your customers or end-users, such as multilingual support, custom dialogs, silent installations and more.

You can create installers that are flexible and scalable for your applications, such as modular design, conditional logic, feature selection and more.

You can create installers that are integrated with your development tools and processes, such as Delphi IDE, Visual Studio, Azure DevOps, Docker and more.

What are the Alternatives to Delphi InstallShield?

If you are looking for alternatives to Delphi InstallShield, you might want to consider some of these options:

Inno Setup: A free and open-source installer for Windows programs. It supports a wide range of features and customization options. It is easy to learn and use with its script-based approach.

Advanced Installer: A commercial installer for Windows programs. It supports creating MSI, EXE, AppX and App-V packages. It has a user-friendly graphical interface and a powerful command-line interface.

NSIS: A free and open-source installer for Windows programs. It supports creating self-extracting and self-installing packages. It has a flexible scripting language and a large community of plugins and extensions.

Conclusion

Delphi InstallShield is a powerful and reliable tool for creating installers for your Delphi applications. It can help you create installers that are compatible, secure, user-friendly, flexible and integrated with your development environment. You can download and install Delphi InstallShield from Flexera Software or ComponentSource. You can also try some alternatives to Delphi InstallShield if you have different needs or preferences.