YouTube InstallForge Software Installer Tutorial Video
Updated: 06/10/23
This is a revised version of the tutorial.
Download
Install
and Start the InstallForge Program.
There are Five Menu Boxes on the Left for Building a Software Installer.
From Top to Bottom They are Named:
General
Setup
Dialogs
System
Build
Each of These Menus Contains Additional Sub Menus for Preparing and Customizing an Installer Project.
To Begin A New Installer Project
Start with a New Project File and Save the File with a Unique Name.
Also, Incremental Saving, That Is, Saving the Project Periodically, such as After Each Step, Is Recommended.
Step 1.
In the Top General Menu Box Click on the Slightly Smaller General Button on the First Line of the Box.
On the Right, Fill In the Identification Information for the Installer Package.
Product Name (Required Information)
Example: My Software
Product Version (This Is Optional Information)
Company Name (This Is Optional Information)
Website U R L (This Is Optional Information)
Next
Click On the User Interface Button.
This Is an Optional Information Feature.
It Requires Prior Knowledge of Installer Design.
It Provides a Wizard for Addition of a Customized Start Up Installer Menu.
Next
Click On the Language Button and Select One or More Languages for the Installer.
This Is Also Optional, As InstallForge Will Auto Determine the Language of Choice by Default When it Is First Installed.
Although, It Is Recommended to Select a Minimum of One Language.
Step 2.
Proceed to the Next Lower Menu Box Named Setup.
Add the Files and Folders to Be Built Into an Installer Package Setup File.
The Virtual Update Express Is an Optional Feature for Experienced Individuals.
The Uninstallation Is an Optional Feature Although Highly Recommended.
The Variables Feature Is for Experienced Individuals.
The Commands Feature Is for Experienced Individuals.
Click On the Files Button on the First Line of the Box.
To Add Files, Folders or Both to the Screen on the Right
Just Above the Screen On the Top Menu Bar Click On the Add Files or Folders Button, and a Popup Box will Appear for Navigating to the Software Program Files and Folders to Be Utilized for the InstallForge Project.
To Add an Entire Software Program Navigate to Its Main Folder and Use the Add Folders Button.
To Add Files and Folders Contained within the Software Program Navigate Into the Main Folder and Use the Add Files and Folders Buttons for Each Individual File and Folder.
It Is Also Possible to Open the Software Program In an External Window Outside of, and Adjacent to InstallForge and Drag and Drop Multiple Files and Folders from the External Window Into the InstallForge Add Files and Folders Screen.
If a Software Program Is Completely Portable, and can be Operated from Any Directory such as the Desktop or Documents Directory or Even a Plug and Play USB Flash Drive, All Files and Folders can be Added to the Project.
Then Built into One Single Installer Setup File.
In this Example Project
The Drag and Drop Method Is Employed As It Is Less Time Consuming.
The Files and Folders Are Added From the Software Program Source Location Into the Screen. They are Temporarily Stored Here to Be Processed, Packaged and Built Into a Single Setup File.
The Install Location Designated by the Path Shown On the Bottom of the Screen Determines Where The Final Build Software Program Will Be Installed.
It Is Required to Assign the Install Location aka Install Path Here Prior to Actually Building These Files Into a Package as a Single Setup File.
Once the Remaining Processing and Packaging Occurs, In the Final Build Operation the Builder Checks Back to This Screen and Then Uses This Install Path to Attach It to the Setup File.
Then, when the Finished Setup File is First Started It Will Offer to Install the Program In This Location by Default.
The Default Install Path Is shown Encoded with Brackets and Backslashes as
Program Files
Company
AppName
Interpreted in Layman's Terms this Means
The Program Files x 86 Folder, Contains The Software Company Name Folder and Within This Folder Is the Application Name Folder.
The AppName Is Auto Assigned as the Product Name from Step 1.
It Is Recommended to Keep the Coded Brackets and Backslash AppName as Shown and Only Change the two Preceding Fields, Program Files, Company.
These Two Encoded Fields are a Storage Directory with Its Subdirectory.
Whereas, the Software Program AppName aka Product Name Is an Actual Program.
In This, the Setup Menu Directory, the Files and Folders are the Complete Software Package to Be Bundled and Installed.
The Remaining Buttons in the Setup Box Are Optional Features.
Step 3.
Add a Splash Screen, License Agreement, Serial Number Validation and Finish Option To Immediately Run the Software After It Is Installed.
The Next Menu Box Below Is the Dialogs Menu Box.
The Four Buttons in the Dialogs Box Are Optional Features.
The Splash Screen Button Is Optional
The License Button Is Optional, Although It is Highly Recommended to Include a Pre-Existing License Agreement.
The Serial Number Validation is Optional Although It is Highly Recommended to Include a Pre-Existing Serial Number Validation.
.
Step 4.
Add Registry Keys and Customize the Shortcuts to the Program.
Registry Editing Is a Highly Optional Feature Recommended Only for Those with Experience.
In Contrast, Adding Shortcuts to the Start Menu and Desktop Is Simple and Effective.
Step 5.
This is The Final Step.
The Build Menu Box.
Click On the Build Menu Button.
This will invoke the Build Output Configuration Screen.
Before Finalizing a Build by Pressing the Build Button At the Top On the Main Menu Bar
It Is Necessary to Assign an Output Location for the Software Installer Setup File to Be Generated.
On the Top Right In The Build Screen
Fill In the 'Save To' Location for the Software EXE Executable Setup File.
To Do this, It Is Recommended to Have A Separate 'Save To' Folder Already Created.
Once the Setup File 'Save To' Folder Has Been Created the Path to It Can Be Added Into the Top Right of the Build Screen.
The Most Efficient and Quick Method Is to Open an Additional External Window, Navigate to the Setup 'Save To' Folder That Is Created for This Purpose and Click On the Top Bar Address, then Copy the Highlighted Path to the Clipboard.
Then Return to InstallForge Build Screen and Paste the Path Address Into the Top Right Bar.
The Path To It Should Have a Backslash Included at the Very End.
To Actually Create the Setup File for the First Time,
After the Backslash Simply Type In the Name of the Setup File EXE Executable.
Each Backslash In a Computer Directory is a Separate File or Folder and InstallForge Will Automatically Create the New Setup File Based Upon This Fact.
Then InstallForge Can Build the Setup File as Named with All of the Files and Folders In It.
Finally, Pressing the Build Button At the Top On the Main Menu Bar Will Build and Save the Setup File to Its Own Separate Designated Folder.
Once It is Created This Is the File to Be Used to Install the Entire Program.
Remember to Save The Finished Project.
HAPPY INSTALL FORGING !!!
The following Is an invaluable list of InstallPath Constants from a previous post
that I have included in great admiration of the Author.
Setup Constants
<InstallPath>
<AppName>
<ProgramVersion>
<Company>
<Website>
<Language>
<Username>
<Organisation>
<Serial>
<Windows>
<System>
<Temp>
<Font>
<ProgramFiles>
<Desktop>
<DesktopPublic>
<Startup>
<StartupPublic>
<Documents>
<DocumentsPublic>
<StartmenuPrograms>
<StartmenuProgramsPublic>
<AppData>
<AppDataPublic>
(Recent)
<ApplicationData>
C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming
<LocalApplicationData>
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local
<CommonApplicationData>
C:\ProgramData
