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Silent installation - following up

In my earlier post about administrative installation of LibreOffice i described how its possible to use the program ORCA to manipulate the msi-file by creating a new mst-file.

Unfortunately this subject is not very well documented from the developers. if you are a developer and find that I am giving wrong or inaccurate information then please notify me ASAP.

Lately I have investigated some more details and possibilities in the installation process.

I have found that its possible to pass all the parameters directly to the installation without using a mst-file. The mst is like bundling the parameters in a container and in some situations this can be convenient e.g., if you need to distribute or publish a specific installation.

Overall I have found two interesting features. Basically I looked into the msi-file using ORCA and I found that the tables Feature and Properties include the most interesting parameters. All these can be manipulated as parameters at installation time.

Feature
The installed features are core components and it pretty much corresponds with the the page in the dialog that is only available if you select Custom installation from the gui.



If you want to manipulate the installed components with parameters you must first either identify every single component you want to install or better: install everything with the parameter ADDLOCAL=ALL and then define everything you don't want. This is done with the REMOVE parameter. Be aware that evetything you want to remove must be specified in one string with comma as separator and no space. E.g.,

REMOVE=gm_o_Testtool,gm_o_Xsltfiltersamples,gm_o_jf_Palm,gm_o_jf_Pocketpc

Predefined extensions can be removed like this:

REMOVE=gm_o_Extensions_PRESENTER_SCREEN,gm_o_Extensions_REPORTDESIGN

You can also remove dictionaries. Dictionaries are also installed as predefined extensions but in the installer process these are categorized as Dictionaries, so you need to add an extra part to the REMOVE like this:

REMOVE=gm_Dictionaries,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Af,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Pt

Please note the first value: gm_Dictionaries

Property
Another very important thing you can do during installation is setting some properties. The list is not complete, but only some examples:

• ALLUSERS (default=1) - performs a per-user installation or per-machine installation depending on the access privileges of the user
• CREATEDESKTOPLINK (default=1) - Create desktop shortcut icon
  
• INSTALLLOCATION - specify installation directory
• ISCHECKFORPRODUCTUPDATES (default=1) - Check for updates – I think this property is deprecated.
• REGISTER_ALL_MSO_TYPES (default=0) - Use LibreOffice as the default application for Microsoft Office file formats
• REGISTER_NO_MSO_TYPES (default=0) – Dont use LibreOffice as default application for any Microsoft Office file formats
• REGISTER_DOC (default=0) - Use LibreOffice as the default application for Microsoft Word file format .doc (You can use similar for .xls, .ppt etc.)
• IS1033 (default=1) – Unfortunately all languages are installed as default so you must specify each language that you DONT want to install. In the following example only Danish will be installed:

IS1033=0 IS1078=0 IS1025=0 IS1101=0 IS1610=0 IS1059=0 IS1026=0 IS2117=0 IS2121=0 IS1150=0 IS1603=0 IS5146=0 IS1027=0 IS32771=0 IS1029=0 IS1106=0 IS1030=1 IS1031=0 IS1604=0 IS2129=0 IS1032=0 IS2057=0 IS7177=0 IS1553=0 IS1034=0 IS1061=0 IS1069=0 IS1065=0 IS1035=0 IS1036=0 IS2108=0 IS1084=0 IS1110=0 IS1095=0 IS1037=0 IS1081=0 IS1050=0 IS1038=0 IS1057=0 IS1039=0 IS1040=0 IS1041=0 IS1079=0 IS1087=0 IS1107=0 IS1099=0 IS1042=0 IS1111=0 IS1120=0 IS1574=0 IS1108=0 IS1063=0 IS1062=0 IS1605=0 IS1071=0 IS1100=0 IS1104=0 IS1112=0 IS1102=0 IS1109=0 IS1044=0 IS1121=0 IS1043=0 IS2068=0 IS1580=0 IS1132=0 IS1154=0 IS2162=0 IS1096=0 IS1094=0 IS1045=0 IS2070=0 IS1046=0 IS1048=0 IS1049=0 IS1569=0 IS1103=0 IS1606=0 IS1113=0 IS2074=0 IS2133=0 IS1051=0 IS1060=0 IS1052=0 IS3098=0 IS1579=0 IS1072=0 IS1053=0 IS1089=0 IS1097=0 IS1098=0 IS1064=0 IS1054=0 IS1074=0 IS1055=0 IS1073=0 IS2200=0 IS1058=0 IS1091=0 IS1075=0 IS1066=0 IS1076=0 IS2052=0 IS1028=0 IS1077=0

I found a list of numeric language codes here: http://www.science.co.il/language/locale-codes.asp

This is an example of an installation with Danish language and only danish spellchecker (I don't remove gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Da) with a few more details:

msiexec /qn /i libreoffice34.msi /L* ../Log/logfile1.txt TRANSFORMS=trans_da.mst SELECT_WORD=1 SELECT_EXCEL=1 SELECT_POWERPOINT=1 CREATEDESKTOPLINK=0 IS1033=0 IS1078=0 IS1025=0 IS1101=0 IS1610=0 IS1059=0 IS1026=0 IS2117=0 IS2121=0 IS1150=0 IS1603=0 IS5146=0 IS1027=0 IS32771=0 IS1029=0 IS1106=0 IS1030=1 IS1031=0 IS1604=0 IS2129=0 IS1032=0 IS2057=0 IS7177=0 IS1553=0 IS1034=0 IS1061=0 IS1069=0 IS1065=0 IS1035=0 IS1036=0 IS2108=0 IS1084=0 IS1110=0 IS1095=0 IS1037=0 IS1081=0 IS1050=0 IS1038=0 IS1057=0 IS1039=0 IS1040=0 IS1041=0 IS1079=0 IS1087=0 IS1107=0 IS1099=0 IS1042=0 IS1111=0 IS1120=0 IS1574=0 IS1108=0 IS1063=0 IS1062=0 IS1605=0 IS1071=0 IS1100=0 IS1104=0 IS1112=0 IS1102=0 IS1109=0 IS1044=0 IS1121=0 IS1043=0 IS2068=0 IS1580=0 IS1132=0 IS1154=0 IS2162=0 IS1096=0 IS1094=0 IS1045=0 IS2070=0 IS1046=0 IS1048=0 IS1049=0 IS1569=0 IS1103=0 IS1606=0 IS1113=0 IS2074=0 IS2133=0 IS1051=0 IS1060=0 IS1052=0 IS3098=0 IS1579=0 IS1072=0 IS1053=0 IS1089=0 IS1097=0 IS1098=0 IS1064=0 IS1054=0 IS1074=0 IS1055=0 IS1073=0 IS2200=0 IS1058=0 IS1091=0 IS1075=0 IS1066=0 IS1076=0 IS2052=0 IS1028=0 IS1077=0 REGISTER_DOC=1 ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=gm_o_Testtool,gm_o_Xsltfiltersamples,gm_o_jf_Palm,gm_o_jf_Pocketpc,gm_o_Quickstart,gm_o_Extensions_PRESENTER_SCREEN,gm_o_Extensions_REPORTDESIGN,gm_o_Extensions_MEDIAWIKI,gm_o_Extensions_MINIMIZER,gm_Dictionaries,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Af,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Pt,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Ca,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Hr,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Cs,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Nl,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Et,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Fr,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_De_AT,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_De_DE,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_De_CH,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_He,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Hu,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_It,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Ku_Tr,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Lt,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Ne,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_No,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Oc,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Pl,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Ro,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Ru,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Sr,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Sk,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Sl,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Es,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Sv,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Th,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Uk,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Vi,gm_r_Extension_Dictionary_Zu

If you take a look in the log file you can see some details about how the installation process was. You can also see most of the properties that you can set in the installation.

Thanks to my colleague and good friend Beemen Beshara for valuable input.