[wix-users] Cannot start multiple applications with WixQuietExecCmdLine

[Edwin Castro]

WixQuietExec waits for the process it starts to finish and it captures any
output written to stdout and stderr and writes it to the msi log. That
custom action is not intended to fire-and-forget an application.

You wan to use WixShellExec as shown here:

https://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/howtos/ui_and_localization/run_program_after_install.html


Step 3 shows how to use WixShellExec. You should be able to schedule it in
InstallExecuteSequence as you're currently doing and thus ignore the rest
of the UI stuff on that howto.

Since you want to start two application you'll need to custom actions using
WixShellExec and two SetProperty custom actions to set WixShellExecTarget
prior to execution.

Try something like this (not tested):

<SetProperty Action="SetNotePadCmdLine" Id="WixShellExecTarget"
Value=""[WindowsFolder]\System32\notepad.exe""
Before="StartNotePad">UILevel
= 2</SetProperty>
<CustomAction Id="StartNotePad" BinaryKey="WixCA" DllEntry="WixShellExec"
Impersonate="yes"/>

<SetProperty Action="SetCalcCmdLine" Id="WixShellExecTarget" Value=
""[WindowsFolder]\System32\calc.exe"" Before="StartCalc">UILevel
= 2</SetProperty>
<CustomAction Id="StartCalc" BinaryKey="WixCA" DllEntry="WixShellExec"
Impersonate="yes"/>

<InstallExecuteSequence>
    <Custom Action="StartNotePad" Before="InstallValidate">UILevel =
2</Custom>
    <Custom Action="StartCalc" After="StartNotePad">UILevel = 2</Custom>
</InstallExecuteSequence>

--
Edwin G. Castro


On Wed, Oct 16, 2019 at 11:07 AM George Couch via wix-users <
wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org> wrote:

> Hi,
>
>
>
>    I am trying to create an MSI installer using WIX 3.11, which installs my
> application and then starts two other applications.
>
> However, I am not able to get the two applications to start when I install
> it using msiexec in quiet mode (no UI):
>
> msiexec /i "my_app.msi" /qn
>
>
>
> After  the first application  is started, the installer blocks until I
> close it.  It looks like I need to set my CustomAction to have a return
> type of “asyncNoWait”. However, WIX does not allow me to do this. Here is
> what my code looks like:
>
> (I am using the notepad and calculator applications to illustrate my
> problem):
>
>
>
> <Property Id="WixQuietExecCmdLine"
> Value='"[WindowsFolder]\System32\notepad.exe"'/>
>
> <CustomAction Id="StartNotePad" BinaryKey="WixCA" DllEntry="WixQuietExec"
> Execute="immediate" Return="ignore"/>
>
>
>
> <CustomAction Id="SetCalc" Property="WixQuietExecCmdLine"
> Value=""[WindowsFolder]\System32\calc.exe"" Execute="immediate"
> />
>
> <CustomAction Id="StartCalc" BinaryKey="WixCA" DllEntry="WixQuietExec"
> Execute="immediate" Return="ignore"/>
>
>
>
> <InstallExecuteSequence>
>
>     <Custom Action='StartNotePad' Before='InstallValidate'>UILevel =
> 2</Custom>
>
>     <Custom Action='SetCalc' After='StartNotePad'>UILevel = 2</Custom>
>
>     <Custom Action='StartCalc' After='SetCalc'>UILevel = 2</Custom>
>
> </InstallExecuteSequence>
>
>
>
> The installer blocks when the notepad application is started. Is there a
> way to run the applications asynchronously during a silent msiexec
> installation?
>
>
>
> I based my code on the “Immediate Execution” example found at:
>
> https://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/customactions/qtexec.html
>
>
> Thanks!
> George
>
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