Automated process to create IDT files on-the-fly for Windows MSI Installer

Do not spend thousands of dollars to purchase packaging software! The Microsoft® Windows® Installer offers the easiest way to package a product. Most of the time you or your CM will end up working in ORCA anyway to finish the job correctly! You can create MSI tables on the fly and automatically import them in the MSI, then create the DDF files that will in their turn create the CAB files.
This basic script or VB Sub will create MSI database tables and then import them into the defined MSI.

Related topics: MSI Automation, MSI Tables Overview, MSI Command Line, MSI UAC VISTA, MSI Error Table, BootStrapper VISTA, MSP VISTA, Install MSI SDK Tools V3.1.4, Create CAB File, Build MSPs

Tables that need to be updated on the fly each time the packaging is needed:
Component.idt, CreateFolder.idt, CustomAction.idt, Directory.idt, FeatureComponent.idt, Features.idt, Files.idt, Media.idt, Property.idt, Registry.idt, Removefile.idt, ShortCut.idt...

You can also consider to create SelfReg.idt, Typlib.idt, LockPermissions.idt and so on...

Here is an examples on how to create the headers of the IDT files. The rest of the content of the IDT files will depend on the product being package. You or your CM should be able to figure out how to automate the feeding of these IDTs:

Dim FNO As Integer
FNO = FreeFile

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewCustomAction.idt" For Output As #FNO
    Print #FNO, "Action" & Chr(9) & "Type" & Chr(9) & "Source" & Chr(9) & "Target"
    Print #FNO, "s72" & Chr(9) & "i2" & Chr(9) & "s64" & Chr(9) & "S255"
    Print #FNO, "CustomAction" & Chr(9) & "Action"
Close

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewComponent.idt" For Output As #FNO
    Print #FNO, "Component" & Chr(9) & "ComponentId" & Chr(9) & "Directory_" & Chr(9) & "Attributes" & Chr(9) & "Condition" & Chr(9) & "KeyPath"
    Print #FNO, "s72" & Chr(9) & "S38" & Chr(9) & "s72" & Chr(9) & "i2" & Chr(9) & "S255" & Chr(9) & "S72"
    Print #FNO, "Component" & Chr(9) & "Component"
Close

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewLockpermissions.idt" For Output As #FNO
    Print #FNO, "LockObject" & Chr(9) & "Table" & Chr(9) & "Domain" & Chr(9) & "User" & Chr(9) & "Permission"
    Print #FNO, "s72" & Chr(9) & "s32" & Chr(9) & "S255" & Chr(9) & "s255" & Chr(9) & "I4"
    Print #FNO, "LockPermissions" & Chr(9) & "LockObject" & Chr(9) & "Table" & Chr(9) & "Domain" & Chr(9) & "User"
Close

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewCreateFolder.idt" For Output As #FNO
    Print #FNO, "Directory_" & Chr(9) & "Component_"
    Print #FNO, "s72" & Chr(9) & "s72"
    Print #FNO, "CreateFolder" & Chr(9) & "Directory_" & Chr(9) & "Component_"
Close

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewDirectory.idt" For Output As #FNO
    Print #FNO, "Directory" & Chr(9) & "Directory_Parent" & Chr(9) & "DefaultDir"
    Print #FNO, "s72" & Chr(9) & "S72" & Chr(9) & "l255"
    Print #FNO, "Directory" & Chr(9) & "Directory"
Close

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewFeatureComponent.idt" For Output As #FNO
    Print #FNO, "Feature_" & Chr(9) & "Component_"
    Print #FNO, "s38" & Chr(9) & "s72"
    Print #FNO, "FeatureComponents" & Chr(9) & "Feature_" & Chr(9) & "Component_"
Close

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewFeatures.idt" For Output As #FNO
    Print #FNO, "Feature" & Chr(9) & "Feature_Parent" & Chr(9) & "Title" & Chr(9) & "Description" & Chr(9) & "Display" & Chr(9) & "Level" & Chr(9) & "Directory_" & Chr(9) & "Attributes"
    Print #FNO, "s38" & Chr(9) & "S38" & Chr(9) & "L64" & Chr(9) & "L255" & Chr(9) & "I2" & Chr(9) & "i2" & Chr(9) & "S72" & Chr(9) & "i2"
    Print #FNO, "Feature" & Chr(9) & "Feature"
Close

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewFile.idt" For Output As #FNO ' Open the file.
    Print #FNO, "File" & Chr(9) & "Component_" & Chr(9) & "FileName" & Chr(9) & "FileSize" & Chr(9) & "Version" & Chr(9) & "Language" & Chr(9) & "Attributes" & Chr(9) & "Sequence"
    Print #FNO, "s72" & Chr(9) & "s72" & Chr(9) & "l255" & Chr(9) & "i4" & Chr(9) & "S72" & Chr(9) & "S20" & Chr(9) & "I2" & Chr(9) & "i2"
    Print #FNO, "File" & Chr(9) & "File"
Close

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewMedia.idt" For Output As #FNO
    Print #FNO, "DiskId" & Chr(9) & "LastSequence" & Chr(9) & "DiskPrompt" & Chr(9) & "Cabinet" & Chr(9) & "VolumeLabel" & Chr(9) & "Source"
    Print #FNO, "i2" & Chr(9) & "i2" & Chr(9) & "L64" & Chr(9) & "S255" & Chr(9) & "S32" & Chr(9) & "S32"
    Print #FNO, "Media" & Chr(9) & "DiskId"
Close

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewProperty.idt" For Output As #FNO
    Print #FNO, "Property" & Chr(9) & "Value"
    Print #FNO, "s72" & Chr(9) & "l0"
    Print #FNO, "Property" & Chr(9) & "Property"
Close

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewRegistry.idt" For Output As #FNO
    Print #FNO, "Registry" & Chr(9) & "Root" & Chr(9) & "Key" & Chr(9) & "Name" & Chr(9) & "Value" & Chr(9) & "Component_"
    Print #FNO, "s72" & Chr(9) & "i2" & Chr(9) & "l255" & Chr(9) & "L255" & Chr(9) & "L0" & Chr(9) & "s72"
    Print #FNO, "Registry" & Chr(9) & "Registry"
Close

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewRemoveFile.idt" For Output As #FNO
    Print #FNO, "FileKey" & Chr(9) & "Component_" & Chr(9) & "FileName" & Chr(9) & "DirProperty" & Chr(9) & "InstallMode"
    Print #FNO, "s72" & Chr(9) & "s72" & Chr(9) & "L255" & Chr(9) & "s72" & Chr(9) & "i2"
    Print #FNO, "RemoveFile" & Chr(9) & "FileKey"
Close

Open TheIDTsPatha & "NewShortCut.idt" For Output As #FNO
    Print #FNO, "Shortcut" & Chr(9) & "Directory_" & Chr(9) & "Name" & Chr(9) & "Component_" & Chr(9) & "Target" & Chr(9) & "Arguments" & Chr(9) & "Description" & Chr(9) & "Hotkey" & Chr(9) & "Icon_" & Chr(9) & "IconIndex" & Chr(9) & "ShowCmd" & Chr(9) & "WkDir"
    Print #FNO, "s72" & Chr(9) & "s72" & Chr(9) & "l128" & Chr(9) & "s72" & Chr(9) & "s72" & Chr(9) & "S255" & Chr(9) & "L255" & Chr(9) & "I2" & Chr(9) & "S72" & Chr(9) & "I2" & Chr(9) & "I2" & Chr(9) & "S72"
    Print #FNO, "Shortcut" & Chr(9) & "Shortcut"
Close

Open App.Path & "\createnewtables.bat" For Output As FNO
    Print #FNO, "@echo off"
    Print #FNO, "MsiDb.exe -i *.idt -f " & Chr(34) & App.Path & "\" & Product2WorkOn & "\" & Language4Product & "\NewIDTs" & Chr(34) & " -d " & Chr(34) & TheMSI & Chr(34)
Close

ShellAndClose Chr(34) & App.Path & "\createnewtables.bat" & Chr(34), 1
(for more information search for ShellAndClose)
Kill App.Path & "\createnewtables.bat"

Once you created all the IDTs you can import them using in the MSI the command line:

MsiDb.exe -i *.idt -f MyIDTFolder -d TheMSIName

See more discussions and posts about MSI:
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ARPPRODUCTICON OK for XP not for W2K Add/Remove Programs
Msidb Command Line Folder Path MSI name limitations
Do NOT Associate Extension set flag file types as No Open in Verb Table
Property for All Users Shared Documents or CA?
File Hidden Attribute after installation - Source in CAB files
260 characters limit in shortcut's targets Windows not MSI/Setup Limitation

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