Setup Launcher Command Line Switches and Parameters

	Setup Launcher Version 1.2

Help & User Guide

Command Line Switches and Parameters

SST installation packages that include the Setup Launcher support various command line switches with which the Setup Launcher can be induced to limit its actions to certain subsidiary or special functions, or perform a particular type of installation.

Command line switches are letters, characters, or words preceded by a dash ("-") or slash ("/"), that are appended to a command that is "understood"/recognized by the operating system or an executable file^*1, such as the Setup Launcher.

However, in some cases it is not only necessary to specify the command line switch itself, but also a parameter in addition to the command line switch. Parameters have to be seperated from the last character of the command line switch by a single blank/space and differ from command line switches in that they are normally not preceded by a dash ("-") or slash ("/"). The following, two tables exemplify the issue. The first table shows the simplest form of a command line with a single switch, but no parameter. The second table shows a command line with both a switch and a parameter.

Table 1.

Name of Executable ^*2	Single space/blank	Switch	Single space/blank	Parameter
ExampleExecutable.exe		-x

Table 2.

Name of Executable ^*2	Single space/blank	Switch	Single space/blank	Parameter
ExampleExecutable		/y		ExampleParameter.msi

Currently, the only SST Setup Launcher command line switches requiring parameters, are limited to those that necessitate specifying the path and/or name of a file (see Verify Digital Signature Command Line Switch, further below).

Note: To expand or collapse the description of a command line switch, click on the small, red arrowhead.

The Usage Help Command Line Switch ("?")

Function/Action:	Opens a dialog that displays a list of the SST Setup Launcher command line switches with a brief description of the respective switch's function.
Parameter(s):	None
How to specify:	<Path to executable component of the installation package>\<Name of executable setup component> -? or /?
Remarks:	No further action is taken by the SST Setup Launcher beyond displaying the Command Line Switches Help Dialog.
Example:	C:\Users\Public\Downloads\SSTNewAppWebSetup.exe -?

The Administrative Install Command Line Switch ("a")

Function/Action:	Induces tha SSTSetupLauncher to perform or patch/update on an administrative installation.
Parameter(s):	None/Path to existing administrative installation (see remarks)
How to specify:	<Path to executable component of the installation package>\<Name of executable setup component> -a or /a <Path to executable component of the installation package>\<Name of executable setup component> -a or /a <Path to existing administrative installation>
Usage:	Use this command line switch to perform an administrative installation or patch an existing administrative installation.
Remarks:	This command line switch is equivalent to the Msiexec.exe "a" command line switch. Patching an existing administrative installation requires specially authored Microsoft Installer components. Therefore, a parameter should not be specified unless explicitly required and documented in the setup guide to the installation package. The executable component (i.e. the SST Setup Launcher) performs a security check on itself and on the SSTNewApp Microsoft Installer component(s) prior to initiating the installation.
Example:	C:\Users\Public\Downloads\SSTNewAppDiskSetup.exe /a

The Download Command Line Switch ("d")

Function/Action:	Downloads the Microsoft Installer component(s) of the SSTNewApp setup package.
Parameter(s):	None
How to specify:	<Path to executable component of the installation package>\<Name of executable setup component> -d or /d
Usage:	Use this command line switch to download the latest version of the Microsoft Installer component(s) without (actually) installing SSTNewApp.
Remarks:	Because the Microsoft Installer components are downloaded to the folder the executable component (i.e. the SST Setup Launcher) is being run from, it is imperative that the SST Setup Launcher is available on the local computer prior to specifying this command line switch. For the same reason, the SST Setup Launcher should not be run from a read-only disk or without write access privileges to the respective folder when requesting this action. The function/action fails with error code 160 if not specified on the command line of an Internet setup package. The executable component (i.e. the SST Setup Launcher) performs a security check on itself prior to downloading the SSTNewApp Microsoft Installer component.
Example:	C:\Users\Public\Downloads\SSTNewAppWebSetup.exe -d

The Extract Command Line Switch ("e")

Function/Action:	Extracts the Microsoft Installer component(s) from the self-extracting SSTNewApp setup package.
Parameter(s):	None
How to specify:	<Path to executable component of the installation package>\<Name of executable setup component> -e or /e
Usage:	Use this command line switch to extract the Microsoft Installer component without installing SSTNewApp on the local computer (alt. machine).
Remarks:	As the Microsoft Installer component is extracted to the folder the self-extracting package (i.e. the SST Setup Launcher) is being run from, the disk/location of the installation package may not be a disk to which the user performing the extraction has only read access privileges or a read-only storage medium, such as a Compact (CD) or Digital Versatile Disk (DVD). It is not necessary to explicitly extract the Microsoft Installer component prior to installing SSTNewApp. This is performed automatically by the self-extracting package when run without specifying a command line switch. The function/action fails with error code 160 if not specified on the command line of a self-extracting setup package. A security check is performed on the entire self-extracting installation package prior to extraction.
Example:	C:\Users\Public\Downloads\SSTNewAppSESetup.exe /e

The Verify Digital Signature Command Line Switch ("v")

Function/Action:	Verifies the existence, validity, and user trust of the digital signature/certificate on an arbitrary file.
Parameter(s):	Path and name of the file of which the digital signature is to be verified.
How to specify:	<Path to executable component of the installation package>\<Name of executable setup component> -v or /v <Path and name of the file of which the digital signature is to be verified>
Usage:	Use this command line switch to verify the digital signature and integrity of potentially corrupted files or files of questionable trustworthiness.
Remarks:	Path and name of the file to be verified may not exceed 259 characters in length, including all quotation marks, blanks/spaces, and the file's suffix. The path of the parameter may be specified as either a fully qualified path (i.e. one that contains all folder names from, and including the drive letter, on downward) or a relative path, as in Example 3. While the file suffix of the executable component (i.e. .exe) may be omitted, the file extension of the file to be verified has to be specified. If the path and name includes blanks/spaces or dashes, the entire path and name has to be enclosed in double quotes ("), as in the second example below.
Example 1:	C:\Users\Public\Downloads\SSTNewAppWebSetup.exe -v C:\Users\Public\Downloads\SSTNewApp.msi
Example 2:	C:\Users\Public\Downloads\SSTNewAppSESetup.exe /v "D:\Got it from a friend\Dubious.exe"
Example 3:	E:\Bin\SSTNewAppDiskSetup.exe -v ..\Setup\SSTNewAppEn.msi

Footnotes

Executable files (usually just called executables) can also be (shell) script or batch files. However, the Setup Launcher is always a binary executable.

In most cases the operating system (i.e. Windows) reliably identifies executable files by other means than the file's suffix, and the file suffix of an exectuable file can be omitted (as in Table 2). We recommend that you specify the executale's (i.e. the Setup Launcher's) file suffix if it is displayed in Windows Explorer and omit it, if it is not. However, this only applies to the first part of the command line. Parameters are processed by the Setup Launcher and the Setup Launcher requires a file's full name, including the suffix, in order to identify a file.

Topic Hierarchy: Setup Launcher • Help & User Guide • Table of Contents • Command Line Switches and Parameters

See Also: Setup Package Types, The Setup Launcher User Interface, The Command Line Switches Help Dialog, The Warning Dialog, The Error Dialog.