Using the Command Line to Modify an Installer
The basic command line for installation is:
msiexec /Option <Required Parameter> [Optional Parameter] [PROPERTY=PropertyValue]
Please note that parameters are case sensitive. A comprehensive list of the various installers, their switches and their options is available in the online manuals:
•Switches for .msi Installers in PDF-XChange PRO
•Switches for .msi Installers in PDF-XChange Editor
•Switches for .msi Installers in PDF-Tools
•Switches for .msi Installers in PDF-XChange Printer Standard
Using the command line is a convenient way to pass a small number of simple parameters and options. However, it can become large and unwieldy quite easily. For example, the KEYDATA property takes the registration key for the software as its argument. These keys contain approximately 360 characters, which makes the installation string long and difficult to read:
msiexec /i "C:\Users\username\Downloads\EditorV10.x64.msi" "KEYDATA=PXC70-abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrs="
The process of defining features to be installed via the command line can also become complicated. This is because if any feature is defined as an option, then all desired features must be explicitly defined - and there are a large amount of features available. If only a few features are being installed, then this is not likely to be an issue - but in cases where, for example, all features but one are required, then it is necessary to list all the other features in the installation string. This can make installation strings complicated and carries the additional burden of making it more difficult to identify errors. For example, to install all features except the Google Drive plugin, the following string is required:
msiexec /i "C:\Users\username\Downloads\EditorV10.x64.msi" ADDLOCAL="F_Viewer,F_Plugins,F_Plugin_SP,F_FileOpenPlugin,F_ReadOutLoudPlugin,F_OCRPlugin,F_OptimizerPlugin,F_BookmarksPlugin,F_PDFAPlugin,F_SPPlugin,F_GDPlugin,F_OFCPlugin,F_DBPlugin,F_MD Plugin,F_BrowserPlugins,F_IEPlugin,F_VLangs,F_Lite,F_Langs_Lite,F_ShellExt,F_Updater,F_KeyInstaller"
This means that using the command line to modify an installer is the best choice in simple cases. If you have a more complicated case then a transform file is the best option. The process of using a transform file to modify an installer is detailed here.