InstallBuilder 8.0.1 Released.

We recently released version 8.0.1 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Added new installer_command_line_arguments built-in variable
• Added new regular expressions section to the documentation
• Allow <showChoiceQuestion> to be used in the <preBuildActionList>
• Prevent <addUnixService> from failing because of warnings when adding the services
• Improved slide show images alignment on OS X and Windows in qt mode
• Fixed debugger failing in some environments when editing the executed action list
• Fixed debugger crashing when right clicking in the Variables Editor root node
• Fixed builder crashing when editing <substitute> actions and enabling advanced syntax mode
• Fixed builder crashing when building projects on some solaris-intel environments
• Fixed machine_ipaddr built-in variable not being properly defined on OS X Lion
• Fixed Gtk mode crashing in directory selection in some partially broken environments

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

InstallBuilder 8 Now Available

InstallBuilder 8 is now available! This new version adds several new features to further streamline the installer development process and allows you to build more flexible and sophisticated cross-platform installation processes. A new, integrated debugger lets you identify and correct issues as you develop and an expanded component system allows downloading components on the fly and adds support for sub-components. See below for more details and download InstallBuilder 8 to check out these new features for yourself!

InstallBuilder Debugger


The new InstallBuilder debugger makes it easier to identify and correct issues during the development process. It allows you to view and interactively edit installer variables at runtime, provides step-by-step execution to test that specific parts of the installer are functioning properly, allows recovering from unexpected errors during the installation process and more. A complete guide to using the debugger is now included in the InstallBuilder documentation.

New Built-in Debugger

Expanded Component Support

Expanded component functionality now provides support for downloadable components and component groups, including support for subcomponents. Downloadable components will be downloaded at runtime only if the user chooses to install them, reducing the size of installer downloads. The new component system allows you to group individual components and build feature sets that will be displayed in a tree structure ("subcomponents".) It also allows users to add and remove specific components from existing installations.

InstallBuilder now supports sub-components.

Dynamic Parameter Support

Enhanced parameter support makes it possible to create dynamic pages that will be automatically reconfigured based on user's input. This allows you to create a more customized and streamlined installation experience for users.

Enhanced parameters allow you to design 

more dynamic installation processes.

In addition to the above improvements, we have also expanded the InstallBuilder documentation. We now offer over 350 pages of InstallBuilder documentation that not only describes every feature, but also provides sample code for a wide variety of installer functions, such as bundling a Java runtime, detecting pre-requisites on the system, offering basic and advanced installation modes and more.

Download InstallBuilder 8 to see how easy it can be to build powerful and dynamic cross-platform installers for your software!

New Q&A Support Site for InstallBuilder

You've got questions, we've got answers! We just launched a new Q&A site, answers.bitrock.com, to make it easier to get answers to your InstallBuilder questions. We have already populated the site with frequently asked questions and are ready and waiting to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to submit questions about how to use InstallBuilder, share feature requests or feedback, or ask general questions about packaging software. Check it out and let us know what you think!

InstallBuilder 7.2.6 Released.

We recently released version 7.2.6 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Updated documentation
• Fixed qt mode text widget not properly wrapping its content on Windows
• Added support for tcsh shell in environment variable actions
• Fixed <platformTest> rule not properly recognizing osx-intel type on some 64bit environments
• Improved Italian translation
• Improved .password suffix to support nested variables
• Speed up uninstaller creation on Windows
• Now aborting the installation when canceling the language selection also triggers the <installationAbortedActionList>
• Improved AutoUpdate to support the <removeLogFile> feature
• Fixed builder crashing in some Windows environments when browsing for image files
• Fixed OS X bundles launcher script encoding not being properly configured
• Fixed Java launchers not being properly created on OS X
• Fixed <globalVariables> action not properly handling parameters

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

InstallBuilder 7.2.5 Released.

We recently released version 7.2.5 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Updated documentation
• Improved Dutch language support
• Fixed language files not being properly loaded when including a BOM
• Improved <addUser> action to properly deal with SELinux
• Fixed packed folders not being deleted when using multiple hierarchy <destination> tags.
• Improved Installer.RebootRequired string to allow variables
• Fixed custom uninstaller directory not being deleted in some environments

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

InstallBuilder 7.2.4 Released.

We recently released version 7.2.4 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Updated documentation
• Allow executing .cmd scripts on Windows
• Added contextual menu to GUI entry widgets to allow restoring the original value being edited
• Fixed installers not deleting the current file being unpacked when canceling the installation in some environments
• Improved <project> properties editor dialog to validate user input
• Fixed <httpGet> and <httpPost> actions failing in some Windows environments because of the download file being locked
• Improved registry actions to work with <foreach> and <while> actions

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

InstallBuilder 7.2.3 Released.

We recently released version 7.2.3 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Improved Italian, Czech and Russian language support
• Added support for HTTP redirects in <httpPost> and <httpGet> actions
• New --verbose command line flag added to command line builder
• Added new <endOfLineConversion> tag to file manipulation actions to allow configuring the EOL handling
• New <fileIsLocked> rule
• Improved performance of <unpackDirectory> action
• Improved AutoUpdate to allow configuring its output directory and filename
• Improved built-in pages language strings to support variables modified at any point at runtime
• Improved widget alignment in nested parameter groups in qt mode
• Fixed <addScheduledTask> action failing in some environments
• Dropped Windows 98 support
• Added examples for all actions to the documentation
• Improved deb generation to allow providing custom conffiles files
• Improved <autodetectJava> action to properly work on OS X 10.7
• Fixed <shutdown> action failing in some environments
• Fixed installers failing on OS X with some thirdparty system fonts configuration
• Improved the file packing filters to support semicolon separated patterns
• Improved command line builder to support displaying text mode popups when building
• Improved GUI builder to accept the information provided through the --setvars flag
• Added new built-in variable installbuilder_ui
• Allow Arabic language to be selectable through the GUI builder
• Allow providing short version of registry root keys to registry actions
• Allow launching scrips from directories containing "&" characters
• Improved final page text wrapping
• Fixed some environment variable actions now properly working in some Windows environments

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

Demo Video for Building Crossplatform Installers with InstallBuilder

We have been receiving requests for a how-to video that shows the basics of building a crossplatform software installer with InstallBuilder. We're happy to announce that a simple demo video is now live! We would love to receive your feedback in the comments. 

InstallBuilder 7.2.2 Released.

We recently released version 7.2.2 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Updated documentation
• New Search dialog for GUI Builder XML editor
• Disabled "Save" and "Save As" menu entries in GUI Builder when no project is loaded
• Fixed <addEnvironmentVariable> action not properly registering variables in some scenarios.
• Skipped mirror selection page in AutoUpdate tool when just one option is available
• New <pathManipulation> action to create absolute paths
• Fixed <showPasswordQuestion> not saving the password when accepting the dialog by pressing enter
• Improved <firewallTest> rule to also include default Windows firewall
• Improved Russian language support
• New <createWindowsARPEntry> project setting to allow disabling the creation of the Add Remove Programs entry on windows
• Improved <addScheduledTask> action to support latest Windows versions
• Added Support for shiftjis encoding on HP-UX in text mode

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

InstallBuilder 7.2.1 Released.

We recently released version 7.2.1 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Improved Albanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Danish, Finnish, Argentine Spanish, Slovak, Swedish and Turkish language support
• Updated documentation
• Speed up installer startup time when being launched from a network drive
• New <addWindowsAccountRights> and <removeWindowsAccountRights> actions
• Improved administrator user check in HP-UX platform
• Improved <abortOnError> and <showMessageOnError> action settings to support variables
• Improved minimalWithDialogs mode look and feel
• Fixed text not being correctly wrapped in some <choiceParameters> in osx and win32 modes
• Improved environment actions on Unix
• Fixed <passwordParameter> entries misaligned in some languages
• Fixed GUI "Files" tree not being updated when manually deleting <distributionFile> elements from the XML editor
• Fixed <globalVariables> action not properly handling case insensitivity

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

InstallBuilder 7.2.0 Released.

We recently released version 7.2.0 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Improved packing filters to allow excluding files to pack at any depth of the directory hierarchy
• Added Albanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Danish, Finnish, Argentine Spanish, Slovak, Swedish and Turkish language support
• Allow modifying the exit code in the <installationAbortedActionList>
• Allow disabling Xft fonts support in xwindow mode to reduce installers size
• Improved language autodetection on Windows
• Updated documentation
• Fixed 32bit installers crashing in Ubuntu 11.04 64bit when running in gtk mode
• Allow executing .cmd scripts on Windows
• Added new variable installation_aborted_by_user
• Removed --enable-components, --disable-components and --optionfile options from uninstaller help menu
• Improved <showProgressDialog> refresh rate to allow properly displaying quick actions progress text
• Fixed <launchBrowser> throwing warnings to console in some corrupt Linux environments
• Fixed default installation language not being properly resolved in uninstaller help menu
• Fixed error in GUI builder when using file dialogs in some scenarios
• Fixed scope issue in custom actions
• Replaced missing occurrences of "Ok" text in buttons to all uppercase "OK" per UI guidelines
• Fixed <enableLinuxLegacySupport> setting failing in some environments
• Fixed some graphic glitches in osx mode

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

InstallBuilder 7.1.1 Released.

We recently released version 7.1.1 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Fixed <unzip> action failing in some environments
• Fixed InstallBuilder license registration dialog failing on OS X
• Improved look and feel of <showProgressDialog> on OS X

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

InstallBuilder 7.1.0 Released.

We recently released version 7.1.0 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Fixed installer startup failing in some scenarios when being launched from a symbolic link
• Fixed <processTest> rule failing in some environments
• Fixed installation log containing unnecessary empty new lines when using disabling the file unpacking process
• Fixed comboboxes not being properly displayed in Windows Vista and 7 in win32 mode
• Improved look and feel of the Builder and installers in OS X and Windows
• Improved <getWindowsACL> to properly handle invalid SID provided as username
• New <languageSelectionStyle> project property to configure the style of the language selection dialog
• Improved reported errors when loading invalid XML files
• Updated documentation
• Fixed uninstaller not being removed on HP-UX

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

InstallBuilder 7.0.5 Released.

We recently released version 7.0.5 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• New split HTML version of the documentation
• Significantly improved <unzip> action performance
• Improved installers to allow variables in most of the project tags
• Improved GUI to accept variables in choice and boolean-like properties
• New <osxBundlesAreFiles> property added configure how <fileParameter> and <directoryParameter> should validate bundles in OS X
• Allow <linkParameters> to receive keyboard focus on Qt mode
• Improved OS X bundle launcher script to support projects with UTF-8 characters in their full name
• Improved Polish translation
• Fixed <windowsResourceProductVersion> not properly working
• Removed outdated syntax from demo projects
• Updated command line builder icon on Windows
• Fixed <globalVariables> action not properly handling project references
• Show more verbose errors in <break> and <continue> actions when invoked outside loop
• Fixed XML comments not being preserved in the GUI editor in some scenarios
• Fixed installers failing on HP-UX, AIX and FreeBSD 4 in some system language configurations

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

InstallBuilder 7.0.4 Released.

We recently released version 7.0.4 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Updated documentation
• Added <selectionOrder> to the <autodetectJava> action to allow specifying the order of the detected Java versions
• Added <checkFreeDiskSpace> rule
• Added <clearWindowsACL> action
• Added <osxUninstallerApplicationBundleIcon> to configure uninstaller icon on OS X
• Added <osxPlatforms> project tag to configure the OS X runtimes to build
• Improved Italian, French, Norwegian, Korean and Spanish translations
• Included English language file in the installers as a reference
• Improved build performance in Solaris, FreeBSD, AIX, HP-UX and IRIX
• Fixed <httpPost> action failing when providing an empty <queryParameterList>
• Fixed main progress bar not properly configured in some scenarios
• Fixed <portTest> rule throwing an error when providing a malformed port
• Changed "Ok" buttons text to all uppercase "OK" per UI guidelines
• Fixed registered estimated size on Windows 7 not being properly calculated
• Fixed RPM database registration not honoring files removed from uninstaller
• Fixed environment variables not being properly registered in some OS X terminal shells
• Fixed rollback functionality not properly handling the original drive

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

InstallBuilder 7.0.3 Released.

We recently released version 7.0.3 of BitRock InstallBuilder. The new release features the following improvements:

• Added Czech and Norwegian language support
• Updated documentation
• New <globalVariables> action to allow custom actions to modify project level variables
• Reduced installer startup time on OS X when running in qt mode
• Provided a default value for installer-language command line flag in the help menu
• Improved <writeFile> action to accept variables in the <encoding> tag
• Improved <run> and <show> action properties to accept variables
• Added support for Bourne shell (sh) in actions related to environment variables
• Fixed installer refreshing issue when quickly pushing 'next' button multiple times on Windows
• Fixed installer not properly loading images in some environments
• Properly handle standard streams redirection on Windows Java launchers
• Fixed AutoUpdate <requireInstallationByRootUser> property not properly working on OS X
• Improved regular installer registration with RPM database
• Fixed qt mode post-uninstallation popups not displaying any icon on OS X
• Fixed GUI XML editor not properly preserving comments

Visit installbuilder.bitrock.com to download or to view our changelog.

BitNami Cloud Hosting is Now Available!

After several months in private beta, we're excited to announce that BitNami Cloud Hosting is now generally available and ready for production use. If you're not familiar with BitNami, it is a site run by BitRock that provides free, ready-to-run installers, virtual appliances and cloud templates for popular open source software. BitNami Cloud Hosting builds on top of BitNami to provide the easiest way to deploy and manage BitNami Stacks and other applications in the cloud. Sign up and activate your BitNami Cloud Hosting account by midnight Pacific Time this Friday, February 11th to get 3 months of FREE service! BitNami Cloud Hosting provides: BitNami Stacks in the Cloud: Deploy BitNami Stacks (and other applications) to the cloud with one click. You will get the same integrated, battle-tested and ready-to-run software stacks that you have been using from the BitNami.org site. Great App Selection: BitNami Cloud Hosting offers most of the applications and development stacks in the BitNami library. Available stacks include: SugarCRM, Alfresco, JasperServer, Drupal, Wordpress, Redmine, RubyStack, LAMPStack and many others. Automatic Backups and One Click Server Restores: BitNami Cloud Hosting offers automated backups that can be scheduled to occur hourly, daily or weekly. Backups and not just for the application data, but the whole machine, so configuration and other data is also preserved. This allows for entire servers to be restored in one click. Backups are incremental, which keeps costs low while ensuring that servers can be restored from any point in time. Server Scaling: Change the size of a server as needed with the click of a button. Server Scheduling: Set a schedule for servers to automatically start and stop, reducing computing costs. Automatic Monitoring: BitNami Cloud Hosting provides automatic monitoring out of the box. Multi-Account Management: The BitNami Cloud Hosting control panel enables you to manage applications deployed across several cloud accounts. View the demo to learn more and sign up by the end of the day this Friday, February 11th for 3 months of free service!