Installing TestComplete in Silent Mode

Applies to TestComplete 14.30, last modified on November 21, 2019

In some cases, you may need to install TestComplete in silent mode. In this mode, the installation is performed automatically without any user interaction. For example, you install TestComplete in silent mode if you need to automate the installation procedure or deploy TestComplete on multiple computers on your network.

You can install TestComplete in silent mode -

  • via specific command-line arguments;

  • via InstallShield.

Difference between two approaches

Silent installation performed via specific command-line arguments
  • Some installation wizard pages are displayed on screen (no pages that require user input are displayed, but the other pages are visible).

  • You cannot update TestComplete by using the command line. To update your installed version of TestComplete, you have to uninstall it first and then install a newer version.

Silent installation performed via InstallShield
  • The installation runs in the background. The installation program does not show any dialogs or messages.

  • An installation response file is required. It contains all the data needed during silent installation: the path to the installation folder, a list of the features to install and so on.

  • To create an installation response file, you need a computer that meets the hardware and software requirements described in System Requirements and has the same software configuration as the computers where you will run silent installation. Otherwise, the differences in the environment (for example, the presence or absence of Microsoft .NET Framework or Microsoft Visual Studio) will affect the set of features that can be installed and silent installation may fail.

Accept the terms of use

By installing TestComplete in silent mode, you confirm that you consent to all license terms and conditions, including:

Install TestComplete by using specific command-line arguments

To run the installation using specific command-line arguments, administrator permissions are required.

Run silent installation

  1. Deploy the TestComplete installation package on the target computer.

  2. On the target computer, run the installation using the /z"-silentmode -other_arguments" command-line argument. For example:

    <path_to_installation_package>\TestComplete1430_Release.exe /z"-silentmode -Desktop -Path:D:\Work Projects\Applications" /clone_wait
  3. The installation program will install TestComplete without user interaction.

Supported command-line arguments

You run TestComplete installation in silent mode by launching its installation package with the following command-line arguments:

<Setup.exe> /z"-silentmode [-Desktop] [-Web] [-Mobile] [-IntelligentQuality] [-remove] [-Path:destination_folder]" /clone_wait 

/z"-silentmode …"

This argument must be specified. It commands the installation program to run in silent mode.

The other arguments are optional.

-Desktop, -Web, -Mobile, -IntelligentQuality (or -Intelligent Quality, or -IQ)

The specified modules and add-ons will be installed and activated.

By installing the Intelligent Quality add-on in silent mode, you confirm that you consent to the third-party terms of use.

If a module or add-on is not specified as an argument parameter, it will not be installed. For example:

<path_to_installation_package>\TestComplete1430_Release.exe /z"-silentmode -Desktop -Mobile -Path:D:\Work Projects\Applications"

The Desktop and Mobile modules will be installed, but the Web module and the Intelligent Quality add-on will be skipped.

<path_to_installation_package>\TestComplete1430_Release.exe /z"-silentmode -Desktop -IntelligentQuality -Path:D:\Work Projects\Applications"

The Desktop module and the Intelligent Quality add-on will be installed, but the Web and Mobile modules will be skipped.

If no modules or add-ons are specified during the installation, all the available modules and add-ons will be installed.

-remove

TestComplete and all of its features are removed from the computer.

Notes:

  • If you specify the -remove argument, the installation program will ignore the other command-line arguments and uninstall TestComplete.

  • If TestComplete is not installed, the installation program will ignore the -remove argument and install TestComplete.

  • To uninstall TestComplete, use the installation package of the TestComplete version that is currently installed.

-Path:destination_folder

TestComplete is installed to the specified folder.

Note: The -Path parameter specifying the path to the destination folder must always be specified last.

/clone_wait

By default, the installation program does not wait for the installation to complete. Use this parameter to wait for the TestComplete installation to complete.

This may be useful if you install TestComplete in unattended mode in a testing environment and then start automated testing immediately.

Verify the silent installation success

If an error occurs during the installation, the installation wizard shows an error message on screen. It indicates that something went wrong. The absence of an error message indicates that the installation has been completed successfully.

To determine whether the installation has completed successfully, you can also check the exit code value of the installation. 0 indicates successful installation. Other values indicate an error. For a complete list of error codes, see the following web page:

helpnet.flexerasoftware.com/installshield19helplib/helplibrary/SetupLog.htm

Known limitations

  • You cannot install TestComplete in the update mode. To update TestComplete, uninstall your current version of TestComplete and then install a newer one.

    You can do this manually via the operating system’s Control Panel or by using the -remove command-line argument:

    <path_to_installation_package>\TestComplete1430_Release.exe /z"-silentmode -remove"

Install TestComplete in silent mode by using InstallShield

To install TestComplete in silent mode by using InstallShield, create an installation response file that will store the needed installation settings. Then deploy TestComplete package files on other computers and run the installation there using the created response file.

  1. Create a silent installation response file

  2. Run silent installation

  3. Verify the silent installation success

To create a silent installation response file as well as to run silent installation, your account must have administrator privileges.

Create a silent installation response file

  1. Choose a computer that meets the hardware and software requirements and on which TestComplete is not installed. Make sure that this computer has the same software configuration as the computers where you will run silent installation.

  2. Run TestComplete installation in response recording mode:

    <path_to_installation_package>\TestComplete1430_Release.exe /r
    Note: If the path includes spaces, enclose it in quotes.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions and install TestComplete with the needed settings.

    The installation program will track the choices you make during the installation and record them to the Setup.iss file in the Windows folder on your system drive.

  4. Move the Setup.iss file from the Windows folder to the folder containing the TestComplete installation package.

Run silent installation by using InstallShield

  1. Deploy the TestComplete installation package and the installation response file (Setup.iss) to the target computer.

  2. On the target computer, run the following command:

    <path_to_installation_package>\TestComplete1430_Release.exe /s
    Note: If the path includes spaces, enclose it in quotes.
  3. The installation program will install TestComplete in the background using the options specified in the Setup.iss file. The installation program will display no dialogs, nor will it prompt you to specify any options. The installation progress will not be shown either.

Verify the silent installation success

In silent mode, the installation wizard shows no informative, warning or error message. The installation program creates the setup.log file and writes the installation status to that file. You can examine that log file to learn whether TestComplete has been installed successfully.

The file is located in the folder containing the installation files. Open the file and check the ResultCode value. 0 indicates success, any other values indicate an error. A complete list of error codes is available on this web page:

helpnet.flexerasoftware.com/installshield19helplib/helplibrary/SetupLog.htm

See Also

Installing TestComplete
Installation Steps
System Requirements
About TestComplete Platform, Modules and Add-Ons

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