Installing TestLeft in Silent Mode

Applies to TestLeft 4.40, last modified on March 27, 2020

In some cases, you may need to install TestLeft in silent mode. In this mode, the installation is performed automatically without any user interaction.

For example, you install TestLeft in silent mode if you need to automate the installation procedure or deploy TestLeft on multiple computers on your network.

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

You can install TestLeft in silent mode -

  • via InstallShield;

  • via specific command-line arguments.

The Difference Between the Two Approaches

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 specifies all the settings to use during silent installation: the installation folder 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, Java Development Kit or Microsoft Visual Studio) will affect the set of features that can be installed and silent installation may fail.

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 TestLeft by using the command line. To update your installed version of TestLeft, you have to uninstall it first and then install a newer version.

Installing TestLeft in Silent Mode by Using InstallShield

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

  1. Creating the Silent Installation Response File

  2. Running Silent Installation

  3. Verifying the Silent Installation Success

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

1. Creating the Silent Installation Response File

  1. Choose a computer that meets the hardware and software requirements and on which TestLeft is not installed. Make sure that this computer has the same software configuration as the computers where you will run silent installation, because differences in the environment may cause the installation to fail.

  2. Run TestLeft installation in response recording mode:

    <path_to_installation_package>\TestLeft440_Release.exe /r
    Note: If the path includes spaces, enclose it in quotes.

  3. Follow the onscreen instructions and install TestLeft 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 TestLeft’s installation files.

2. Running Silent Installation by Using InstallShield

  1. Deploy the TestLeft 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>\TestLeft440_Release.exe /s
    Note: If the path includes spaces, enclose it in quotes.

  3. The installation program will install TestLeft 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.

3. Verifying 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 TestLeft 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

Installing TestLeft by Using Specific Command-Line Arguments

If you install TestLeft by using command-line arguments, the installation program will analyze the third-party software available on the computer and will install all the features that can be installed on the computer.

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

Running Silent Installation

  1. Deploy the TestLeft 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>\TestLeft440_Release.exe /z"-silentmode-Path:D:\Work\Applications" /clone_wait

  3. The installation program will install TestLeft without user interaction.

Supported Command-Line Arguments

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

<TestLeft440_Release.exe> /z"-silentmode[-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.

-remove

TestLeft 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 TestLeft.

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

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

-Path:destination_folder

TestLeft is installed to the specified folder.

Note: The -Path parameter 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 TestLeft installation to complete.

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

Verifying 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 TestLeft in the update mode. To update TestLeft, uninstall your current version of TestLeft 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>\TestLeft440_Release.exe /z"-silentmode-remove"

See Also

System Requirements

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