Media Spanning

InstallShield 11 Universal

The media spanning function enables you to build an installation that spans multiples of the same media. For example, if the installation's payload is too large to fit onto one CD or DVD, the installation is automatically built onto multiple pieces of that media. The quantity of media required is automatically determined by Universal. In addition, the payload is written to the media in the order that it is sequenced in the interface or, in the case of Dynamic Suites, the order in which the assembly directory structures are sequenced in the suite output's assemblies directory.

This function does not apply to a project that is built as an assembly (Premier Only). Projects built as products that reference assemblies, however, can be spanned. The referenced assemblies are written to each piece of media in their entirety, that is, an assembly is never split between media.

If you believe that a project is large enough to require that it be spanned onto multiple media, then its Product, RPM, or Suite Build Configuration's Archive Type Info property (in the Releases view) must be set to either "Custom Size Archive" or "CDROM Archive". If the project is a Universal Dynamic Suite, then the assemblies that should be referenced by the suite must be determined before build time. The assemblies' directory structures need to be copied to a common directory that is specified in the "Custom Size Archive's" or "CDROM Archive's" Assemblies Folder property in the order that you want them written to the media.

When a project is going to be built as an assembly, it is recommended that its Install and Uninstall Precedence properties be left set to the default of "-1" to ensure that all dependencies are met when the product is written to the media at build time. It also ensures that the entire assembly is written onto the same piece of media—an assembly cannot be spanned between multiple media. The product or Dynamic Suite that references the assembly, however, can be spanned.