Running a Silent Install v3

Silent Install
A silent install means ShortKeys will be installed without the user having to answer any questions during the installation process. This is helpful for installing ShortKeys from within another setup program or installing from a server on a network.

Note: Because it requires command line parameters, a Silent Install cannot be run by clicking on the installation filename in Explorer. You may execute it from the Start | Run command or from a batch file that contains the proper command.

The /S command line parameter tells the ShortKeys installer to do a Silent Install. For example: shkey.exe /S

Note: The ShortKeys installation file can be named setup.exe or shkey.exe depending on where you obtained the file. In the examples shown, substitute the actual name of your ShortKeys installation file. If you downloaded an installation file in zip format, you must unzip setup.exe or shkey.exe from the zip file before running a Silent Install.

Installation options
The ShortKeys Install program allows you to use a text file to automatically respond to the install questions during the installation process. By putting entries in the text file, you can choose things such as where to install the program, whether ShortKeys should be put in the Startup folder so it is automatically launched when Windows starts, or whether the Quick Start Guide should be displayed after ShortKeys is installed.

To do this you need to create a text file with a name of your choosing and use the /M= command line parameter. For this example, we will name the file SK3Setup.txt.

shkey.exe /M=c:\SK3Setup.txt

These are the options that may be placed in the setup file:

INSTALLPATH is used to override the default installation folder. If included, ShortKeys will be installed in the folder specified by INSTALLPATH.
INSTALLPATH=c:\myprograms\ShortKeys

STARTUP=Y puts ShortKeys in Windows StartUp folder.
STARTUP=N does not put ShortKeys in Windows StartUp folder.

LAUNCHNOW=Y Launches ShortKeys after installation is completed.
LAUNCHNOW=N does not Launch ShortKeys after installation is completed.

MACROFILEDEST=Path and filename of where to install the macro file keyinstall.shk, if it exists.

Listed below are the rules for installing a shortkey (.shk) file.

1. The shortkey file keyinstall.shk must exist in the same directory as the install file.
2. If the MACROFILEDEST silent install option does not exist, then a) the macro file will be installed in the same folder as the program and b) the name of the macro file is the default name for that program (key.shk).
3. If the MACROFILEDEST silent install option is used, then the macro file will be installed in the folder and filename specified.

QUICKSTARTNOW=Y displays Quick Start Guide after installation is completed or when ShortKeys starts (default).
QUICKSTARTNOW=N does not display Quick Start Guide at the end of the installation.
QUICKSTARTNOW=P Prevents the Quick Start Guide from being displayed when ShortKeys starts.
QUICKSTARTNOW=NP does not display Quick Start Guide at the end of the installation and also prevents the Quick Start Guide from being displayed when ShortKeys starts.

RUNQUIET=N the program’s default values are used for the preferences.
RUNQUIET=Y the preferences are set to install and run quietly. These options apply to the user installing the program and any new users:

– The Editor is not loaded when the program starts
– The Quick Start Guide is not displayed
– The option to display the What’s New document is turned off by default
– Backups are disabled
– The First Time setup wizard is disabled
– The dialog asking about file associations is disabled
– The dialog warning “You must have the Suffix Activation selected in order to use these keys” is disabled
– The display of periodic messages during 30-day trial is disabled

WHATSNEWNOW=Y Displays What’s New in this version after install
WHATSNEWNOW=N does not display What’s New in this version after install

NOHELP=Y the Help file will not be installed
NOHELP=N the Help file will be installed (default)

INSTALLOLDER=Y all files will be installed even if they are older than files already in the destination folder
INSTALLOLDER=N newer files in the destination folder will not be overwritten (default)

REBOOT=N suppresses the dialog suggesting a reboot after installation is completed, even if the installer has determined that one is needed.

LICENSENAME and LICENSECODE are used to license the software during install:
LICENSENAME=Name used when ShortKeys was licensed
LICENSECODE=Code received when ShortKeys was licensed

CONFIGFILEPATH=Path to configuration file. Use this to set the preferences at install time. Create a .wcfg file and include it in the install.

The CONFIGFILEPATH option allows for setting the ShortKeys preferences when ShortKeys is installed. This is handy for setting the same ShortKeys preferences on several computers.

To use this option, first create a file containing the preferences. To create this file, install ShortKeys and run it. Then set the preferences and click Tools, Export Program Configuration. This will create a file with a .wcfg extension. For this example we will use the filename shkey.wcfg.

Then put the following line in the Installation Options file:
CONFIGFILEPATH=c:\shkey.wcfg

Note: Do not add double quotes ( ” ) around this path even if it contains a space.

For example: CONFIGFILEPATH=C:\Install\ShortKeys\shkey.wcfg

Sample Text File
Using Notepad, or some other text editor, create the file SK3Setup.txt containing the following:

INSTALLPATH=c:\Program Files\ShortKeys3
STARTMENUFOLDR=ShortKeys3
STARTUP=N
LAUNCHNOW=N
QUICKSTARTNOW=N
REBOOT=N
LICENSENAME=John Smith
LICENSECODE=AB3E6-45F98-1200Z-34CC2-DF65R

Note: The license information is fictitious and is for demonstration purposes only. Use the License Information received upon purchase of ShortKeys 3.

This example installs ShortKeys in the c:\Program Files\ShortKeys3 folder. The start menu folder is ShortKeys3. ShortKeys will not be launched when Windows is started. ShortKeys will not run at the end of the install. The Quick Start Guide will not be displayed at the end of the install. The setup will not reboot the computer. After the installation is complete, the program will be licensed to John Smith.

Note: Only insert valid options into the SK3Setup.txt file. Do not include comments, blank lines or remarked out options.

Silent Install with Options
The Silent Install may be combined with any of the Installation Options listed above. After creating SK3Setup.txt, install ShortKeys 3 with the following command:

shkey.exe /S /M=c:\SK3Setup.txt

*This information is also available in the Advanced Installation topic in the ShortKeys Help.