InstallUISequence

The InstallUISequence is both the name of a database table in the MSI package and a way of referring to the first half of the installation. During this time, we can show a graphical user interface and execute tasks that don't alter the user's computer, such as using AppSearch and evaluating launch conditions.

If you use Orca to look inside your MSI package, as described in Chapter 1, Getting Started, you'll find a table called InstallUISequence. This is where the actions that happen during the first half of the installation are defined. The following screenshot shows what it will look like:

The table contains three columns: Action, Condition, and Sequence. For now, we're just interested in Action and Sequence. Action is the name of the standard action to run. A standard action is a task that's already defined by Windows Installer. Sequence is the order in which it happens in relation to other actions. You can sort the Sequence column from lowest to highest by clicking on...