Skip Preparing to Install Wizard page in Inno Setup

Question

Referring to the question Basic or Advanced installation mode choice to skip or use advanced options pages, I need to skip the Preparing to Install wizard page now.

In my case this page is displayed because one or more programs are using files that need to be replaced by the installer; so the installer asks to the user if they want the setup to automatically close the applications and restart at the end of the setup.

I need that this page is hide from the setup process in Basic mode, and if some files are used, that the setup automatically closes the applications using them without asking anything to the user.

I've tried editing ShouldSkipPage as:

function ShouldSkipPage(PageID: Integer): Boolean; 
begin 
  { If "Basic" mode is selected, skip Directory and Components pages }
  Result := 
    ModePage.Values[0] and
    ((PageID = wpSelectDir) or (PageID = wpSelectComponents) or (PageID = wpReady) or (PageID = wpPreparing));
end;

adding (PageID = wpPreparing) but the page still displayed in Basic mode.

Is there a way to implement this using Inno Setup?

Answer 1

ShouldSkipPage event is not even called for wpPreparing. That page is not to be skipped.

If you still want to skip it, you have to use hacks like these:

• How to skip all the wizard pages and go directly to the installation process?
• Inno Setup - How to close finished installer after a certain time?

With the first approach, your code would look like:

[Code]
const
  BN_CLICKED = 0;
  WM_COMMAND = $0111;
  CN_BASE = $BC00;
  CN_COMMAND = CN_BASE + WM_COMMAND;

procedure CurPageChanged(CurPageID: Integer);
var
  Param: Longint;
begin
  { If Basic mode is selected, skip Preparing page }
  if (CurPageID = wpPreparing) and ModePage.Values[0] then
  begin
    Param := 0 or BN_CLICKED shl 16;
    PostMessage(WizardForm.NextButton.Handle, CN_COMMAND, Param, 0);
  end;
end;

Answer 2

Just don't do that. Ever. It is absolutely unacceptable for you to close an arbitrary list of applications without prompting the user. It's equally impolite to barrel ahead and then require a reboot at the end of the install. (It's unforgivable to then trigger the reboot without asking.)

What you can do is to put some code in the PrepareToInstall [Code] function which will automatically close your application. This executes before the user is prompted to close apps, so if it was only your apps involved then they will not be prompted.