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Working with Variables

Variables are dynamic containers for system paths, user inputs, or runtime values. They make your installer adapt to different environments without hardcoding paths or settings.

How Variables Work

Section titled “How Variables Work”

Variables are identified by a name enclosed in % signs (e.g. %DESTPATH%). When the package runs, each identifier is replaced by its actual value.

FeatureRequirement
SyntaxMust start and end with % (e.g. %MYVAR%)
NamingLetters, numbers, and underscores only — no spaces or special characters
ReservedNames starting with PB are reserved for internal use
Data TypeUnicode text (max 4096 wide characters)
BooleansLogic handled via 1 (True) and 0 (False)

Defining Custom Variables

Section titled “Defining Custom Variables”

  1. Click the Variables button in the toolbar to open the Variable Manager.

    Variable Manager

  2. Click Add to create a new variable.

  3. Configure the Name, Type (Path, String, or Boolean), and Initial Value.

  4. Click OK to register the variable.

Built-in Variable Categories

Section titled “Built-in Variable Categories”

System Paths

Locations like %WIN%, %SYS%, %TMP%, %APPDATADIR%, and hundreds more — initialized automatically at runtime.

Package Information

Details about the installer: %APPTITLE%, %ARCNAME%, %ARCFILEVER%, %ARCPRODVER%, etc.

Installation Scope

Scope-aware paths that adapt to per-user or all-user installations: %PBINSTALLSCOPEDIR%, %PBSHORTCUTROOT%, %PBDESKTOPROOT%.

Runtime State

Flags and values set during execution: %DESTPATH%, %ISADMIN%, %SILENT%, %TOTALEXTFILE%, etc.

Best Practices

Section titled “Best Practices”
Section titled “Related Pages”
Global Variable Reference Complete list of all built-in variables.
Modify Variable Change variable values at runtime with custom actions.
Installation Scope Scope-aware variables for per-user and all-users installs.