Graphical Installer - Features

NSIS and Inno Setup support

Graphical Installer (GI) is available in two versions: as Graphical Installer for NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) and as Graphical Installer for Inno Setup.

Both these award winning install systems often surpass many commercial installers in feature set and stability. (And they are free - even open-source!)
If you have already worked with them then you know they can generate a stable and reliable installers - an important component of successful software. With NSIS or Inno Setup you can create such installers that are capable of doing everything that is needed to setup your software. They are script-based and allow you to create the logic to handle even the most complex installation tasks.

Graphical Installer brings another option into them - the option to have a custom design of installer.

Graphical Installer for NSIS

ANSI + UNICODE

Graphical Installer for Inno Setup

ANSI + UNICODE

Fully customizable design of your installer
GI allows you to change many visual aspects of your installer. You can set*:
- Custom picture for installer background - Supports many formats (.jpg, .bmp. .gif, .png, .tif, ...)
- Custom icons - Installer, Uninstaller, ...
- Custom picture for buttons - Next, Back, Cancel, Browse, custom created, ...
- Custom picture for scrollbars - License page, Readme page, ...
- Custom color for texts - Headers, labels, links, static texts, ...
- Custom color for button texts in various situations - For normal, focused, pressed and disabled state
- Custom color for installation progress bar - Foreground and background
- Custom splash picture - Bitmap file (splash picture also supports transparency)

Creating installers with irregular windows
Part of window can be fully transparent - you are no more tied to rectangular shape!
Easy to be integrated into existing scripts
All you need is to add few references to your existing installer's script, no hard-coding is necessary!
GI allows you to switch between custom design and regular installer with changing single line of script!
Modular system
Skinning mechanism is very modular and allows you to turn on features you want to have in your installer and to turn off features you do not want to have.
Simple switching between 'skinned' and 'classic' design of installer
Modify only single line of script to completely change the design of your installer. You can decide anytime to go to traditional installer design. And back again to cool one by commenting out a line of script!
Prepared templates and examples for instant start
We provide many default templates (with full skins, buttons, ...), so just put your files inside, set graphic fields and your installer is ready!
There is a lot of examples in the installation package - and another published on our site - download them and have exciting installer ready in few moments!
Creating new projects
It is possible to generate whole script using Graphical Installer Wizard (plug-in for HM NIS Edit, Inno Script Studio, Eclipse IDE, Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 - 2015, Embarcadero RAD Studio 2009, 2010, XE - XE8, 10 Seattle).
No manual scripting is necessary!
Converting existing projects
You can easily convert your existing installer into installler with custom design with Graphical Installer Wizard - an user friendly tool we have developed.
Do not throw out your old installer - convert it and enjoy it's new look with minimum effort!
NSIS and Inno Setup compatibility
Our product use the same core as traditional installers - there is no difference in writing scripts!
Rich API of these systems allows you to handle all situations that may occur during installation of your software. As they are script-based allow you to create the logic to handle even the most complex installation tasks. Many plug-ins and scripts are already available: you can create web installers, communicate with Windows and other software components, install or update shared components and more.
Customizable dialogs and interfaces
Thanks to NSIS and Inno Setup nature it is easy to add custom pages and controls to them (textboxes, checkboxes, labels ...).
There are no limits - if you need something special in your installer you can add it very easily with these powerful scripting systems.
Multi-language support
Fully multilingual support (including RTL [right-to-left] languages like Hebrew) in one installer. Resulting installers can be UNICODE of course too!
DRM free!
All installers are DRM free. We do not want to track people and spy on them... We trust you not to distribute sources and other our stuff.
Custom design for installer and uninstaller
With GI you can simply skin your installer. But GI for NSIS allows you to also skin your uninstaller - and this is done automatically so you have no care with it!
GI for Inno Setup does not support skinning of uninstaller, we are sorry for this.
Huge resources base
Except the free skins, examples, templates for fast start and many other files in installation package we provide a lot of materials online.
Before you start you can read the tutorials (video tutorials coming soon!), read the manuals (GI for NSIS or GI for Inno Setup), download tools and utilities (for free from our blog) and many more!
Infinite possibilities
GI is shipped with full sources, so you can modify them as you wish! There are also a lot of compatible plug-ins you may use to enhance your installer.
Free skins included
We provide many skins which looks really good! With them you can create installers that even look like famous InstallShield's� or like your preferred theme.
Creating new design
If you are not satisfied with our designs you can create your own. Your installer can wear any image you wish, even photos can be used!
We developed an user friedly tools that can generate skin from almost every picture: .jpg .png .bmp .gif or .tiff - all these files can be used for your your skins!
For Windows (and Linux)
However it is designed primarily for Windows (98, Me, 2000, NT, XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, 7, 8, 10), it runs also on Linux platforms via emulator.
GI does not run on Mac OS/Androi/iOS platforms, we are sorry for this :(
Drag & Drop installation page with advanced security
Prevents bots from installing the software (human interaction is required to continue the installation, similar to macOS .dmg installer)
Moving installer (frameless) window with mouse
If you create installer with irregular window (see above) you can set possibility for user to click it anywhere and move the window
...and a lot more!
Check Gallery to see live example how can be boring installer converted into cool one!

* Not all features may have the same behavior for NSIS and Inno Setup. There are small differences in these install systems which GI respects.
If you want to be sure your future installer has certain specific feature please contact us.
Approximately 98% of the features are the same in both systems, but Inno Setup offers a little more enhanced API. If you are not sure which version to choose contact us or choose GI for Inno Setup.

Graphical Installer Wizard

Graphical Installer Wizard (GIW) is a professional user-friendly tool we have developed for easy creating instalers with custom design.
As there are two versions of Graphical Installer (NSIS/Inno Setup) there are also two versions of GIW, but most of the features is the same.

Support for NSIS and Inno Setup
GIW works with both systems: NSIS and Inno Setup.
- GIW for Inno SetupWelcome page - GIW for Inno Setup
- GIW for NSISWelcome page - GIW for NSIS
Creating (Generating) new installers
GIW can quickly and easily generate the design and whole installer for you. There is no need to write a single line of script!
Wizard contains several pages, on each page you can set various properties of your installer and when Wizard is finished your new installer is ready for action.
- GIW for Inno SetupPage Project type - GIW for Inno Setup
- GIW for NSISPage Project type - GIW for NSIS
Converting existing scripts and installers
If you have an existing NSIS or Inno Setup installer you can add custom design to it with a few clicks!
Use this tool, set desired visual properties in the Wizard and your old installer will have totally new look!
There is no need to rewrite your installer or to change it - all functionality remains the same, but with a new look!
Fully customizable interface of your installer
GIW allows you to change many visual aspects of your installer. You can set*:
- fonts and colors of texts (headers, labels, buttons, check boxes, radio buttons, ...)
- custom pictures for buttons (.bmp/.png - you can create also transparent and irregular buttons!)
- custom background picture (.bmp .jpg .png .gif .tiff)
- custom splash picture (.bmp)
- transparent areas of installer (create irregular window) and more!
- GIW for Inno SetupPage Visual Options - GIW for Inno Setup
- GIW for NSISPage Visual Options - GIW for NSIS
Support for various IDEs (Integrated Development Enviroments)
GIW is currently available as a plug-in for several IDES and as a standalone Windows application.
Run it from your preferred IDE and create good looking installers without any effort!

GIW for NSIS:
- extension for Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 - 2019 (as a part of Visual & Installer)
- expert for Embarcadero RAD Studio 2009, 2010, XE - XE8, 10 Seattle - 10.3 Rio (as a part of RAD & Installer)
- plug-in for HM NIS Edit
- plug-in for Eclipse
- standalone application
GIW for Inno Setup:
- extension for Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 - 2019 (as a part of Visual & Installer)
- expert for Embarcadero RAD Studio 2009, 2010, XE - XE8, 10 Seattle - 10.3 Rio (as a part of RAD & Installer)
- standalone application
- plug-in for Inno Script Studio
Read How Graphical Installer works to learn more about it.
Context sensitive help
If you are unsure about some option in Wizard then simple hit F1 (or click the question mark '?' in the right upper corner) and integrated manual will be immediately opened with description for desired page.
It contains a lot of useful information so it is worthy to read it.
Many options when creating new installer from scratch in NSIS
GIW for NSIS contains many pages and allows you to tune your future installer. You can adjust many aspects of it:
- name, version, publisher, website
- setup icon, languages, compression
- default directory, license file, license accept style
- files and directories to create
- target application to execute, it's parameters, readme file
- uninstaller, splash image, ...
- GIW for NSISPage License - GIW for NSIS
- GIW for NSISPage Uninstaller - GIW for NSIS
Online manuals
Starting with GIW is very easy - everything is automatically configured right after the installation.
If you have any troubles (or your are just curios :) then open the GIW for NSIS online manual or GIW for Inno Setup online manual and learn more!
...and a lot more!
Check Gallery to see live example how can be boring installer converted into cool one!

* Not all features may have the same behavior for NSIS and Inno Setup. There are small differences in these install systems which GI respects.
GIW for NSIS offer more pages with more options for generating new installer.
If you want to create an Inno Setup installer with certain specific feature use Wizard present in your preferred IDE and then convert generated script with GIW to have installer with custom design.

How Graphical Installer works?

If you have any NSIS or Inno Setup installed on you machine you can create "regular" installers with them.
Why regular? Because the all of the generated installers look the same. Here are two pictures of such installers and the third picture shows how such installer is created:

Regular installer - Inno SetupRegular installer - Inno Setup
Regular installer - NSISRegular installer - NSIS
Creating Regular installerCreating Regular installer

When you create script file and compile it you get such regular installer. There is no difference if you have an installer for video game, software, driver, utility or other kind. All look the same (OK there are some elements like icon or top image which can be changed but that is not enough) and that is why we call them Regular.

Creating Graphical InstallerCreating Graphical Installer

If you install Graphical Installer your installers will look totally different than any others. That is because you can choose your own design which make your installer genuine and unique. Graphical Installer contains files and utilies which enhance your installation system and add new features into it.

All you need is to update your script with appropriate calls to Graphical Installer API, create graphic data (background picture, buttons, ...) and compile everything together. Such installer with custom design we call Graphical Installer powered installer. See the compilation process for Graphical Installer powered installer in the picture to the left.

It is not complicated at all! Everything is automated so you will not even recognize the difference. API is powerfull and you need to add only a few lines of code into your existing script to enahance it by cool looking design.

How to create an installer?

As both installation systems - NSIS and Inno Setup - are script based you need to write the script for your installer. That can be really boring. But we provide special tool called Graphical Installer Wizard - professional and user-friendly tool for easy creating of Graphical Installer powered installers. This tool has 2 purposes:

Creating (Generating) new installers - GIW can quickly and easily generate whole cool looking skinned installer for you. There is no need to write a single line of script!

Converting existing scripts and installers - If you have an existing NSIS or Inno Setup installer you can convert it into skinned one with a few clicks!

Graphical Installer Wizard integrationGraphical Installer Wizard integration

There are several IDEs for every installation system. We integrated GIW into most used ones. Creating of the installer looks like the picture to the left.

So: by using Graphical Installer + Graphical Installer Wizard (for your favorite IDE) you can easily create cool looking installers with custom design!
Of course you can create your installer without Graphical Installer Wizard (manually by writing the script file as text) - but we assume using Wizard is much more comfortable!

Graphical Installer Wizard can be installed during installation of Graphical Installer but also it can be found in Visual & Installer installation package (as Visual Studio extension).

Do not forget: you have to install both - Graphical Installer + Graphical Installer Wizard for your IDE to compile installers successfully!