Archicad silent Update installation in different versions

[Andor Szoke]

Silent Update installation of Archicad 20 Updates (suitable for Archicad 17, 18 and 19 too)

Silent mode Update install can be achieved by running the installer from the command line with silent parameter. The correct command line can be obtained by performing the following steps:

PC

• In the Start Menu choose or type Run
• Drag the Update installer executable over to the Run dialog
• Complete the line with a space and the following parameter: /silent
• Thus the line will show this: C:\Users\<username>\Desktop\Archicad-20-Update-xxxx-x.x.exe/silent Please note that if the path contains folders with spaces in their name, this line will be automatically put between quote marks.

Mac

• Go to the dmg file of Archicad Update, double click
• The Installer will be mounted
• Find Archicad-20-Update-xxxx-x.x file in the Archicad-20-Update (xxxx) folder, right click
• From the appearing context menu select Show Package Content
• Find Archicad-20-Update-xxxx in the Contents/MacOS folder, and drag its icon onto Terminal.
• Complete the line with a space and the following parameter: -silent
• The complete line should look like this: …/Archicad\ 20\ Update\ \(xxxx\)/Archicad-20-Update-xxxx.app/Contents/MacOS/Archicad-20-Update-xxxx -silent

Deployed installation is also possible, see description and the Windows MSI package collection here.

NOTE: Archicad updates are available on the GRAPHISOFT Update Download site.

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Suggested scenarios for silent installations

A.) CAD Manager places the Hotfix Installer to a path publicly available from the client machines. Then either the CAD Manager prepares the login script of the client machines so that when a user logs in then the Hotfix Installer is started from the mentioned path or the users are asked to run a previously prepared batch script which runs the installer with the mentioned parameter.

B.) CAD Manager places the Hotfix Installer to the shared folders of all client machines by accessing the local machines from the CAD Manager’s computer. Then either the CAD Manager prepares the login script of the client machines so that when a user logs in then the Hotfix Installer is started from the shared folder or the users are asked to run a previously prepared batch script which runs the installer with the mentioned parameter.

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Logging

When the installer is run silently, there will be a log file called AutoUpdate.log created in the same folder the exe/app file can be found, that the CAD Manager can later analize. That is why the particular user has to have rights for writing into the folder where the installer is placed. The log of one session will contain the time of the process start, the time of the process end, the user’s name, the computer name, and the info on whether the install succeded or failed. If the installation fails then the log will also contain the cause of the failure. If there is no Archicadto be updated then this message will be displayed followed by an error message that the user should contact the administrator. Please note that on Mac platform, the AutoUpdate.log file will be created only if the app file is copied out from the downloadable dmg file.

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Archicad 15-16

Silent mode Hotfix install can be achieved by running the installer from the command line with silent parameter. The correct command line can be obtained by performing the following steps: PC

• In the Start Menu choose or type Run
• Drag the Hotfix installer executable over to the Run dialog
• Complete the line with a space and the following parameter: /silent
• Thus the line will show this: C:\Users\<username>\Desktop\ACxx-xxxx-HOTFIXx-WIN64.exe /silent Please note that if the path contains folders with spaces in their name, this line will be automatically put between quote marks.

Mac

• Go to the installer file of Archicad Hotfix, right click
• From the appearing context menu select Show Package Content
• Find installer.sh in the Contents/MacOS folder, and drag its icon onto Terminal.
• Complete the line with a space and the following parameter: -silent
• The complete line should look like this: …/ACxx-xxxx-HOTFIXx-MAC.app/Contents/MacOS/installer.sh -silent

Hotfix patch file updates Archicad, BIM Server and BIM Server Manager, and creates a log file next to the exe/app which will contain all found/not found and updated/not updated products, even the fact if a user on any client machine cancelled the install process because his/her Archicadwas running. See also below.

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Before Archicad15

Silent mode Hotfix install can be achieved by running the installer from the command line with the following parameter: -W play.auto=YES. The correct command line can be obtained by performing the following steps: PC

• In the Start Menu choose or type Run
• Drag the Hotfix installer executable over to the Run dialog
• Complete the line with a space and the following parameter: -W play.auto=YES /english
• Thus the line will show this: C:\Users\<username>\Desktop\ACxx-xxxx-HOTFIXx-WIN64.exe -W play.auto=YES /english Please note that if the path contains folders with spaces in their name, this line will be automatically put between quote marks.

Mac

• Go to the installer file of Archicad Hotfix, right click
• From the appearing context menu select Show Package Content
• Find ACxx-xxxx-HOTFIXx-MAC in the Contents/MacOS folder, and drag its icon onto Terminal.
• Complete the line with a space and the following parameter: -W play.auto=YES -english
• The complete line should look like this: …/ACxx-xxxx-HOTFIXx-MAC.app/Contents/MacOS/ACxx-xxxx-HOTFIXx-MAC -W play.auto=YES -english

Notes for Archicad 12, 13, 14

Archicad hotfix packages will install themselves in silent mode (without explicitly using any parameters) if on the particular computer there is one and only one legally installed Archicad from the entire version. Please note that the "finish" dialog will come up after the installation thus notifying the users that an installation was performed. One can make the "finish" dialog not appear: a "gshotfix.ini" file has to be placed next to the Hotfix installer file, containing this string: SilentInstall =1