Saving NSIS Install Log

What's the easiest way to save the install log that is displayed in NSIS? I seem to remember reading somewhere that you can recompile the NSIS code with a special flag to enable it to save the log. Is there an easier way?

3 Answers

In an attempt to keep file sizes small, the default installation of the NSIS compiler doesn't make log files. Download the Special Build of a release and copy it over the makensis.exe application (and Stub folder) to patch it to have logging support.

Once you have done that, simply add the following to your script:

 LogSet on 

No other changes are needed. I have no idea why this isn't default as in my cases, it only adds 48 bytes to the filesize!

Try the NSISLog plugin.

There's also LogEx.

Here's a solution straight from the NSIS website

StrCpy $0 "$EXEDIR\install.log" Push $0 Call DumpLog !define LVM_GETITEMCOUNT 0x1004 !define LVM_GETITEMTEXT 0x102D Function DumpLog Exch $5 Push $0 Push $1 Push $2 Push $3 Push $4 Push $6 FindWindow $0 "#32770" "" $HWNDPARENT GetDlgItem $0 $0 1016 StrCmp $0 0 exit FileOpen $5 $5 "w" StrCmp $5 "" exit SendMessage $0 ${LVM_GETITEMCOUNT} 0 0 $6 System::Alloc ${NSIS_MAX_STRLEN} Pop $3 StrCpy $2 0 System::Call "*(i, i, i, i, i, i, i, i, i) i \ (0, 0, 0, 0, 0, r3, ${NSIS_MAX_STRLEN}) .r1" loop: StrCmp $2 $6 done System::Call "User32::SendMessageA(i, i, i, i) i \ ($0, ${LVM_GETITEMTEXT}, $2, r1)" System::Call "*$3(&t${NSIS_MAX_STRLEN} .r4)" FileWrite $5 "$4$\r$\n" IntOp $2 $2 + 1 Goto loop done: FileClose $5 System::Free $1 System::Free $3 exit: Pop $6 Pop $4 Pop $3 Pop $2 Pop $1 Pop $0 Exch $5 FunctionEnd