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FreezingFire · **Admin Team** Joined: 23 Jun 2002 Posts: 3508

I am considering making a program I am starting open source. It will be an installation program...possibly with both a "modern" and "classic" wizard interface.

What we would need to do is use a free command-line zip tool that we can re-distribute...I may know of one...but I'll have to think where...zip it into a self-extracting EXE file, then use the wizard to copy the files and delete them after installation is done. We can probably make a nice self-extracting EXE with Tommy's Easy Packets...which will allow to run the setup EXE file after extracted...then replace the contents with the command-line zip program.

A lot of other features could be implemented...

If anyone is interested, just post below, and what I have so far I will post.

FreezingFire · **Admin Team** Joined: 23 Jun 2002 Posts: 3508

Here is a basic outline of how the setup program will look (unchanged):
Please note that the setup logo is missing so it may look bare...

Tommy · Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2002 10:24 pm Post subject:

This section of MSDN may be useful related to this:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/wizard/sdkwizv4_757y.asp?frame=true

Dr. Dread · Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2002 8:31 am Post subject:

Hey Freezingfire

I think that's a great idea. And it should be interesting to many VDS coders for distributing their stuff.

I played around with installer components some time ago, so I should have some code snippets lying
around which may come in handy.

As concerns zip components, I'd go for Info-ZIP - it's open source, EXEs are freely distributable etc.
http://www.info-zip.org/

Greetz
Dr. Dread

marty · Professional Member Joined: 10 May 2001 Posts: 789

Yup thats a good idea... Very Happy

Last year I started working on my own installer with VDS, I stopped because of other projects.. So used InnoSetup...

Ill try to find what I have so far and will give out the code.

Hope I can find it within my PC and CD mess... Wink

FreezingFire · **Admin Team** Joined: 23 Jun 2002 Posts: 3508

Yes, I am currently using Inno Setup to distribute any applications I make...but I figure if I can make a really nice installer that I can fully customize without having to know pascal code (you can write stuff for InnoSetup with pascal code...but you have do download "My Inno Setup with Extensions"...

This could even include something like a "activation code" or something to install the product instead of a password that would have to be used with Inno Setup...

Since you cannot reply with a Poll in with this forum...reply to this thread and vote for which interface I should make..."classic" or "modern"... Smile

Tommy · Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2002 8:48 pm Post subject:

Modern absolutely, or possibly allow a choice. I really like the feel of the modern interface.

FreezingFire · **Admin Team** Joined: 23 Jun 2002 Posts: 3508

I looked at the ZIP.EXE that comes with V-Setup...in the license it says that it is freely distributable by anyone..."so long that it is not modified and that it is not sold for profit."

I'm thinking that we could use that for command-line zipping and un-zipping...however you could use any zip utility that supports self-extracting EXE files for change the contents...

Yes, after some hard work I will make it so that it possibly allows a choice of style...personally I am more fond of the Modern style also...

cnodnarb · Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2002 9:16 pm Post subject:

Personally, I think that even having a user unzip installation files manually (with winzip or equivalent) then having a setup program included is not at all unreasonable...

With that said, there are many other things about an installation program to be considered, filelist, reg entries, toggles for users choosing directory or not, entering registry stuff during setup, ini entries to win.ini and system.ini

Not that I'm saying that self extraction is not something that is not necessary, I'm just saying that maybe it's not where to start...

Having said that, I think that the developer should have full control over the actual positioning of dialogs on the setup program itself. Something like this

FreezingFire · **Admin Team** Joined: 23 Jun 2002 Posts: 3508

Yes...that is a good idea...however, the user may not have zip/unzip program...so self-extraction may be needed...I've yet to find an exe that just extracts to a specified directory then runs a file (in this case "setup.exe" or something...)

I noticed when I open a V-Setup file in WinZip I find there is a program named "setup.exe"...when I extract that from the archive, and run it, it runs like the normal setup program...so, in theory, the single actual "setup.exe" program that the end-user runs is extracting the files, then running an executable named "setup.exe".

cnodnarb · Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2002 11:32 pm Post subject:

Unrelated (sort of)

I noticed that the lesser than sign showed up as html code in my post, but not in the green post, how do you post "green" code?

NodNarb

Mac · Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2002 11:54 pm Post subject:

Hiya NodNarb, Smile

Use the "code" tags (I'm disabling BB code so this will show):

[code]
rem -- Here ya go --
INFO Put your code here...
[/code]

Cheers, Mac Smile

Dr. Dread · Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2002 12:22 am Post subject:

Hi, again

Dug up this subroutine - for obtaining paths:

Rubes_sw · Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2002 12:31 am Post subject: Just a thought

Could you use tommys, vdsbin.dll to pack all the files into a single resource file then, build an exe to extract the files to their destination ?

You could have say:

Setup.exe - Main exe for unpacking & installing
setup.res - binary packed file, containing - all the files, resources, destinations paths etc etc.

Just a thought Smile

I could be way off , but i just wanted to join in Smile

Rubes_sw

Dr. Dread · Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2002 1:11 am Post subject:

Of course, that's possible. The only thing is that files will not be compressed so your res files will be unnecessary bulky.

Greetz
Dread