Setup Builder IS Fantastic !!!!!!

[NewsArchive]

Hi all,

I would like you all to be aware of the power of this tool :

I was asked to build for a very good friend needing to control download
bandwidth a small installer which would enable users to select between 4
types of installs with an optional "linking two of them" on only 2 of those
types
Plus of course the 4 seperate installers

The first problem I encountered was the 4 types plus option and to do this
in sb v6 it required two screens (install types and then feature)
The second problem I encountered (and could not resolve in v6) is the space
required on HD to be dynamically displayed depending on type and option
selection

So after playing with these pbs under v6 for half a day I decided to switch
and try out version7 which I had asked to beta test

The first important point is to read the docs and to open the demos
Friedrich sent us on Custom Dialogs : IMPRESSIVE

So I started all over again after simply copying the sb6 installer script
and renaming as .sb7 .... cool and easy

I started by adding a Custom Dialog and after an hour and a half I had ALL I
needed in ONE single screen :
a drop down to let the user select the TYPE to install
underneath a line to inform of the option available in the 2 types
underneath a checkbox to let them select this option or not
underneath a static text displaying the merits of each version
underneath a dynamic text showing the space required on HD for each
type/option combination possible

here are 6 screenshots to show you how nice and cool the result is
www.dmc-fr.com/programme/sbv7.zip

Now this is just the seen portion of the iceberg .......

I then had to write the 4 seperate installers for the 4 types of downloads

I did those in sb version6 as I did not need any fancy customp dialogs

easy enough selecting a root directory and creating 4 subdirs etc and then
creating a first installer addding the relevant files etc .....EASY as usual


I then copy pasted the installer and changed the name and output name and
directory and files ......


So there I was with four installers perfect a happy dev ......

But then came the first technical problem I was confronted to : the
installed applications required to work "demo" or "licenced" to read values
from a text .inc file and depending on what was found switched either or
....... and to date the user had to hand build his .inc file himself as per
the docs ....

What the ... xxxx we are in 2008 and Setup Builder can cope with all this
nonsense no ?

I took a look around sb and after finding the edit ini etc... sent an email
to Friderich and withing ten minutes (saturday & sunday of course .... <g>)
I received precise instructions and a demo code to do whatever I wanted on
ANY text file : loop read count lines find existing text and if not present
add lines etc .....
Within an hours time I had my four types of installers modified and allowing
now for complete dynamical reading creation of those licence files !

Cool and happier dev .......

Then came to my mind the most horrible thought .... : I will require in an
hour's time to ship those installers over to my friend ..... and his
computer is certainly not with the same directory / file layout ......
Would I have to ask for his layout and reproduce on my machine and copy
paste and rename etc all ...... ?????

Another email to germany and I had my answer within ten minutes : SB does it
all for you : READ THE DOCS ! <BG>
(of course Friderich gave me precise directions)

So I simply added two compiler variables in each installer and filled them
with my machines directories and used the inbuilt function in SB and in ten
minutes time I have 4 installers all with relative paths which my friend
could just drop on his machine change one line of setting and link all to
HIS machine directory structure

Two days time and all was over and done with and modernized and dynamicaly
driven (after all if I am not Mister dynamical <g>) ......

SETUP BUILDER IS FANTASTIC !

Merci Friedrich - you really have given us all an extraordinary tool to
install our applications and you have taken to heart to add "our"
requirements (when you had not forseen them yourself) .....

MERCI




--
Thank you

Cordialement - Best regards
Jean-Pierre GUTSATZ

CGF

DMC - Data Management Center - A tool to let you Migrate Import Export
Transfer all your Data very easily
www.dmc-fr.com
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