Most wanted: link to sample aip projects

[JensFN]

Hi there,
I've just begun working with Advance Installer (v3.5) and find the program very good of doing the basic things like setting up small-and-not too complicated .aip projects - straight out of the box.

But..but if you (as I am at the present time) not that known with the MS installer "properties/component/feature" concept I feel that you're pretty much left "outside in the dark by your own". The online help does'nt really give any examples at all.

It would be really nice to have some sample projects (maybe bundled with Advance Installer or perhaps a external link) to illustrate how to make a bit more complicated setups like fx custom setup with partial installations etc...

Does anybody in here know a link to some sample .aip projects?

Thx Jens

[Ionut]

Hi,

It would be really nice to have some sample projects (maybe bundled with Advance Installer or perhaps a external link) to illustrate how to make a bit more complicated setups

This is a very good suggestion and future versions will include sample AIP projects.

In the mean time, if you need any help using Advanced Installer, please let me know and I will try to help.

Regards,
Denis

[JensFN]

Hi Denis,
Thx a lot for a quick response - great support!
Well... yes I do have some difficulties in implementing a straightforward custom setup containing the "Typical"/"Custom"/"Complete" installation.
Furthermore I've two (side-by-side) features that are meant to be an update feature (hmm... to be hornest whats are the differences between an update and an upgrade feature?)

So my feature list shown in the "Organization" Tab are:

- Typical (a lot of resources in here)
- Complete (same as a Typical + some few extra files)
- Extra_Settings_1 (just a name)
- Extra_Settings_2 (just a name)

The "Typical" and "Complete" installation does what they're told, but if I run one of my own features (Extra_Settings_1/Extra_Settings_2) after an "Typical"/"Compete" installation things gets a little weired:

1. First all files and folders etc. are uninstalled. This was not my intention.
2. Second the files/folders from the choosen custom feature are then installed. This is OK.

1.Question
So my question is now - how does one tell Advanced Installer only to update(?upgrade) the files found in the choosen custom feature ? e.g.
keep the complete/typical installation intact! - but only overwrite the files that are also associated with the choosen custom feature?
I guess this is properly a very basic thing to do - but I can't find the right spot in the GUI to do it

2.Question
Last question is that I notice that there are different ways to install a feature.
The entries shown in the combo box in the Custom Setup dialog are:
"Will be installed on local hard drive"
"Entire feature will be installed ... " and so on....
How do I limit the options to only the first one? (want to make things as simple as possible)

3. Question
Related to 2.Question. How do I set the default state to "Entire feature will be unavailable" on all features - leaving it up to the user to select which feature he/she will install?

Thx again....
Jens

[Ionut]

Hi,

First I shall describe some Windows Installer concepts.
Windows Installer organizes an installation around components and features. Each feature may be installed independently by the user and it contains one or more components. Each feature may contain subfeatures and two features may contain the same component.

A component is a piece of the application or product to be installed, for example: a single file, a group of related files, registry keys, shortcuts etc.

Every feature has an attached integer called its Install Level (which can be set in the Organization page). There are 3 well known install level values: 0 (Disabled), 1 (Typical) and 4 (Complete). A feature will be installed only if its Install Level is less than or equal to the current user-selected application Install Level. This application Install Level is set when the user selects the Typical, Custom or Complete buttons in the "Setup Type" dialog.

For example suppose your application has 2 features: Feature_1 has an Install Level of 1 (Typical) and Feature_2 has an Install Level of 4 (Complete). If the user selects Typical as the installation type, then only Feature_1 will be installed. If Complete is selected, then both features will be installed.

Therefore, in order to select which features will be available for the Typical and Complete setup types you have to set the Install Level for each feature in the Organization page.


Now, regarding your questions:

1.Question
So my question is now - how does one tell Advanced Installer only to update(?upgrade) the files found in the choosen custom feature ? e.g.
keep the complete/typical installation intact! - but only overwrite the files that are also associated with the choosen custom feature?

Please give me more details about this (for example, what do you mean by "custom feature"?)

2.Question
How do I limit the options to only the first one? (want to make things as simple as possible)

You have to set the following attributes for the feature(s): "Disallow Advertise" and "UI Disallow Absent". However, a feature may contain subfeatures and both menu items "Will be installed on local hard drive" and "Entire feature will be installed on local hard drive" will appear.

3. Question
How do I set the default state to "Entire feature will be unavailable" on all features

Change the Install Level for each feature that you want to be unavailable by default to a value greater than 4 (which corresponds to Complete).


Regards,
Denis

[JensFN]

Hi Denis,
Thx for the answers.
Regarding question 1 - lets say that my setup is as below:

Typical contains:
File A, File B

Complete contains:
File A, File B, File C

Custom contains only (a partial optional installation)
File A

If the user select the "Custom" option (Typical and Complete is set to "X" -unavailable) the installer should only! replace (or install if this is the first time ever) File A - leaving File B/File C untouched (if any of these are present on the disk).



Thx Jens

[Ionut]

Hi,

It seems that you are looking at the package organization from another point of view. From what you describe, "Typical", "Complete" and "Custom" are Features that you define in the Organization page. However, these are called "Setup Types" and you should *not* use these names for Features because this creates confusion.

Your package contains 3 files ("File A", "File B", "File C") and each may be installed by the user or not. Then you need to create 3 features: "FeatureA", "FeatureB" and "FeatureC". Each feature contains one component: the component associated to each file. Note that multiple files may be associated with a component, therefore you have to create a component for each file.

To select which files are installed when the user selects the "Complete" or "Typical" installation type you have to change the Install Level for each corresponding feature. The "Custom" setup type allows the user to select which features (and therefore which files) he/she wants to install.

Follow these steps:

1. Switch to the Organization page and make sure each component contains one file. Therefore, in this case, there should be 3 components: "File_A", "File_B", "File_C". If you need to move a file to a new component, right click on that file and select "Move To New Component".

2. Make sure there are 3 features defined for your package: "FeatureA" (contains component "File_A"), "FeatureB" (contains component "File_B") and "FeatureC" (contains component "File_C").

3. Set the Install Level for each feature as follows: for "FeatureA" and "FeatureB" set 1 (Typical) and for "FeatureC" set 4 (Complete).

4. The Features and Components tree should look like this:

Code: Select all

Product
 - FeatureA
     - File_A
        - File A
 - FeatureB
     - File_B
        - File B
 - FeatureC
     - File_C
        - File C

5. Build and Run the package. If you select the "Complete" button in the "Setup Type" dialog all 3 files will be installed. If you select "Typical" then only "File A" and "File B" will be installed. If you select "Custom", then you can choose which files to install.

6. If you invoke the installer a second time you may choose to modify the installed features (for example, remove "File A" if it was installed and install "File B" if it was not installed).


Please see the tutorial section describing feature and component organization:
http://www.advancedinstaller.com/user-g ... ganization

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Denis

[JensFN]

Hi Denis,
Thx for the advice. All works ok - great, but still I'am not able to solely install feature C (without AI first uninstall everything first) e.g. it works if the user select fx
Feature A + Feature C or
Feature B + Feature C .... but NOT if

feature C is the only feature he/she wants to install regardless if Typical/Complete has or has'nt been selected previously.
Furthermore feature C should not cause a new entry to be added in the Add/Remove Programs control panel (ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT=1 ??).

Well it not a showstopper for me - I just wonder if this is the default way AI/MS installer works.

Thx a lot Jens

[Ionut]

Hi,

When you run the setup a second time you may modify what features are installed or removed. Windows Installer will show all the features and their current state (whether they are installed or not).

Therefore, if the user performs a "Typical" install (which does not include "FeatureC"), and then runs the installer a second time, he may choose to install "FeatureC". "FeatureA" and "FeatureB" will be removed only if the user chooses to do so (by selecting "Entire feature will be unavailable"). If the state of these features remains unchanged, then Windows Installer will not perform any modifications on the files associated with these features.

Furthermore, no entry will be added in the "Add/Remove Programs" dialog upon modifying the configuration of a package.

I just wonder if this is the default way AI/MS installer works.

This is the way Windows Installer works.

Regards,
Denis

[JensFN]

Hi denis, - got the idea now
Thx Jens