How to share a template on fileserver

[EdWin1409]

Hi,

we use AI 7.2 and have build some templates for our products. We would like to share these
templates on a fileserver so that every developer using AI can see the templates in his
'Custom Templates' -tab in the 'New Project'-Dialog. Is this possible, and if so, how ?

Thanks

Juergen

[GabrielBarbu]

Hello,

The list of templates and their location are stored in the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Caphyon\Advanced Installer\Templates List

The behavior you are looking for is not supported by Advanced Installer. However this is not too hard to set up.
What you will need is:
- a shared folder in which you will save your templates and to which everyone has read/write access
- every developer will need a script that synchronizes the shared folder with a local copy of it on their local machine
- also they need another script that reads the contents of the local copy of the shared folder and writes the paths to the registry key i mentioned above. This needs to be done while Advanced Installer is closed.
- the following is a sample structure of the key i mentioned above (note that this is an exported reg file):

Code: Select all

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Caphyon\Advanced Installer\Templates List]
"TemplatesCount"=dword:00000062
"Template1"="C:\\Program Files\\Your Product\\some_other_template.aip"
"Template2"="c:\\template1.aip"

- the two scripts (synchronization and registry writing) should be periodically run in order to maintain the templates on each dev machines up-to-date

Regards,
Gabriel

[bjk68]

In the File dropdown menu we need an extra option: New From Template...

Clicking this option should open a file browsing window identical to the File Open... window. You browse for and select an .aip file and a new project opens, based on the picked .aip file (as template). In this way the picked .aip file is not opened as project, but used as a template. This is possible, because any .aip file can act as template.

In a team of multiple developers you will need AI templates in a central location (file share). And you don't want to trick AI's local template config by messing around in the registry, and by synchronizing central directories with local directories as was proposed by AI Support.

[GabrielBarbu]

Hello,

This is already implemented through the "Custom Templates" tab in the New Project dialog.

Regards,
Gabriel

[bjk68]

This is already implemented through the "Custom Templates" tab in the New Project dialog.

This is only true in a single developer world. But as you know, most software development companies have multiple developers, who like to work with a central library of AI projects / templates.
If you implement the suggested "New From Template..." option, developers would not be confined to the templates they create themselves, but they could use any project as template.

[bjk68]

This feature has been added on our TO-DO list and will be available in a future version.

Ref.:http://www.advancedinstaller.com/forums ... 412#p28146