Z/Install Lite (c) Copyright 1992 SpeedSOFT Development All rights reserved Page 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3 What is Z/Install Lite? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3 What ZI/Lite WON'T do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3 Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3 Creating a ZI/Lite configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 Editing a ZI/Lite configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 Program Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 Author's Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 Exit Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5 'Done Install' message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5 Default drive/dir to install to . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5 Immediate abort on CRC fail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5 Automatically overwrite existing . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5 Space required to install . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5 Title screen binary file name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5 Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 Using the ZPack Lite compression utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7 Command line switches for ZPACK.EXE . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7 Add files (create archive) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7 Delete files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7 Freshen files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7 List files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7 Extract pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7 Overwrite without prompting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 Assign work drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 Exclude 'file' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 Skip time/date stamp check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 Creating the final installation program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9 Run ZI-Bind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9 Appendix A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10 Page 2 Chapter 1 Introduction What is Z/Install Lite? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Z/Install Lite is a great choice for Shareware authors. Most of us don't need to modify CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT or have other fancy features in our installation programs. We can hardly use batch files, though! This is where ZI/Lite comes in. It provides the end user with a snazzy, windowed interface from which to install the program. The user requirements are almost non-existent! All he/she has to do is supply a path (which the developer can provide a default for) and that's it! ZI/Lite may be small on size, but it isn't lacking in the features department. Through this document, we'll take you on the three-step process that it takes to create your own ZI/Lite installation. We'll show you how to define the first screen that the user sees, how much space is needed to install, and more! You'll quickly see that ZI/Lite is an indispensable tool for any Shareware author. IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read the file LICENSE.DOC for info on the 'limited shareware license' that comes with the freely distributable version of ZI/Lite (the version you have right now). What ZI/Lite WON'T do --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The main feature of ZI/Lite is its tiny size. Therefore, it does not have any advanced features, such as file grouping and customizable user input. If these are the kind of features you are looking for, contact SpeedSOFT Development (see Appendix A) for information about Z/Install Standard Edition. It uses a powerful script language much like BASIC to control the installation. See the file ZINSTALL.STD, included with this archive, for information. Best of all, if you buy Z/Install Standard Edition, you get Z/Install Lite absolutely free of charge! Concepts --------------------------------------------------------------------------- First, the developer uses ZI/Lite's powerful archiving program to create a compressed 'pack' of files (see chapter 2 for information). This pack contains all the files that make up the developer's application. The next step is to create a configuration file for ZI/Lite using the MakeInst utility. This is described in detail later in this chapter. After specifying the ZI/Lite parameters with MakeInst, it creates a 'virgin' data file with the extension '.ZID'. This file is the installation program. NOTE: The virgin data file can be compressed with utilities such as LZEXE and DIET. In fact, we recommend it because it decreases the overall size of your distribution archive. The last step is to run the ZI/Lite binding utility. This program binds Page 3 the virgin data file and the archived pack into one EXE file which can then be distributed (see chapter 3). Creating a ZI/Lite configuration file --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the ZI/Lite directory, run 'MAKEINST.EXE'. This program will create a configuration file with the extension '.ZIL' for ZI/Lite. MakeInst takes two command line parameters. The first is the name of the configuration file to create/update, and the second is the name of the data file to create. For example, the command: MAKEINST ZI-LITE INSTALL would create a configuration file called 'ZI-LITE.ZIL' and a virgin installation data file called 'INSTALL.ZID'. If the configuration file specified is not on the disk, it will be created. Otherwise, MakeInst will ask you if you want to change the configuration in the specified file before writing the installation data file. You can provide a default for the "Modify configuration [Y/N]" prompt with the optional parameter "/Y or /N". This parameter must come before every other parameter on the command line. Editing a ZI/Lite configuration file --------------------------------------------------------------------------- When a new configuration file is created, you are automatically taken to the configuration editing dialog. This dialog lets the developer choose the default directory, the opening screen, and more. Each editing field is described in detail below. Program Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is the name of the program that ZI/Lite will install. It is shown to the user numerous times during the installation. Author's Name ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is the name of the author of the program. It could be your company name, or just yours. It should include a phone number to reach you at, because this message is shown if an error occurs, such as a CRC fail. The user would see: WARNING: One or more files are DAMAGED. Please contact the authors at: * Author's name here * The above message will also appear in a red window after the installation is complete if an error occurred. Page 4 Exit Message ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is displayed to the user when the program returns to the DOS prompt. Since ZI/Lite restores the original DOS screen upon exit, the user would see: C:\>INSTALL * Exit message here * C:\> 'Done Install' message ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is displayed to the user upon completion of the installation. It appears in a centred window after all the files have been decompressed. Default drive/dir to install to ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is the default drive and directory that the installation program will use. The user can edit it before the installation starts. Immediate abort on CRC fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Set this option to 'Y' if you want the installation program to abort as soon as it encounters a CRC error in the archive. The user will see a red window with the message described in the "Author's Name" field. Automatically overwrite existing ------------------------------------------------------------------------ If this is set to 'N', the installation program will prompt the user to overwrite any existing files. Space required to install ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is the minimum amount of space required to install the program (in bytes). Title screen binary file name ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In order to conserve disk space and code length in the installation program, ZI/Lite simply copies a 4000-byte buffer to the screen. This buffer is comprised of 2000 characters and 2000 attribute bytes, in the format "character attribute character attribute", etc. These files can be created with the popular screen designer TheDraw, or any other program that saves binary screen shots. The file specified here is read into a buffer and copied into the data segment of the virgin installation file. Page 5 After all fields have been completed, press to save the configuration file and exit the program. Upon completion, MakeInst will write out the data file specified on the command line. Details --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following details should be noted: - Multiple subdirectories in the default directory are acceptable. For example, C:\APPS\UTILS\ZI-LITE is ok. - ZI/Lite exits to the destination drive/directory. - The installation can be aborted at any time with the key. - ZI/Lite works with DOS 2.0+ - ZI/Lite requires only 68k of conventional memory. Page 6 Chapter 2 Using the ZPack Lite compression utility Command line switches for ZPACK.EXE --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ZPack has a relatively simple command line syntax. It is as follows: ZPACK [/options] [filenames...] The parsing syntax for the command line is: [] - Anything enclosed in these is optional in most cases. For example, the [filenames...] parameter is not required to view the contents of an archive, but is definitely required to add or delete files from the archive. <> - Parameters enclosed in these are mandatory and cannot be left out. Doing so will cause ZPack to report an error. ...- Means one or more of the same type of parameter may be used. This means you can have multiple filenames/wildcards in the [filenames] parameter, separated with spaces. Note: When specifying the archive name, it is not necessary to put in the extension (.ZPK). If you DO put an in extension, however, ZPack will look for the specified file instead of appending .ZPK. The parameter is the function that you want ZPack to perform. It can be one of the following: A - Add files (create archive). If the archive file specified is missing, it will be created. Wildcards are allowed in the [filenames...] parameter. Sample: zpack a program *.exe *.dat D - Delete files. The files specified in [filenames...] will be deleted from the archive. Wildcards are allowed. ZPack will prompt you to Save the Changes (Y/N) after it deletes the files, so you have a chance to make a mistake. Sample: zpack d program *.exe *.dat F - Freshen files. This is a powerful command. ZPack will sequentially read the file records in the archive and match the date and time of each one to the date and time of the same files on the disk drive. If the file on the drive is newer than the file in the archive, the archived file will be updated with the new data. The [filenames...] parameter is ignored with this action. Sample: zpack f program L - List files. This will give a summary of the files in the specified archive. Wildcards are allowed on the [filenames...] parameter. Sample: zpack l program *.exe X - Extract pack. This will extract the files from the archive into the current drive/directory. If the file already exists, you will be Page 7 prompted to overwrite it or not. Wildcards are allowed on the [filenames...] parameter. Sample: zpack x program *.dat The optional parameter [/options] can be one or more of the following: O - Overwrite without prompting. This option will force ZPack to overwrite any existing files without prompting when extracting an archive. Note: Use this with caution, as it may result in accidental loss of data! Sample: zpack x /o program W- Assign work drive. This applies to all actions. Normally, would be a RAM disk. ZPack uses temporary files and a great deal of disk activity can result when performing archive operations. Set this to the fastest disk on your system. Sample: zpack a /wd program E- Exclude 'file'. This option excludes all files matching 'file' from the selected operation. Wildcards (?, *) are allowed. This must be the last OPTION on the command line. The following example would add all files in the current directory to "DOCS.ZPK", excluding files matching "*.BAK": zpack a /e*.bak docs *.* T - Skip time/date stamp check. This option, which applies only to the freshen command, ignores the time and date of the files in the archive and freshens every file. Page 8 Chapter 3 Creating the final installation program Run ZI-Bind --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The ZI-Bind utility will bind a virgin installation data file and a ZPack archive into one EXE file. The resulting EXE can then be distributed to customers. ZI-Bind has a simple command-line interface. It is as follows: ZI-BIND [outfile[.EXE]] Virginfile is the name of the data file that the MakeInst utility created. Archivefile is the name of a ZPack archive file. This archive contains all the files that make up your application. Outfile is an optional parameter that is used to specify an alternate EXE filename for the installation program. If this parameter is omitted, virginfile.EXE will be created. Once you have run ZI-Bind, you have a complete installation program for your users. Wasn't that easy? Page 9 Appendix A How to reach SpeedSOFT Development --------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can call us at: (604) 472-0626, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday Our BBS is up 7 days a week. The phone number is (604) 477-5337. The BBS supports 16.8k HST and v.32(bis) protocols, as well as 300-2400 baud. And, finally, you can write to us at: SpeedSOFT Development 2232 Tashy Place Victoria, BC, Canada V8N 4R6 Page 10