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Program Installer Professional
Version 4.7
Official Release (06/92)
Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992
The DataWorks, Inc.
2115 University Blvd.
P.O. Box 20962
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401
(205) 345-2848
(800) 992-6698 (orders only)
(205) 345-5655 (Fax)
(205) 507-0015 (BBS, HST 14.4)
User's Manual
Disclaimer
The DataWorks, Inc. makes no warranties or claims to the fitness of this
program. The user of this program, makes use of this program accepting any
and/or all responsibilities for the actions of this program.
Though we at DataWorks have taken every measure possible to insure that
the program will/does function properly and will not cause any loss or
contamination to your data, we cannot accept responsibility for unexpected
bugs or other problems with the program that could result in the loss of or
contamination of your data.
If you do experience problems (bugs!) with the program, we would like to
know, and ask that you contact DataWorks directly, or through our support BBS.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Bob Ainsbury (TechnoJock Software) for the best online
phone support ever.
Kim Kokkenen, President of and Developer for TurboPower Software, for
a fine selection of toolkits and great technical support.
Borland International for a superior product and great support staff.
Barry Weck, co-developer of Program Installer.
The staff at DataWorks, Inc. for putting up with us programmers!<G>
■ Borland is a registered trademark of Borland International
■ Turbo Pascal is a registered trademark of Borland International
■ Async Professional is a registered trademark of
TurboPower Software
■ TechnoJock's Turbo Toolkit is a registered trademark of
TechnoJock Software.
■ PKZip/PKUnZip are registered trademarks of PKWare, Inc.
Introduction
Program Installer is simply that - a program installer. It has been used
by DataWorks, Inc. in some of our own third party applications as a generic
installation utility.
Program Installer is designed for programmers/ 3rd. party developers. You
can use it to facilitate the installation of a program you have written for
either a client or for some vertical market. Program Installer doesn't care
about what you have written or whether or not you want the program(s) you have
written installed into a particular directory on the client/customer's hard
drive.
Program Installer can read files from either the A: or B: floppy diskette
drive, and allows the end-user to specify the hard drive letter (C: through Z:)
and/or subdirectory(s) into which your programs should be copied. All you, as
a programmer/distributor, need to do is follow the simple setup instructions of
Program Installer, and then let Program Installer do the rest for you (and
your client/customers)!
Program Installer not only copies files from the diskettes you setup for
distribution, it can also handle subdirectories you may need created (nested)
on the end-user's (client's) harddrive, and also provides for updating the
end-user's AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files dynamically - all this totally
transparent to the end-user.
Also, Program Installer provides options that allow you a limited amount
of license protection for your application. Even data encryption has been
implemented (beginning with version 3.0) so you can be assured that your
programs/data cannot be installed (or just copied) without the use of Program
Installer.
FEATURES!
■ The ability to configure Program Installer for each
product you want to use it with. By "configure" we
mean you can specify the number of times INSTALL can
be executed, whether or not the installation is to be
protected, if the installation process is to be protected,
you can use encryption on the files to be installed.
And this configuration can be changed time and time again!!!
Best of all, you can also have Program Installer replace
every/all occurrences of The DataWorks, Inc. copyright
messages with anything you want to appear in its menus/
screens.
■ With Version 4.7 you can now replace every occurrence of the
Program Installer Professional name.
■ The incorporation of the .LZH compression method, providing
the ability to compress your application on the distribution
diskette(s) (beginning with v4.0beta).
■ Seamless interface. Program Installer is written in
Borland's <tm> Turbo Pascal 6.0 using Turbo TechnoJock's <tm>
TTT5 ToolKit, and Async Professional <tm> by TurboPower Software.
The code has been tested thoroughly for bugs and performs fast,
efficient, and with a professional appearance. We feel this is
important because the first impression of your product is its
installation process and first impressions can definitely be
long lasting.
■ Easy setup. Program Installer takes only minutes to
completely configure for your use.
■ Free technical support from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
central standard time (USA).
TECHNICAL SUPPORT (Registered Users Only!)
Support is provided in all of the following ways:
Direct voice contact: (205) 345-2848
24 hours a day by:
CompuServe ID#: 71321,3422
DataWorks BBS! (205) 507-0015
Or Dev-Net (DW-PRODS conference)
on a local technical BBS in your
area, who is echoing the Dev-Net
QWK/Fido mail compatible netmail
conferences.
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR TEST DRIVE (Non-registered) VERSION/USERS
If you have not registered your copy of Program Installer, some of
the following features will not work because they are disabled in the
TEST DRIVE release of all copies of Program Installer. Prior to version 4.0beta,
we totally disabled almost all of the advanced features of the program until
the user registered the program. With the release of 4.5 and later versions,
we are allowing for all features to be available except for the following:
■ You will not be able to remove any of the hard-coded
"Copywrite (C)" information lines out of the program
and replace them with your own.
■ You will not be able to remove any of the hard-coded
'Program Installer Professional' titles from the
program.
■ Although you will be able to actually work with ALL features
of the product, you will only be able to build one (1)
installation diskette for distribution. Hence, you
can actually use the product if your application
requires only one diskette for distribution.
We effected these disabilities this way because this will allow you,
the distributor/developer to preview all of the program's features/options,
and review the integrity/performance of the program all the way to the point
of actually creating your distribution diskettes. However, the INSTALL.EXE
will only allow you to install one diskette until you actually register the
program.
NOTICE!!! NOTICE!!!
We at DataWorks, Inc. know that Program Installer is a high-quality,
commercial product. However, instead of releasing Program Installer at
$199.95 or higher, to compete with other comparable commercial products,
we're releasing it via the BBS community for a very modest fee. Because of this
we MUST disable the program, forcing users to pay for its use. There are a
number of ways available for registering the program and obtaining a
REGISTER.KEY file. See the REGISTER.DOC file for details. Our main reason for
distributing the program this way, and at such a price is because we know
that many, many developers out there don't want to spend $200.00 and up
to use an installation utility only once! Also, for distributors/developers
that DO have several products they want to use the installation utility for,
we're providing an excellent product at an excellent price! By doing this,
we hope to make every user of Program Installer happy!!!
SETUP AND CONFIGURATION
When you first receive Program Installer it needs to be configured for use
with your application(s). This is accomplished easily!
Program Installer's main program - INSTALL.EXE - is the only program that
you'll ever use. This may seem a bit confusing, but the program modifies itself
each time you configure it for your software and distribution. This means that
once you configure it for use with say, a product you're selling that you don't
care about copy protection for, and it has only 4 disks, that you're not locked
into THAT configuration, period. Program Installer is designed to be configured
again, and again. So, whether you're wanting to use it for only one application
you're marketing/distributing, or with many different applications, it's quite
easy to configure it for each application! Best of all, you only have to buy
one copy of the program to do all this! No royalties, no nothing.
REPLACING OUR COPYRIGHT LINES
■ (06/11/92) - See notes at end of this document for update to this
part of the setup. You can now change the actual name
'Program Installer Professional' to the name of your
own installation program!
The first thing most users want to do is get rid of DataWorks' copyright
information that appears throughout the program. To do this, make sure you are
in the directory that INSTALL.EXE is in. Then type
INSTALL LICENSEE - and press <Enter>.
Program Installer will look for your REGISTER.KEY file in the same
directory you are executing the INSTALL.EXE file in. (NOTE: If you have NOT
registered your copy of Program Installer, you will not have this file!) If
Program Installer finds the REGISTER.KEY file, then it proceeds and allows
you to continue.
The screen that appears is simple. You're prompted to enter the name -
however you want it! - that you want to appear instead of the DataWorks, Inc.
copyright information that appears throughout the program.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗░
░║ ······································································ ║░
░╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝░
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Figure 1
After you enter the name (or complete line of information) and press
<Enter> (or <RETURN> on some machines) you will be prompted to verify that the
data you entered is, in fact, what you want to use in place of the DataWorks,
Inc. copyright information.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░╔═══════════════════════════════════════════╗░░
░░║ You entered... ║░░
░░║ Copyright (C) 1991 - The DataWorks, Inc. ║░░
░░║ ║░░
░░║ Accept Redo ║░░
░░╚═══════════════════════════════════════════╝░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Figure 2
If you <Accept> the line, the INSTALL.EXE modifies itself so that the line
you just entered appears from then on, each time you run the program, where
the end-user would otherwise see the DataWorks, Inc. copyright information.
Next you will be returned to the DOS environment, at which point you will
have to type INSTALL again if you wanted to run the program to check and see
that your line has been properly inserted.
Now, the next step is to configure Program Installer for a few other
options that really make up the program's strength.
These configuration steps/options can be changed for any/all applications
you may want to use Program Installer with.
To configure Program Installer you type
INSTALL LICSETUP <Enter>
The following screen will appear:
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░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░█ Program Installer Setup ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░█ Main Menu ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░█──────────────────────────░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
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░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░█ 1 Setup Disks ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░█ 2 Exit ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
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Copyright (C) 1990..1992 The DataWorks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Figure #3
From this menu choose option #1 (Setup Disks) and press <Enter>.
The following screen should appear (NOTE: The directories you may see on
the left side of the screen may be different, but the screen layout the
same):
╔═════════════════╣ C:\ ╠══════════════════╗╔═══════════════════ 3:39:16 p.m. ╗
║ Name │ Size │ Date │ Time ║║ Selected Files for Archiving ║
║──────────────────────────────────────────║║──────────────────────────────────║
║ AM │SUB-DIR│ 1-18-92│ 1:39p ║║ ║
║ APRO │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│10:07a ║║ ║
║ ART │SUB-DIR│ 1-15-92│ 2:04p ║║ ║
║ CHATBOX │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│ 9:40a ║║ ║
║ CPUP │SUB-DIR│12-27-91│ 9:57a ║║ ║
║ CUP │SUB-DIR│12-27-91│ 9:57a ║║ ║
║ DV │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│ 9:40a ║║ ║
║ DWORKS │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│10:09a ║║ ║
║ EZTAPE │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│ 9:22a ║║ ║
║ FAST │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│10:25a ║║ ║
║ NEWSWORK │SUB-DIR│ 1-04-92│ 5:42a ║║ ║
║ NWLITE │SUB-DIR│ 1-03-92│ 7:08p ║║ ║
║ OFFLINE │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│ 9:40a ║║ ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════╝╚══════════════════════════════════╣
║ Select files or directories to archive ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ File Style: Just Compression; Floppy Disk Size: 360 k ║
║ PI Directory: C:\ ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ <+, -, Space> Mark/Unmark files <Alt-D> New Drive ║
║ <Tab> Archive List <Alt-S> Options <F10> Archive <Esc> Quit ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Figure #4
Before we get involved with this screen, let's configure Program Installer
first, and then we'll come back to this screen.
At this time, press <Alt-S> (hold down the Alt key on your keyboard, and
then press the 'S' character). You should see the following screen:
■ (06/11/92) - See note at end of this document. We have included an
additional line with AUTOEXEC/CONFIG modifications that
you can flag indicating you want PI to run a CLEANUP.BAT
file at the end of your installation.
╔═══════════════════════ Program Installer Preferences ════════════════════════╗
║ ║
║ ╔═════════ Archive File Options ══════════╗ ┌── Maximum Disk Size ───┐ ║
║ ║ ( ) Just Encryption ║ │ ( ) 360 k │ ║
║ ║ (*) Just Compression ║ │ ( ) 720 k │ ║
║ ║ ( ) Both Encryption and Compression ║ │ (*) 1.2 meg │ ║
║ ║ ║ │ ( ) 1.4 meg │ ║
║ ╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝ └────────────────────────┘ ║
║ ║
║ ┌────────────────── Autoexec.bat and Congig.sys Options ───────────────────┐ ║
║ │ [X] Update AUTOEXEC.BAT with user defined information? │ ║
║ │ [ ] Update CONFIG.SYS with user defined information? │ ║
║ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ║
║ Allowed installations (1 to 255; Enter 0 for unlimited): 0·· ║
║ ║
║ ┌─────────────────────────── AUTOEXEC.BAT info. ───────────────────────────┐ ║
║ │ path %PATH%;Mypat······················································· │ ║
║ │ ········································································ │ ║
║ │ ········································································ │ ║
║ ├──────────────────────────── CONFIG.SYS Info. ────────────────────────────┤ ║
║ │ ········································································ │ ║
║ │ ········································································ │ ║
║ │ ········································································ │ ║
║ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ║
<Ctrl-Enter> Save Setup <Tab, Enter, Shift-Tab> Change fields <Esc> Cancel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Figure #5
This is where the real configuration is done for your application's
distribution. In the 'Archive File Options' box (upper left box in the screen),
you'll notice that the default is 'Just Compression'. Most users of Program
Installer don't really need the 'Encryption' feature, and just use the
'Compression' feature when setting up their disks.
'Just Encryption' - If you choose this option then the files that
Program Installer prepares for your distribution diskettes will not be
compressed. This will require more floppies for your software/application.
However, it will still protect your interests some, because the INSTALL
program will be the only way these prepared DISK1.X, DISK2.X, etc. (for how-
ever many disks are required for your application) files cannot be unpacked
(not uncompressed - like DOS's BACKUP program, INSTALL determines how many
of the files selected, when grouped, best fit on each floppy, depending on the
size of the floppy disk you are using. It creates one DISKx file for each
disk, and each of these DISKx files contains files that make up your
application. So, though your files are not compressed, they are still
packed, or "combined" into one file for each distribution diskette) and
copied onto the end-user's hard drive without using INSTALL to do so. To
further protect your interests, the packed ("combined") file is also
encrypted so even if the best of hackers could figure out how to unpack our
formats, they would first have to figure out how to decrypt the file!
You would choose 'Just Encryption' if you did not want to use compression
on your files, and if you wanted to speed up the process of preparing your
disk(s) for distribution.
'Just Compression' - The default mode, using 'Just Compression', the
INSTALL program goes through all of the files within a given directory that
you have selected for use in your application and compresses each file. This
is done before the packing of the DISKx files that will be placed on each
distribution diskette.
We use the .LZH compression technique from TurboPower Software's
Async Professional <tm> toolkit. This technique is as good as most any other
on the market today. However, it is not as fast as others (like PkZip <tm>).
Depending on the number and size of the files you have selected for your
application (we'll get into how to do this when we return to working with
the screen in Figure #5), this could take some time. On one beta site, we
selected a subdirectory with over 436 files in it, totalling some 8.7
megabytes in uncompressed form. It took just over 30 minutes for Program
Installer to complete the compression of all the files, and prepare the four
DISKx files. We elected to use Encryption and Compression for this test,
really putting the program through its paces. It performed quite well.
Although, it took this long to create the DISKx files for distribution,
when installing your application, Program Installer takes only minutes,
depending on the speed of the end-user's hard drive. The installation
and extraction of the DISKx files takes only a few minutes compared to the
time it takes the program to create these files initially. We really
cannot explain in simple terms why this is so.
'Both Encryption and Compression' - Select this option to encrypt the
compressed DISKx files you are setting up for distribution. Here again,
the encryption is just an added feature/measure to help protect your
interests.
Once you have selected which of these three features to use, press
the <TAB> key on your keyboard and you will jump to the 'Maximum Disk Size'
window. Notice that the boarder around the window you are in is a double-line
boarder, and the other windows have single-line boarders around them. This
is one way you can quickly determine which window you are currently in.
Here, using the <Up> or <Down> cursor keys again, you
specify which size floppy diskette you are using for your distribution
disks. The only thing Program Installer won't take care of for you, is
the formatting of these floppy diskettes. You must make sure, that when
Program Installer prompts you for a floppy disk, no matter which size you
elect to use, the floppy must be formatted before Program Installer can
place any files on it. And the floppy must be complete blank, with not even
the system boot files on it (except for the very first - INSTALL - diskette).
Next, press the <TAB> key again, and you will go to the 'Autoexec.bat
and Config.sys Options' window. Here you can specify 1, 2, or all 3 of 3
available options.
■■■ NOTICE - SEE UPDATE INFO ON THIS AT THE END OF THIS DOC ■■■
'Update AUTOEXEC.BAT with installation path?' - If you press the
<Space-Bar> while the cursor is on this option, you will see an 'X' appear
between the brackets. This options tells Program Installer to update the end-
user's AUTOEXEC.BAT file PATH command line with the path (complete drive,
subdirectory name, etc.) that the user specified for installing your
application (later in this document, we'll cover that actual installation
procedure that the end-user performs and how it operates). This is specified
at the time the user installs (runs INSTALL) your application. Leave this
option blank (default) if you do NOT want the installed subdirectory of your
application's path included in the end-user's system's PATH statement.
'Update AUTOEXEC.BAT with SET= 'VARIABLES'?' - This option is provided
for developers of applications like those done with CLIPPER. Here, the
end-user would have to update their own AUTOEXEC.BAT file with a
SET variablename = \APPLICATION DIRECTORY
for CLIPPER to properly find itself during runtime. Other applications may
use environment variables as well, and may need environment SET variables
added to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Program Installer allows you to define up to
three (3) such variables (see the '"Set" Variables' window, next).
'Update CONFIG.SYS with user defined information?' - Like the SET= VARIABLES
option, this option will allow you to define up to three (3) lines of
information that will be appended to the end-user's CONFIG.SYS file. Like with
the SET= VARIABLES option, this may be necessary for some applications. Quite
often, many DOS installation programs and other applications do not set
parameters in a CONFIG.SYS file like the FCBS= or the STACKS= parameters.
However, your application may need these set a specific way. You can define
the line, exactly as it must appear, and up to three (3) of these lines,
in the 'CONFIG.SYS Info' window.
Press <TAB> again and the cursor goes to the 'Allowed installations
(1 to 255; Enter 0 for unlimited):' field. This is provided as an added measure,
again, to help protect your interests. You can set this to say, 2, and then
INSTALL will only allow itself to be run twice for this configuration. Now,
if the user begins the INSTALL process and aborts, that doesn't count. Only
if they complete a successful installation will it count. So, if you only
want your application to be able to be installed once or twice, set this to
1 or 2, respectively. Of course, this doesn't stop them from making disk copies
of your application initially, but it is a deterent!
Program Installer keeps a log of everything it does for your given
configurations. It creates a directory called #_PI.DIR, in the directory/
path you specify (or off of the root of C:\ as it defaults for) and in this
directory it maintains its log file, and also uses this directory to build
or compress the disk files that are to be prepared for your distribution
disks. So, if you just leave the default, or change it to a drive letter
of your choice, but don't specify a subdirectory, just a root directory,
you will find the #_PI.DIR subdirectory created off of the root directory
after you have completed setting up a set of distribution diskettes. In
this subdirectory you will also find a PI_x.LOG file, where x is the
number of the log. Program Installer looks for the existence of a log file
in its work directory before beginning. If, for example, you run Program
Installer for the first time, it creates the PI_0.LOG file in the work
directory (#_PI.DIR in this case). Now, if you don't delete the log file/
work directory, the next time you run Program Installer, if you use the
same work directory, it will see the PI_0.LOG file, and name the next one
PI_1.LOG, and so on.
Pressing <TAB> from here, you go to the '"Set" Variables' window. Here
is where you can define environment variables that you want inserted into the
end-user's AUTOEXEC.BAT file. NOTE: In this window you type only the name
of the environment variable, and nothing else. Program Installer knows how
to handle the rest of the syntax. For example, if you need the line
SET MYPATH=directoryname/path
all you need to type here is 'MYPATH' in this window. Program Installer will
set it equal to the subdirectory that your application gets installed into.
This is determined by the INSTALL program at runtime, when the end-user is
actually installing your application. So, if you need this to be a GIVEN sub-
directory, be sure to include the subdirectory name in your documentation to
the end-user.
NOTE: Any variable you need defined will only be set to the installation path
and this is hard coded for now. We're working on incorporating a more flexible
option that'll allow you to actually type in the complete SET= statement
yourself, hence allowing you to point to perhaps your own TEMP subdirectory,
or some other work directory, other than the primary installation sub-
directory. This feature should be available in one of the minor 4.x updates
that'll be posted in the next month or two.
Press <TAB> once more and you'll move to the 'CONFIG.SYS Info' window.
Here you can add up to three (3) additional lines for parameter definitions
in the end-user's CONFIG.SYS file. Something like
FCBS=16,32
or
STACKS=0,0
or whatever you may need to be sure has been set in the CONFIG.SYS. NOTE: If
you do define something here that may already be defined in the end-user's
CONFIG.SYS file, Program Installer will detect this, and then determine if
the end-user's system is configured equal to, or greater than your specks.
This applies to things like FILES= or BUFFERS=. If you type these into this
window now as, for example, FILES=30 and BUFFERS=25 (on two separate lines in
this window, of course), then Program Installer will first check to see if
these parameters are not already defined in the CONFIG.SYS. If they are not,
your lines will be inserted. If these two parameters are already defined,
however, the values of your lines will be compared with the values already
in the CONFIG.SYS file. If yours are greater, in this case, your lines
will be written into the file, and theirs will be removed.
A case that the greater does NOT replace what is already in the
CONFIG.SYS file is with the STACKS= parameter. If you define this
parameter in this window, and if it already exists in the end-user's
CONFIG.SYS file, then yours will be written to the file anyway! Also,
if you enter the SHELL= statement in this window, Program Installer WILL
compare the environment space indicated with the /E: /P switches, and if
you are allocating more space than may already be allocated, then your
line will replace whatever may already be in the CONFIG.SYS file.
If there is not a SHELL= statement in the CONFIG.SYS file, then of
course, your line will be inserted. However, if you are, for example,
allocating 256K of environment space, when there is already 512K of
environment space allocated, then your line will be ignored.
There are a lot of caveats, we know, that we will try and
enhance/dress-up as we gradually update the program. For now, we
hope these configuration options are adequate.
Once you have set all of your options in this screen, you can save
this setup by pressing <Ctrl-Enter> (hold down the CONTROL/Ctrl key and
pressing ENTER). If you need to edit your setup, use the <TAB> key to
navigate the screen and make any necessary changes. To abort altogether
you can press <Esc> to abort.
Once you save your options, you are returned to the work screen,
as previously shown in Figure #5. You should see a screen similar to the
following:
╔═════════════════╣ C:\ ╠══════════════════╗╔═══════════════════ 1:01:34 a.m. ═╗
║ Name │ Size │ Date │ Time ║║ Selected Files for Archiving ║
║──────────────────────────────────────────║║──────────────────────────────────║
║ AM │SUB-DIR│ 1-18-92│ 1:39p ║║ ║
║ APRO │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│10:07a ║║ ║
║ ART │SUB-DIR│ 1-15-92│ 2:04p ║║ ║
║ CHATBOX │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│ 9:40a ║║ ║
║ CPUP │SUB-DIR│12-27-91│ 9:57a ║║ ║
║ CUP │SUB-DIR│12-27-91│ 9:57a ║║ ║
║ DV │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│ 9:40a ║║ ║
║ DWORKS │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│10:09a ║║ ║
║ EZTAPE │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│ 9:22a ║║ ║
║ FAST │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│10:25a ║║ ║
║ NEWSWORK │SUB-DIR│ 1-04-92│ 5:42a ║║ ║
║ NWLITE │SUB-DIR│ 1-03-92│ 7:08p ║║ ║
║ OFFLINE │SUB-DIR│12-22-91│ 9:40a ║║ ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════╝╚══════════════════════════════════╣
║ Select files or directories to archive ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ File Style: Both Encryption and Compression; Floppy Disk Size: 1.2 meg ║
║ PI Directory: C:\ ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ <+, -, Space> Mark/Unmark files <Alt-D> New Drive ║
║ <Tab> Archive List <Alt-S> Options <F10> Archive <Esc> Quit ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Figure #6
From this work screen we will instruct Program Installer as to the files
that make up your entire application. What we've done here is pretty straight
forward. However, before we get into using this screen to build the
distribution diskettes, let's briefly go over the menu options at the bottom
of the screen in Figure #6.
<+, -, Space> Means that you can use the PLUS and MINUS keys on your
ten-key key pad (this is on the right side of the keyboard on 101 or newer
enhanced keyboards) to mark or unmark individual files for packing. If you
do not have an enhanced keyboard, with the ten-key keypad on the right side,
you can use the <Space-Bar> if/when you need to flag a specific group of files,
flagging each one individually.
The <Space-Bar> is better suited for flagging an entire subdirectory
for packing. Let's say all of your application resides in one subdirectory.
Just scroll to that subdirectory and press the <Space-Bar>. You'll see a
√ check mark appear to the left of the directory name, and the specifications
for that flagged directory appear on the right side of the work screen. This
shows what is selected for Program Installer to either compress/encrypt or both
for your distribution diskettes.
The <+> and <-> keys are better suited for selecting a group of files that
reside in a common directory, with say, the same file extension, or something
similar to each file name. For example, if my application is a database system,
and all of the database files must be initialized (already exist) for the
main program to work, then I may want to initialize them now, then select
just the .DBF and .NDX files for packing. If all of these files reside in a
subdirectory where other files reside with a different suffix, I can use the
<+> key to flag just these files.
When you press either the <+> or <-> keys (on the key-pad now!), you
will see a small box appear in the center of the work screen. In the box
the prompt is defaulted for the DOS wildcard '*.*'. Here I could change
this to *.DBF first, then press <Enter>. Then press the <+> key again
and change it to *.NDX. This would select my group of files out of the
many files that could also be residing in the same subdirectory.
Pressing the <+> key prompts you for files/wildcard combinations to
select for packing, and the <-> key prompts you for files to deselect
from your setup work screen.
Likewise, if you have pressed the <Space-Bar> while on a subdirectory
name and have selected it for packing, pressing the <Space-Bar> on that
same subdirectory name again, will deselect all those files for packing.
Let's walk through a cenario here, pretending to build a set of
distribution disks for our product. To make this easy though, lets go
further and pretend that the DOS subdirectory on your hard drive is the
application's installed subdirectory.
If this were the case, simply make sure that all of the files necessary
to the application are installed in this subdirectory. (Mine is called
\PUBLIC\V5.00, but yours may be \DOS or any other name - Just use whatever
subdirectory your DOS system files are installed in.)
In my case, my DOS system files are in a subdirectory that is nested off
of my root directory. To navigate through subdirectories with the work screen,
use the <Up> and <Down> cursor keys to move your cursor, then press <Enter>
when on a subdirectory name that you would like to enter. When you ARE
in a subdirectory, you will see the drive and path that you are in in the
center of the top-left column of the work screen. Also, you will notice that
the very top/first entry in the subdirectory is now not a subdirectory or
file name, but two (2) dots '..' instead. This indicates that you ARE in a
subdirectory, and to get out of the subdirectory, you place the cursor on
these two dots and press enter. This will take you back to the previous
path level. If you were nested down several subdirectories, you would
simply repeat this for each level, until you back all the way out to the
root directory.
Once inside my \PUBLIC subdirectory, I press the <Space-Bar> when the
cursor is on my V5.00 subdirectory. The screen looks like the following:
╔══════════════╣ C:\PUBLIC\ ╠══════════════╗╔═══════════════════ 1:54:30 a.m. ═╗
║ Name │ Size │ Date │ Time ║║ Selected Files for Archiving ║
║──────────────────────────────────────────║║──────────────────────────────────║
║ .. │ UP--DIR │12-22-91│ 9:25a ║║C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\*.* ║
║ DOSU │ SUB-DIR │12-22-91│ 9:25a ║║ ║
║√ V5.00 │ SUB-DIR │12-22-91│ 9:26a ║║ ║
║ bw exe│ 117456│ 7-29-91│ 1:52p ║║ ║
║ bwback ovr│ 39598│ 7-29-91│ 1:52p ║║ ║
║ │ │ │ ║║ ║
║ │ │ │ ║║ ║
║ │ │ │ ║║ ║
║ │ │ │ ║║ ║
║ │ │ │ ║║ ║
║ │ │ │ ║║ ║
║ │ │ │ ║║ ║
║ │ │ │ ║║ ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════╝╚══════════════════════════════════╣
║ Select files or directories to archive ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ File Style: Both Encryption and Compression; Floppy Disk Size: 1.2 meg ║
║ PI Directory: C:\ ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ <+, -, Space> Mark/Unmark files <Alt-D> New Drive ║
║ <Tab> Archive List <Alt-S> Options <F10> Archive <Esc> Quit ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Figure #7
By pressing the <Space-Bar> while on a subdirectories's name, you are
instructing Program Installer to flag ALL of the files in that subdirectory
for packing. That is why you see the \PUBLIC\V5.00\*.* setting in the right
column of the work screen in Figure #7 above. Now, if this were all I needed
to install my application, I could press the <F10> key now, and Program
Installer will begin its work, prompting me as needed for blank floppies, or
to press any key to continue, as it worked to build the distribution disks
for my application. However, let's make it more difficult. Let's say I don't
want ANY of the .COM files out of this directory included in the packing! At
this point I would press <Enter> while my cursor was on the V5.00 subdirectory,
then press the <-> key and replace the default wildcard with *.COM, and press
<Enter>. The screen looks like the following:
╔═══════════╣ C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\ ╠═══════════╗╔═══════════════════ 2:04:32 a.m. ═╗
║ Name │ Size │ Date │ Time ║║ Selected Files for Archiving ║
║──────────────────────────────────────────║║──────────────────────────────────║
║ .. │ UP--DIR │12-22-91│ 9:26a ║║C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\*.BAS ║
║√ gorilla bas│ 29434│ 4-09-91│ 5:00a ║║C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\*.CPI ║
║√ money bas│ 46225│ 4-09-91│ 5:00a ║║C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\*.EXE ║
║√ nibbles bas│ 24103│ 4-09-91│ 5:00a ║║C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\*.GRB ║
║√ remline bas│ 12314│ 4-09-91│ 5:00a ║║C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\*.HLP ║
║ assign com│ 6399│ 4-09-91│ 5:00a ║║C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\*.INI ║
║ command com│ 47845│ 4-09-91│ 5:00a ║║C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\*.LST ║
║ diskcomp com│ 10652│ 4-09-91│ 5:00a ║║C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\*.PRO ║
║ diskcopy com│ 11793│ 4-09-91│ 5:00a ║║C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\*.SYS ║
║ doskey com│ 5883│ 4-09-91│ 5:00a ║║C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\*.TXT ║
║ dosshell com│ 4623│ 4-09-91│ 5:00a ║║C:\PUBLIC\V5.00\*.VID ║
║ edit com│ 413│ 4-09-91│ 5:00a ║║ ║
║ format com│ 32911│ 4-09-91│ 5:00a ║║ ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════╝╚══════════════════════════════════╣
║ Select files or directories to archive ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ File Style: Both Encryption and Compression; Floppy Disk Size: 1.2 meg ║
║ PI Directory: C:\ ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ <+, -, Space> Mark/Unmark files <Alt-D> New Drive ║
║ <Tab> Archive List <Alt-S> Options <F10> Archive <Esc> Quit ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Figure #8
As you can see, the .COM files have now been deselected (the √ check
mark removed from the left of the filename), and on the right side you now
see a more descritive listing showing what we are going to pack. These
as WE know, are all of the files, except those that end in .COM, out of my
\PUBLIC\V5.00 subdirectory.
Now, to begin the process that will build my distribution diskettes, I
simply press the <F10> key.
What follows, after you press the <F10> key is the compression part, if
you chose to use 'Compression' in your setup. After the compression is done,
Program Installer begins the packing process, packing a number of files into
one (1) or more DISKx files. I have chosen Compression and Encryption in my
setup and now Program Installer is 'Freezing' all of my files. This is the
term used in LZH that tells you the file is being compressed. Once this is
done I see a listing of file names scroll by as Program Installer is packing
as many of the compressed files into DISK1.LZX. If not all of the files will
fit on one (1) 1.2 megabyte 5 1/4" floppy, Program Installer goes on to
packing the DISK2.LZX file for my System Disk 2 (distribution diskette).
Once all of the compressing and packing is done, I then see the
DISK1 and DISK2.LZX files being encrypted. After this, I am instructed that
my setup will need three completely blank foppy diskettes. The first floppy is
the INSTALL program. Also, if I have any README.DOC or other such files,
Program Installer will install them from this first INSTALL diskette for me
when the end-user runs INSTALL. The next two floppies are the DISK1.LZX and
DISK2.LZX.
The .LZX is Program Installer's way of knowing that this is not only
a compressed, but also an encrypted diskette. We use three types of
file suffix names (extensions):
.X This extension is used for 'Encryption Only'.
.LZH This extension is used for 'Compression Only'.
.LZX This extension is used for 'Encryption & Compression'.
These file extensions are added to the DISKx file for each distribution
floppy diskette. The actual files that you select for distribution have
nothing to do with our own file extensions.
Finally, one additional option in the Options Menu of the work screen
in Figure #8 is <Alt-D>. Pressing <Alt-D> allows you to select a different
hard drive to work with for selecting (tagging) files for packing for your
distribution diskettes.
WRAPPING UP THE CONFIGURATION OPTIONS
That just about covers it from start to finish, insofar as the
configuration options are concerned.
You will want to work with the configuration options to become
even more familiar with Program Installer's nice, built-in, setup screens.
After you have configured and distributed a couple of products, you will
find Program Installer quite easy and fast to work with.
If you need any help at all, we offer various levels of technical
support. Next we're going to briefly cover the actual INSTALL program
from the end-user's standpoint.
INSTALLING YOUR APPLICATION
The End-User's Perspective
The following documentation is provide to help you, the Developer, or
Distributor with some ideas on how to document your own manual, insofar as
covering the installation procedure. You are free to reproduce or use any of
the following, in any form or fashion, in any/all of your own documentation
for your own applications.
INSTALLATION
To install your application, simply place the INSTALL system diskette
in either the 'A' or 'B' drive. Next, change to that drive and type INSTALL.
This example will assume that you are using the 'A' drive, but if you
are using the 'B' drive, simply replace any reference to 'A' in the following,
with 'B'.
To change to the 'A' drive, from the DOS prompt you type
A: <Enter> - <Enter> means to press the enter / return key
on your keyboard.
Then type INSTALL and press <Enter> again. You should see the following screen:
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Copyright (C) 1990..1992 The DataWorks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
______________________________________________________________________
Figure #9
At this point you want to choose option 1) Install Program Disk(s).
This will bring up the next screen, where you will be prompted to enter the
source drive you are using. The source drive is the floppy drive that you
inserted the INSTALL diskette in.
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░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│ Program Installer Version 4.5 │░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
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░░┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐░░░
░░│ Copyright (C) 1990..1992 The DataWorks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. │░░░
░░└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘░░░
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[Enter] - Select [Esc] - Quit
________________________________________________________________________________
Figure #10
Here you can either press <Enter> to accept the default drive, or enter B
to replace the default of A, and then press <Enter>.
Next you will see the same screen, except you are being prompted to enter
the destination directory to install the application into. Program Installer
already has a default directory built in, and you can just press <Enter> to
accept the default of 'C:\', or replace the C:\ with the proper drive letter
of your choosing.
NOTE TO DEVELOPER/DISTRIBUTOR
When you configure Program Installer, and then from the work screen,
select the subdirectory(s) to pack your program disk(s) from, Program Installer
retains that subdirectory(s) name and will install back into that same
directory(s) on the end-user's system. This is important to note, as you
need to be sure that you have your application set up exactly as it will need
to be on the end-user's system when it installs. Hence the end-user really
only needs to press <Enter> at the default prompt of C:\ for the destination
directory to install into, unless they are installing onto a different
hard drive.
If you need to, feel free to call our technical support for more information
on how Program Installer works in this regard.
END OF NOTE TO DEVELOPER/DISTRIBUTOR
SPECIAL NOTE ON AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS FILES
The install program may need to modify some variables in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
file, and parameters in your CONFIG.SYS file.
Depending on your application, INSTALL may need to add this program's
subdirectory to your PATH statement, may need to SET variable names for your
DOS environment so it can find itself or work space it may need, and it may
need to check and/or add parameters like FILES= and/or BUFFERS= statements
to your CONFIG.SYS file. However, you will want to check these files after
INSTALL has completed installation, and be sure INSTALL placed the following,
or verified that the following already exists in these two files.
for AUTOEXEC.BAT
SET=
SET=
SET=
PATH=
for CONFIG.SYS
FILES=
BUFFERS=
STACK=
FCBS=
NOTE TO DEVELOPERS/DISTRIBUTORS
The above is simply provided to help you with your documentation. Only
YOU know how your application should be installed, and what parameters/variables
may need to be set in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files. I've provided this
brief documentation for you to give you some ideas on how to conclude the
installation part of your application's documentation. What you actually place
here, if anything, depends entirely on your needs, and configuration.
WRAPPING UP
At this point, we at DataWorks hope that this documentation is enough
for you to not only use Program Installer for your application, but to use
it to its fullest extents for all of your applications, however many you
may have. Also, we hope we have provided enough information concerning the
installation process so that you can easily and quickly write up the installation
documentation part of your manual/documentation for your application.
The DataWorks, Inc. is a software development corporation. We are NOT a
software distribution company in the commercial sense. We do a lot of 3rd
party development, but on a much larger scale than this. We are not technical
writers (those who write the fancy user's manuals, etc.). We simply know how
to produce professional, high-quality software. At the same time, though, some
of us get the opportunity to produce a small, simple application like
Program Installer, and we hope you like it - in spite of how brief this
manual may be!
And remember, Technical Support is only a phone call away, or a message
away on our Tech Support BBS (DataWorks BBS!), or CompuServe.
03/92
We also fixed the problem that occurred when you declared say,
FILES=60 to be inserted into the CONFIG.SYS file. Program Installer 4.5
DOES properly determine if anything you are wanting to insert into the
CONFIG.SYS file is going to degrade the current configuration of the
CONFIG.SYS file, and if so, it won't insert your declarations.
04/92
With the official release of Program Installer 4.5 there are
several subtle changes to the setup screens.
FEATURES
With version 4.5 you can now create and compress an application
that you only need one diskette for, and Program Installer will attempt
to place this application on the first diskette, if it will fit. If the
application will not fit, Program Installer will place as much of the
application on the first disk as possible and then prompt for however
many disks are needed from that point on.
Program Installer now allows you, the programmer, to also type
in full/complete lines that will be inserted into or appended into the
end-user's AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Previously you could only declare SET
variables to be inserted into the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
*** IMPORTANT *** *** IMPORTANT *** *** IMPORTANT ***
Up to version 4.0, when the end-user was running INSTALL,
Program Installer, during the installation process, prompted the user
for the destination directory. With this release, Program Installer
assumes that the directory structure you built your installation
diskettes from is the same that you want to install to. If not, then you
will need to reconfigure, place all of the distribution files in the
directory structure the way you want the final product to turn out after
installation, and then re-build your distribution diskette(s).
05/92
Version 4.6 update. Added the CLEANUP.BAT file feature.
CLEANUP.BAT
Please read carefully...
We implemented this feature for distributors that needed a
little more from Program Installer. For example: One distributor has a
POS system that requires the MENU.EXE file that drives each network copy
of the system, reside in its own subdir. Well, before v4.7, this
distributor actually had to build his distribution diskettes with the
same copy of the MENU program in various directories, already! This
means that his actual distribution diskettes turned out quite larger
(more diskettes) than necessary.
Now, with this option, this distributor can create a CLEANUP.BAT
file, and in that file put the commands that will be necessary to COPY
the actual MENU program from one original subdirector, to various other
subdirectories.
Other uses of the CLEANUP.BAT file could be:
The display of features of your program, once installation is
complete. For example, if you wanted to display to the user newer
enhancements to your application that may not be in the manual, you
could create a CLEANUP.BAT file (though it is a little crude for this)
that simply displays text on the screen, telling the user to look for a
README.DOC file, or something similar.
Also, you could display information telling the end-user that
certain changes may/may not have been made to their AUTOEXEC or
CONFIG.SYS files.
There are probably quite a number of uses for this feature. It
very basic, we know, in its implementation. It is meant to provide a
quick-fix for those who can use it. Keep an eye out for Version 5.0.
Here we hope to really dress things up a little.
06/92
Version 4.7 update.
FEATURES
Now, when the end-user specifies the destination drive to
install to, Program Installer will replace your SET= statements for all
AUTOEXEC.BAT changes with the user's specified destination drive. Up to
this release, Program Installer simply added your SET= statements to the
user's AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Now, when you run LICENSEE to configure/register your code,
Program Installer FIRST asks you the name you wish to use for the title
of this installation program. Up to this release, you were only asked
for the information you wished to have replace the Copyright information
that is hard-coded for DataWorks, Inc. Now you can also replace the name
'Program Installer Professional', if you desire to.