Installer v3.4 was developed to support the installation of system software for System 7.1. Installer v3.4 is compatible with scripts designed for Installer v3.3. The file and creator types for v3.4 remain 'bbkr'. The documentation set for v3.3 remains valid for v3.4. The MPW ScriptCheck tool v3.4b2 should be used with v3.4 scripts.
The documentation for Installer v3.3 has been revised as of August 1, 1992. The documentation for the MPW ScriptCheck tool v3.4b2 was also released at this time. The revised Installer Kit which includes this revised documentation and new ScriptCheck v3.4b2 tool have been passed to the Developer CD folks and will be available on the Developer CD for September 1992. Arrangements will also be made to have the latest Installer kit, which includes Installer v3.4 available on AppleLink and via FTP on the Internet.
Scripts written for Installer 3.2 will need only be altered if installing font resources via the 'inra' resource atom. Under Installer v3.4, the 'inff' font family atom must be used instead.
The file and creator type for Installer 3.4 is 'bbkr' as opposed to 'bjbc'.
System 7.1 implements the new special Font folder as a repository for font suitcases, instead of in the system file. To install fonts, one still needs to use the 'inff' font family atom. Unfortunately, Installer 3.4, does not perform "auto-routing" if installing to a System 7.0.1 or previous system version. As a result, your script will need to determine the target system version and reference separate 'inff' atoms depending on the target system file version. An example of such script is enclosed as InstallFont.r. Note that it is not an error to install a font directly to the System file under version 7.1. If font conflicts exist between those in the System file and those in the font folder, the system file font will be used. See "Known Bugs" section below
• Fixed a problem which existed only in Installer v3.3 whereby a compressed resource was not replaced correctly by an uncompressed resource. Installer 3.2 did not have this problem.
• When booted under pre-System 7.0 and installing 7.1 onto a hard disk which did not previously contain a System Folder, the installation would sometimes fail and a dialog would proclaim that the file “System” was too large to be installed.
• Implemented a fix to the memory management routines which sometimes brought the application heap down too low, which in some cases caused a crash.
• When the user performed a live installation while running with a 2-byte input system installed, the Installer warned that other applications are running. V3.4 no longer warns about this process.
• When VM was turned on, the Installer did not unload the script's heap if there wasn't enough memory to keep it around.
• The Installer could only truncate at the end and was not 2 byte friendly. In addition, truncated strings were always truncated with the '…' character, which was not localizable. v3.4 now supports proper middle and end truncation and a localizable '…' character. Implements fixes in the custom install package list, package info display, installation status display, etc.
The following bugs in Installer 3.2, have been fixed in version 3.3/3.4.
• With File Sharing turned on, Installer 3.2 cannot install software onto a mounted volume which is not the boot volume. Version 3.2 reports an error which has nothing to do with the fact that File Sharing is turned on. The work around solution for version 3.2, is to turn off File Sharing before performing the installation on a non-boot volume.
• When installing an application with a large resource map, using the technique demonstrated in the sample script “AppTooLargeForOneFloppy.r”, Installer version 3.2 fails the installation. Version 3.3/3.4 implements a revised memory management scheme so that there is sufficient memory to reopen the application's resource fork to merge in the additional resources.
• Under Installer 3.2, font resource names which include numbers cannot be installed. Version 3.3, implements the 'inff' atom, which does not have this limitation.
• For multi-disk installations which are not restarted, version 3.3/3.4 correctly unmounts the disks, so that when the user quits the Installer, the Finder does not prompt the user to insert each diskette used in the installation process.
• The cleanUpCancel mechanism for Action Atom code resources works in Installer 3.3/3.4. The Installer only calls those Action Atom code resources which are marked as 'actAfter' to send the cleanUpCancel message.
• When VM was turned on, the Installer would forget to unload the script's heap if there wasn't enough memory to keep it around.
• When the user performed a live installation while running with the 2-byte input system installed, the Installer warned that other applications are running. It now no longer warns about this process.
• Installer 3.2/3.3 could only truncate at the end and was not 2 byte friendly. In addition, truncated strings were always truncated with the '…' character, which was not localizable. Installer 3.4 now supports proper middle and end truncation and localizable '…' character.
Yes, already there are some known bugs which could not be addressed in this release.
• Installer v3.4 does not correctly handle the installation of font resources, to System 7.0.x. If a FOND with the same resource ID but different name exists on the target system, the Installer remaps the FOND resource ID to the first available ID beginning at 0. Normally, the remap occurs at FOND ID 1, which is reserved for the System font. A future release of the Installer will begin remapping of the FOND resource starting with the resource ID which is in conflict.
This is only a problem when installing font resources into a file which has a duplicate FOND resource ID but different name from the font resource being installed. Under System 7.1, it is recommended that font suitcase be installed to the Fonts folder using the Folder Manager designator 'font'. This problem is unlikely to occur in System 7.1, unless there is an existing target font suitcase which has the same name as that font suitcase being installed, AND that existing font suitcase includes a FOND resource using the same ID but different name as the font being installed.
• Installer 3.4 does not auto-route font resources set for installation to the Fonts folder under System 7.0.x. If one uses the 'special-font' Folder Manager designator to specify the target folder for a font suitcase, AND the target System is 7.0.x, Installer 3.4 goes ahead and creates the Fonts folder and copies the font suitcase to the new folder.
• Installer v3.4 will create a blessed System Folder if a target file atom, 'infa' resource specifies a special folder as the target, and no blessed system folder exists on the target volume. The user can be protected from this installation using the Easy Install rules. however, the custom installation menu allows no such protection.
The latest version of ScriptCheck, v3.4b2, fixes several deficiencies from v3.3. v3.4b2 now recognizes the 'inff' resource and version 1 action atom resources. The tool has also been modified to leave the size fields of all File and Resource atoms alone unless they contain the value, zero. This change will benefit developers which implement decompression action atoms, and need to have the Installer preflight more hard disk space than the compressed file requires. See the “ScriptCheck v3.4b2 User’s Guide” for more information.
ScriptCheck v3.4b2 only recognizes Installer 3.3/3.4 scripts. It checks that the file and creator type is 'bbkr'.
All versions of the Apple Installer are licensed products. Please contact Software Licensing to arrange for licensing if you plan to distribute the Installer as part of your product. Software Licensing can be reached as follows:
