home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The Atari Compendium
/
The Atari Compendium (Toad Computers) (1994).iso
/
files
/
umich
/
utils
/
winstall.lzh
/
WINSTALL.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-10-05
|
16KB
|
442 lines
Winstall
User's Guide
Version 1
Introduction
============
Winstall automatically installs software packages by copying files
from one or more source diskettes onto your customer's system.
Winstall simplifies the installation process and reduces the chance
that your customer will incorrectly install your software package.
Features
========
* Supports installation to hard disk or floppy diskette
* Maximizes use of memory during installation to reduce floppy
swapping
* Supports multiple source disk installations, and prompts the user
to insert disks as needed
* Automatically creates directories as needed on the destination disk
* Can patch the installation drive and directory into a file
* Can copy up to 256 files per package
* Can install multiple packages from a single source disk (or set
of disks)
* Checks for required available disk space before beginning
installation
* Can check that the user has inserted the correct disk in a
multi-disk set
* Prompts the user for confirmation before overwriting files
* Displays "percentage complete" progress bar during installation
Terms Used
==========
The following terms are used throughout this User's Guide.
Customer: The person who installs your package onto their system.
Destination drive: The disk drive, selected by the customer, where
the package will be copied during installation.
Directory: Folder.
Installation path: The drive and path, selected by the customer,
where the package will be copied during installation.
Package: The set of files (programs and data files) forming a single
software product.
Path: A chain of zero or more directories, possibly ending in a file
name, which defines the location of a file or directory within a
directory tree.
Source disk: A disk containing the package to be installed.
A term enclosed in angle brackets (e.g., <disk id>) is used as a
place holder for another term (usually described in the surrounding
text). The angle brackets are not part of the term.
General Operation
=================
To use Winstall, you create a set of one or more source disks
containing your package. Next, you create an installation script file
and copy it, along with WINSTALL.PRG, onto your source disk.
You distribute your source disk(s) to your customer. The customer
runs WINSTALL.PRG, which reads the installation script and performs
the installation.
Creating the Installation Script
================================
The installation script tells Winstall how to perform the
installation. Installation script files have an "INS" extension. When
it runs, Winstall looks for a file called WINSTALL.INS. If it finds
the file, Winstall carries out the instructions it contains. If it
cannot find WINSTALL.INS, Winstall presents a file-selection form and
lets the customer select an INS file. This is described more fully in
the "Multi-package Installation" section. You can create the INS file
with an ASCII text editor. The file contains a series of lines. Each
line represents a single command. The character in the first column
of each line is the command code. If the command takes parameters,
then exactly one space must separate the command code from the first
parameter -- i.e., the first parameter starts in column 3.
A sample INS file is shown below.
# Installation script for Turbo Blaster
n Turbo Blaster
v 2.34
d TBLASTER
s 1343254
f 1:\tblaster.prg %d\tblaster.prg
f 1:\tax.jj %d\samples\tax.tb
f 1:\tblaster.acc %b\tblaster.acc
f 2:\templt1.tem %d\template\templt1.tem
f 2:\templt2.tem %d\template\templt2.tem
f 2:\tblaster.lib \lib\tblaster.lib
a [1][Please see README.TXT |for release notes. ][OK]
b [1][Don't forget to fill in |your registration card. ][OK]
Following is a description of the Winstall commands.
#: Comment
Defines a comment line. The remaining text on the line is ignored
by Winstall. There is no limit on the number of comment lines.
Comment lines are optional.
Example:
# Installation script for Turbo Blaster
a: After Message
Defines the text for an alert that will appear at the end of (after)
a successful installation. The parameter is a string suitable for the
second parameter of form_alert():
* The first component, a number enclosed in square brackets,
determines the type of icon displayed in the alert: [1]: Exclamation;
[2]: Question; [3]: Stop.
* The second component is a sequence of text lines surrounded by
square brackets. Each line is separated by a "|" character. Up to five
lines may be defined. Each line may contain up to 32 characters. The
alert looks best if all lines are approximately the same length --
uses spaces to pad them.
* The third component is a button label surrounded by square
brackets. Only one "a" command may be defined per installation. The
"a" command is optional. If it is omitted, no message will be
displayed.
Example:
a [1][Please see README.TXT |for release notes. ][OK]
b: Before Message
Defines the text for an alert which will appear before installation
begins. See the description of the "a" command for details.
Example:
b [1][Don't forget to fill in |your registration card. ][OK]
c: Check Disk Ids
Tells Winstall to check the id of each source disk after a disk swap.
This feature is useful in multiple source-disk installations, where
the customer is asked to swap disks several times. If this feature is
enabled, Winstall will check for the existence of a special disk id
file on the source disk to ensure that the customer inserted the
correct one. The special disk id file is named <disk id>.! (for
example, 1.! or INSTALL.!). See the description of the "f" command for
more information on disk ids. Only one "c" command may be defined.
The "c" command is optional. If it is omitted, Winstall will not check
disk ids. The "c" command takes no parameters.
d: Default Destination Directory
Defines the name of the default directory where you package will be
installed. During installation, Winstall determines the default
destination drive (A: unless the customer has a hard drive, in which
case it is C:) and constructs the default installation path from the
drive and directory. For example, if you define the default directory
as TBLASTER and Winstall determines that the customer has a hard
drive, Winstall will use C:\TBLASTER as the default installation
path. Winstall allows the customer to edit the default installation
path during installation. Only one "d" command may be defined. The "d"
command is mandatory.
Example:
d TBLASTER
f: Copy file
Defines the name of a file that must be copied from a source disk to
the destination path during installation. The "f" command uses the
following syntax:
f <source file> <destination file>
The <source file> component uses the following syntax:
<disk id>:<path>
<disk id> is a string (maximum 8 characters; no spaces allowed)
defining the source disk containing the file to copy. During
installation, Winstall may prompt the customer to insert this disk in
the source drive with a message like this:
Please insert <package name> disk "<disk id>" in drive A:.
Leave the disk id blank if your package is distributed on one source
disk.
<path> is the path -- directories and file name -- of the source
file. Winstall uses this path to locate the source file on the source
disk.
The <destination file> component uses one of the following formats:
%d\<path>
%b\<path>
\<path>
%d is a special token that is replaced with the installation path
selected by the customer during installation. Use this form of the
<destination file> parameter to copy the file to the installation
path.
%b is a special token that is replaced with