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██████╗ █████╗ ██████╗ RAR version 1.55
██╔══██╗ ██╔══██╗ ██╔══██╗ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
██████╔╝ ███████║ ██████╔╝ Multifunctional Integrated Archive Manager
██╔══██╗ ██╔══██║ ██╔══██╗ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
██║ ██║ ██║ ██║ ██║ ██║ The Installation SFX for DOS User's Manual
╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. SFX functionality overview.
The SFX (SelF-eXtracting module) is the archive module used to extract
files when executed. It is in the form of a normal executable file.
The RAR Archiver offers SFX-functionality which is significantly
enhanced over common SFX, as well as the possibility to create an SFX
archive, with an alternate SFX module from an external file.
The alternate SFX module can be created by using the switch
'-sfx[<sfxfile>]' or the command 's[<sfxfile>]' when, in the optional
parameter <sfxfile>, you indicate the required SFX executable module.
Several RAR SFX executable modules are currently available:
- the common SFX for DOS (default in the DOS version, file dos.sfx);
- the Installation SFX for DOS (file idos.sfx);
- the common SFX for OS/2 (default in the OS/2 version, file os2.sfx).
In fact you may add your own RAR SFX executable module using unRAR
sources (e.g. for your particular OS or special needs).
2. The Installation SFX.
As an alternative to the default SFX you may build an Installation
SFX which uses a powerful script language, providing original features:
- fully configurable, friendly, menu-driven interface;
- check for free disk space before installation;
- request destination path to which to install files;
- installation status - file extraction progress bar,
completed percentage and other features.
The Installation Script is a plain ASCII text file, which may be prepared
using your favourite text editor. The script is placed in the SFX
archive comment to be processed by the Installation SFX module when it
is executed. For example, you may use the following command line to
create such an SFX archive:
rar a -sfxidos.sfx -zmyinst.s minstall
Where 'idos.sfx' is the pathname of Installation SFX module and the file
myinst.s is the text file containing your installation script.
The Installation SFX contains build-in interpreter of the Script
Language.
2.1 Installation Script Language
As a program language the script contains the following objects:
Command statement initiating an action;
Procedure commands defined apparently to be called from the main
script code;
Function built-in procedure which returns a value;
Constant character string or a numeric value (4 bytes length);
Variable name defining a storage place for a value.
Variables may be assigned a numeric value or a character string.
All variables are global, meaning once defined the variable is the
same within the main code and all procedures.
Variable and procedure names are case-sensitive.
Command statements are case-insensitive.
Command and built-in procedures may be called with parameters -
constants and variables. Expressions may not be used as parameters.
2.1.1. Control commands
CALL Initiate a procedure call:
CALL <ProcName>
<ProcName> is the procedure name (defined with PROC).
DELAY Suspend script execution:
DELAY [<ms>]
<ms> is the delay interval (milliseconds). If the interval
is ommited, an infinite interval will be set. Execution
continues following a key press or mouse click.
EXCLUDE Define the list of files NOT to be extracted from the archive
while installing:
EXCLUDE [ <File1> [, <File2>..] ]
<File1>, <File2>.. are variables or character strings
containing the names of files to be excluded. Wildcards are
permitted.
The initial value of this file list is "", meaning "no files
to exclude". EXCLUDE without any parameters would restore the
initial value of the file list.
EXIT Terminate the Installation SFX:
EXIT <Code>
SFX exits with errorlevel = <Code>.
GOTO Transfer control to a string in the script, identified
by a label:
GOTO <Label>
<Label> is the name in the script followed by a colon ':'
character. For example:
GOTO Menu
...
Menu:
IF Conditionally execute commands:
IF <Var> <?> <Value>
<commands>
...
ENDIF
Control flow statement that defines conditional execution of
the statements within the block IF...ENDIF structure. <Var>
is a variable to be compared with the <Value> using a single
comparison operator, if the result of the comparison is TRUE
then the statements within the IF...ENDIF are executed.
Comparison operators are:-
'==' .. EQUAL TO
'!=' .. NOT EQUAL TO
'>' .. GREATER THAN
'>=' .. GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO
'<' .. LESS THAN
'<=' .. LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO
<Value> is a constant or variable.
Character values may be compared using only the '==' or '!='
comparison operations.
INCLUDE Define the list of files to be extracted from the archive
while installing:
INCLUDE [ <File1> [, <File2>..] ]
<File1>, <File2>.. are variables or character strings
containing the names of files to be extracted. Wildcards
permitted.
The initial value of this file list is "*.*" meaning
"all files in the archive". The first INCLUDE defined will
replace the default value with the specified value. All
further INCLUDE's will add file names to the list without
removing previous values.
To clear all the file names in the INCLUDE list, give the
INCLUDE statement without parameters.
INSTALL Begin installation. If no INSTALL statement is given,
installation will begin when the end of main script code
is reached.
OVERWRITE Set overwrite mode when extracting archived files:
OVERWRITE { ON | OFF | FRESH | UPDATE }
ON always overwrite existing files
OFF never overwrite existing files
FRESH only overwrite files which exist in the destination
directory and are newer in the archive
UPDATE As for FRESH but also extract files which do not
exist in the destination directory
PROC Define a procedure:
PROC <ProcName>
<commands here>
...
ENDP
<ProcName> is the procedure name. May be called with the
CALL statement - commands between PROC and ENDP would be
processed.
SOUND Produce sounds on the PC speaker:
SOUND <F1>, <D1> [, <F2>, <D2>...]
<F1> is frequency and <D1> - duration in milliseconds of
produced beep. You may produce as many notes as required
SYSTEM Issue an OS command:
SYSTEM <Arg1> [, <Arg2>..]
The command line merged from parameters <Arg1>, <Arg2>...
is executed.
; The script strings starting with a seimicolon ';' character
are comments and are ignored when processing.
= To set a variable value, the following command may be used:
<Var>=<Expression>
<Var> is the variable name and <Expression> may be a
constant, numeric expression or a function call.
Numeric expression is the combination of the pattern "A # B".
Where A and B could be numeric constants and/or variables,
'#' is one of the mathematical operators: '+', '-', '*',
'/', '%'.
2.1.2. Screen commands
All output is directed to the current text window (see the WINDOW command
description).
Foreground and background colors in all related commands are
designated with keywords defining the corresponding color:
BLACK, BLUE, GREEN, CYAN, RED, MAGENTA, BROWN, LIGHTGRAY, DARKGRAY,
LIGHTBLUE, LIGHTGREEN, LIGHTCYAN, LIGHTRED, LIGHTMAGENTA, YELLOW, WHITE.
Alternatively you may use the numeric attribute value from 0 to 15 as a
color code.
If a command does not have a foreground/background pair as a parameter,
the current color is used for output (see the SETCOLOR command).
BOX Draw a box:
BOX <X1>, <Y1>, <X2>, <Y2>, <Col>, <Bck>, SINGLE | DOUBLE
<X1>, <Y1> - the left and top point of the box;
<X2>, <Y2> - the right and bottom point;
<Col>, <Bck> - the foreground and background colors;
SINGLE or DOUBLE - Border type, one or two lines.
CLRSCR Clear the current window (with an optional symbol):
CLRSCR [ <Symbol> ]
The current color is used for clearing. Optionally a
symbol may be given which will be used to fill
the window. The symbol should be defined with a
character value (in quotation marks - "") or a
numeric code.
CTEXT Write text centered on the current line:
CTEXT <P1> [, <P2>..]
<P1>, <P2>.. are variables or character constants.
GOTOXY Position the cursor in the current window:
GOTOXY <X>, <Y>
<X>, <Y> - the point to which the cursor should be
positioned.
DEFBAR Define the file progress bar:
DEFBAR <Col>, <Bck>, <BarCol1>, <BarCol2>, <X>, <Y>, <Length>
<Col>, <Bck> - foreground and background colors;
<BarCol1>, <BarCol2> - colors for 'non-filled' and 'filled'
parts of the progress bar;
<X>, <Y> - left and top point of the bar window;
<Length> - length of the bar.
You may disable the file bar by a using a special form of the
DEFBAR command:
DEFBAR OFF
MESSAGE Write text in a box:
MESSAGE <Col>, <Bck>, <Title>, <Str1> [, <Str2>..]
<Col>, <Bck> - foreground and background colors;
<Title> - Box header text;
<Str1>, <Str2>.. strings containing the text to be displayed
OUTTEXT Start/end a plain/ANSI text:
OUTTEXT [ANSI] ON | OFF
Defines the beginning (ON) and the end (OFF) of a text
section. The optional keyword ANSI indicates that the text
contains ANSI esc-sequences which are to be processed while
writing to the screen.
Example:
OUTTEXT ON
Installation instructions.
You should install this program according to
the following procedure:
...
OUTTEXT OFF
RESTSCR Restore a screen saved with SAVESCR:
RESTSCR <NumScr>
<NumScr> - the identifier of the screen previously saved
with the SAVESCR statement. The cursor position, current
window setting as well as the foreground and background
colors are restored.
SAVESCR Save screen:
SAVESCR <NumScr>
<NumScr> - A numeric value from 1 to 16 identifying the
storage place for the saved screen data. Stored data
includes the screen data, the cursor position, current
window setting as well as the foreground and background
colors. Saved screens may be restored using the RESTSCR
statement.
<NumScr> must be numeric value from 1 to 16.
SETCOLOR Set the default foreground and background color:
SETCOLOR <Col>, <Bck>
<Col> is the foreground and <Bck> is the background color.
After setting this default all commands, which use but do
not contain a color specification, will be output using
this color.
TEXT Write text:
TEXT <P1> [, <P2>..]
<P1>, <P2>.. are variables or character constants containing
the text to be written.
WINDOW Set the current window:
WINDOW <X1>, <Y1>, <X2>, <Y2>
<X1>, <Y1> - the left and top point of the window;
<X2>, <Y2> - the right and bottom point;
All output, written after this command has been issued,
will be within the specified window range if else not
stated in command description.
2.1.3. Functions
Function provides built-in procedure call, which returns a value.
EXEC Issue an OS command and return exit code:
<Var>=EXEC <Arg1> [, Arg2.. ]
<Arg1>, <Arg2>.. - parameters of which the command line
merged prior to be executed. If you need spaces - add it
accordingly into <Arg1>, <Arg2>..
<Var> - the variable to receive the returned errorlevel
after the command line execution.
GETDFREE Get disk free space:
<Var>=GETDFREE [<DiskNo>]
<Var> - variable to hold the returned value.
Available disk space in bytes is assigned to the variable.
<DiskNo> - the optional number of disk to get available
space (0 means A:, 1 - B:, 2 - C: etc). If this parameter
not indicated the available space will be reported for
destination disk (see DestDir variable description). If
the disk matched does not exist, -1 will be returned.
GETKEY Return pressed key code:
<Var>=GETKEY
The function waits for a key depression and returns it's
code to <Var>. Special keys produce extended scan codes
in which the first byte is zero and the second contains
the extended code. In this case the key code is returned
as a value of the second byte plus 256.
INPUT Perform input:
<Res>=INPUT <Col>, <Bck>, <Var>, <IniValue>, <MaxLen>
<Col>, <Bck> - the foreground and background color of the
input field;
<Var> - the variable to receive the input value;
<IniValue> - the initial value (variable or a constant);
<MaxLen> - the input field (maximum) length.
<Res> - A flag indicating the success of the transaction.
If the <Esc> key is pressed during input then a value of
zero is returned in <Res> and <Var> is undefined. If a
value is successfully entered, <Res> is assigned a value
of 1 and <Var> is assigned the input value.
MENU Initiate a menu:
<Var>=MENU <X>, <Y>, <Col>, <Bck>, <Position>, <Title>,
<Item1> [, <Item2>..]
<X>, <Y> - the left and top point of the menu;
<Col>, <Bck> - the foreground and background color;
<Position> - initial menu pointer position (number);
<Title> - text of the title;
<Item1>, <Item2>.. - character strings - menu items;
<Var> - the variable to receive the returned value.
Upon successful choice, the function returns the number of
the menu item (1-n). If the <Esc> key was pressed, a value
of zero is returned.
2.1.4. Pre-defined procedures
Procedures with reserved names which are called from the SFX internal
code upon special conditions. Prior to such call SFX sets the parameter
variables Par1 and Par2. The pre-defined procedures are optional and
should be written to particular need by the script programmer using
the PROC statement.
ArcDone Called upon successful completion of extraction.
No parameter is used. When ArcDone is executed,
the archive file is closed and may be erased by
issuing the command: SYSTEM "DEL ",ArcName
ChangeVol Called when the archive volume needs to be changed.
Par1 is assigned the volume number (0 for the first volume
change), Par2 is assigned the volume status: If Par2 is 0,
the volume needs to be installed, (user should be asked to
load it). This procedure will be called with Par2==0 until
the requested volume is not found. You may change the
requested volume name by an assignment to the variable
ArcName. In the case of non zero value of Par2 the volume is
successfully installed and no user action is required.
If the ChangeVol procedure is not defined then the prompt
"Insert disk with <volume name>" will be displayed by SFX
when the next volume is required.
Error Called when an error occured.
Par1 is assigned the error code:
1 - Fatal error
2 - CRC error, broken archive
3 - Write error
4 - File create error
5 - Read error
6 - File close error
7 - File open error
8 - Not enough memory
When Error procedure ends, SFX processing terminates.
This procedure is not called when an incorrect AV code is
detected.
If no Error procedure is defined, SFX prompts the user with
a standard error message and terminates.
FileDone Called upon successful extraction of a file or a directory.
Par1 variable is assigned the file number in the archive.
Filename contains the file name.
OnKey Called when a key is pressed.
May be used to implement context sensitive help message
display as well as break processing. Par1 is assigned the
key code of the pressed key. If the key operation is
processed within the OnKey procedure, you should set Par1
to -1, to inhibit double processing of the key by SFX.
Recursive calls of OnKey are prevented by SFX itself. When
OnKey is called, the current window, color setting and cursor
position are automatically saved and restored upon exit of
the procedure. Note that screen saving is not performed -
use SAVESCR and RESTSCR commands if so desired but be sure
that you save and restore screen with an identifier which
is not used in the script).
2.1.5. Pre-defined variables
Archive variables:
ArcName The archive name
AVPresent If authenticity verification (AV) is present, the variable
value is 1, else - 0. In the case of invalid AV information
the value is -1.
AVArcName The archive name stored in AV
AVDate The archive date stored in AV
AVUserName The archive creator (AV registration string)
Extraction dependant variables:
FileName The name of the file extracted from the archive (no
destination path)
DestFileName The full path name of the file extracted from the
archive (destination path included)
User-definable variables (to be assigned by INPUT or = operation):
DestDir Destination directory to install files from the archive.
If the destination directory does not exist, it will be
created. If the last character of the destination
directory entered not '\' or ':', then the string will
be automatically complemented with final '\' character.
Password The password to facilitate decryption of the archive files
2.1.6. Script notes
Character strings should be entered using C-language rules.
For example, use "\\" to enter a single symbol "\".
Special characters (format operators) such as "\n", "\r" may be used.
The script text is stored as the archive comment in the SFX module. You
should place an <EOF> character (ASCII code 26) at the start of the
script in order to prevent displaying the script as the archive comment
if the SFX would be handled with RAR itself.
See the example of the installation script in the file standard.s. It may
be used to create any installation package.
Also you may extract the RAR Installation script from the RAR package. In
order to do this you may run the "extract comment" command on the RAR SFX
package:
rar cw rar155.exe rarinst.s
You will then have the RAR Installation script in the file rarinst.s
An external install program can be placed into SFX archive to be called
after succesful completion of unpacking (e.g. from PROC ArcDone) with
using EXEC function:
PROC ArcDone
EXEC DestDir, "Install.Exe"
ENDP
2.1.7. Technical limitations:
Maximum script line length.............1023 bytes
Maximum script length....................62 Kb
Maximum parameters in command............16
Maximum parameter length................255 bytes
Maximum identifier (variable name,
label) length............................31 bytes
Maximum variable value length...........127 bytes
In general, variables can contain numeric (4 bytes length) values or
strings of up to 127 characters in length.