Script Menu
Choosing any of the following options from the New Item submenu creates a new script item and opens an Info window to edit that item. The item is not actually added to the script until the Create button is clicked in the item's Info window.
Once the Create button is clicked, the item is added to the script based on the current selection in the item view. If the selected item is openable (i.e. folder or user selected folder), the new item is added inside the item. If the selected item is not openable (i.e. file, patch, etc.), the new item is added after the item. If no item is selected, the new item is added at the end of the script.
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Choosing Script:New Item:Folder creates a new folder item and opens the Folder Info window to edit the item's attributes.
This option represents one way to add a folder to the script. The other way is to use the Folder & Contents option to select a folder from your hard disk. Adding a folder with the Folder & Contents option provides the added benefit of preserving the folder's attributes (i.e. color, icon, window size, etc.) when the folder is installed.
Shortcut: Command-1
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Choosing Script:New Item:File creates a new file item, prompts you to select a file from your hard disk, and then opens the File Info window to edit the item's attributes.
File items can be added to the Builder by dragging files from the Finder and dropping them into the item view area of the script window. Files added in this way cannot be dropped at a particular location in the script. Instead, they are added after the currently selected item.
Shortcut: Command-2
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Choosing Script:New Item:Folder & Contents prompts you to select a folder from your hard disk and adds the selected folder and its enclosed files and folders to the script. Once in the script, the attributes for these items can be edited with either the Folder Info or File Info windows.
Dragging a folder from the Finder and dropping it into the item view area of the script window has the same effect as using the Folder & Contents option.
Shortcut: Command-3
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Choosing Script:New Item:User Selected Folder creates a new User Selected Folder item and opens the User Folder Info window to edit the item's attributes. A User Selected Folder is a script item which causes an installer to prompt the user to select a folder for installation. These items can be added anywhere in the script where you want to give the user control over where items are installed. See the User Folder Info window for further details on User Selected Folders.
Shortcut: Command-4
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Choosing Script:New Item:Patch creates a new Patch item, prompts you to select a patch file, and then opens the Patch Info window to edit the item's attributes. A Patch is a script item which installs a patch to a designated file. These patches are created with the freeware ResCompare patch creator utility. See the Patch Info window for further details on Patches.
Shortcut: Command-5
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Choosing Script:New Item:XRay creates a new XRay item and opens the XRay Info window to edit the item's attributes. An XRay item is a script item which calls a DragInstall extension. XRay items can be added anywhere in the script to perform various actions including playing sounds and opening installed folders. See the XRay Info window for further details on XRay items. To find out what XRays are provided with DragInstall, refer to the Included XRays section in this guide.
Shortcut: Command-6
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Choosing Script:New Item:Find creates a new Find item and opens the Find Info window to edit the item's attributes. A Find item is a script item which searches for a folder or file on the user's hard disk based on name or type and creator (for files). If a Find item locates the folder or file it is searching for, it changes the current install folder to the folder containing the found item and sets the Last Find result to "successful". If the folder or file is not found, the Last Find result is set to "not successful". This result can be used to determine whether to install subsequent items by using Result Tests.
When a Find item locates a folder, the current install folder is set to the folder containing the located folder. If you want to install inside the located folder, you must include a folder item in your script with the same name as the folder you wanted to find. If you don't want to install into the folder if the find was not successful, you can either use a Result Test or set the "If not found" attribute to "Don't create it".
See the Find Info window for further details on Find items.
Shortcut: Command-7
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Choosing Script:New Item:Delete creates a new Delete item and opens the Delete Info window to edit the item's attributes. A Delete item is a script item which deletes matching files or folders within the current install folder. Files can be deleted by name (whole or partial) or by type and creator. Folders can be deleted by name.
Be very careful with Delete item, especially when specifying partial file names. The Delete will delete all matching items from the current install folder, including files that may be busy.
See the Delete Info window for further details on Delete items.
Shortcut: Command-8
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Choosing Script:New Item:Message creates a new Message item and opens the Message Info window to edit the item's attributes. A Message item is a script item that presents a message to the user during installation. You can specify the type of message (alert, caution, stop), the text of the message, and even the names of the buttons (one or two). You can also specify where to put the result of the message (i.e. the name of the button clicked). This message result can be then tested to determine whether to install subsequent items by using Result Tests. See the Message Info window for further details on Message items.
Shortcut: Command-9
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Choosing Script:New Item:Stop creates a new Stop item and opens the Stop Info window to edit the item's attributes. A Stop item is a script item which stops all installations when triggered. Stop items are useful when used in combination with various item attributes, like system rules, gestalt tests, and result tests. See the XRay Info window for further details on XRay items.
Shortcut: Command-0
Choosing Script:Edit Item... opens the Info window for the selected item in the script window. If more than one item is selected, the first item is edited. Changes are not saved to the item until the Change button is clicked in the Info window. And these changes are not permanently recorded in the script file until File:Save is chosen.
Shortcut: Command-E
Choosing Script:Delete Item... deletes all items selected in the script window. You are first warned that deleting these items cannot be undone. If you choose to continue with the delete, the items are removed from the script. If you mistakenly delete an item, you can choose File:Revert to revert changes made to the script since the last save.
Some script items cannot be removed from the script. These include reserved folders like Control Panels and Extensions, and the User's Macintosh. If these items are selected when Script:Delete Item... is chosen, a beep is sounded.
If you delete a folder from the script, all enclosed items are also deleted.
Shortcut: Command-D
Choosing Script:New Installation creates a new installation and opens an editor window to set the attributes for that installation. The installation is not actually added to the script until the Create button is clicked in the Installation Editor window.
Once the Create button is clicked, the installation is added to the script after the selected installation in the script window. This installation can be then moved up or down to change its order.
Installations are essentially groupings for script items. Installations are presented to the user as installer choices. Installations are categorized as either recommended or custom, meaning that they appear within the first group of choices that the user sees (recommended) or in the second group (custom). An installation can contain one or many script items.
See the Installation Editor window for further details on installations.
Choosing Script:Edit Installation... opens the Installation Editor window for the selected installation in the script window. Changes are not saved to the installation until the Change button is clicked in the editor window. And these changes are not permanently recorded in the script file until File:Save is chosen.
Choosing Script:Delete Installation... deletes the selected installation in the script window. You are first warned that deleting the installation cannot be undone. If you choose to continue with the delete, the installation is removed from the script and all assigned items are unassigned from this installation. If you mistakenly delete an installation, you can choose File:Revert to revert changes made to the script since the last save.
A script must contain at least one installation. If Script:Delete Installation... is chosen with only one installation remaining, a beep is sounded.
Choosing Script:Startup Screen opens a dialog where you can modify the settings for your installer's startup screen, including black & white and color pictures, window style, and button placement. The startup screen appears when an installer application starts up. The appropriate picture (black & white or color) is displayed based on the user's system. For more details, see the Startup Screen dialog section of this guide.
If you want to set the startup screen to automatically dismiss when your installer starts, you can set the Automatically dismiss splash option in the Installer Appearance dialog.
Shortcut: Command-T
Choosing Script:Read Me Text opens a dialog where you can specify the Read Me text for your installer. This text can be imported, typed, or pasted from the Clipboard. The Read Me Text dialog supports styled text. For more details, see the Read Me Text dialog section of this guide.
If you want to make sure that the user reads your installer's read me text (for license agreements, as an example), you can set the Show 'Read Me' text after splash option in the Installer Appearance dialog.
Shortcut: Command-M
Choosing Script:Installer Appearance opens the Appearance Options dialog where you can modify the appearance of your installer, including setting various startup options, window color, cursor, etc. For more details, see the Installer Appearance dialog section of this guide.
Choosing Script:Update Item References causes the Builder to check the location of all the files and folders in the script. If any files or folders have been moved, or if your hard disk has been renamed, the Builder makes an attempt to relocate the script items and update their pathnames. If the Builder cannot locate an item, a dialog appears allowing the file or folder to be "manually" located. After a file or folder is located, that location is then searched for subsequent items, reducing the number of prompts for missing items.
Item references are automatically updated when an installer is built. This menu option provides a way to do this without waiting to build an installer.
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Last modified 26-MAR-96
Copyright © 1996 Ray Sauers Associates, Inc.