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- INSTALLER 1.2 -- Updated 92-06-28
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-
- by Rick Pedley, Coffee Mug Software
- 95 Notch Hill Road, Suite 306
- Kingston, Ont. K7M 5Y6
- Canada
-
- *** NEW ***
-
- 1. Installer now correctly runs a .BAT or .COM file after installation is
- complete, as well as .EXEs. Previously, only .EXEs ran correctly.
-
- 2. Installed files now are stamped with the date and time of the original
- files, and if the 'Copy only new files' option is selected, the file
- comparisons are made based on name, date, time, and file length; if any
- item doesn't match, the file is considered new.
-
- 3. Exploding windows can be turned off; if on, the explosion speed has
- been doubled.
-
- 4. Mono adapters are now detected and appropriate colors selected. Mono
- operation can also be forced with a /b or /m switch (actually only the
- 'b' and 'm' are checked for -- the switch symbol is unneccesary). An
- 'h' or '?' as a switch explains the mono switch.
-
- 5. This is the last freeware version. I'm now beginning work on a beefed
- up installer that hopefully will still be as easy to use. The cost
- will be somewhere between $20 - $30 US and will be distributed as
- shareware.
-
- INTRODUCTION
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~
- This is a freeware product but if you send me $5 I won't throw it
- away. Use it as you wish, no credit need be given, but neither do I accept
- any responsibility if it doesn't perform as expected.
-
- Installer is designed for programmers who want the user to be able
- to easily install their product on a hard disk, without having to explain
- how to create subdirectories and copy files (which they won't read or under-
- stand in any case). If the user can log onto a floppy by typing its letter
- and a colon, and then type INSTALL, this utility will take care of the rest.
- If the user can't manage even this modest feat, he or she should buy a
- MacIntosh.
-
- INSTRUCTIONS
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~
- 1. Start by copying all these files preferably to a floppy, or to a new hard
- drive subdir'y.
-
- 2. Next, run INSTALL and get a feel for how it works. I've configured it to
- copy any files it finds on the source disk into a default subdir'y. Specify
- another subdir'y if you wish. The DUMMY program is there only so you can
- see the whole process. (INSTALL doesn't SHELL for any operations.)
-
- 3. When installation is completed, either have it run the small dummy .EXE
- program, or exit to DOS. The idea here is simply to see what it does.
-
-
-
- - 2 -
-
- 4. Run CONFINST. The first thing CONFINST does is make a copy of PROGINST.TPL
- and call it INSTALL.EXE. All configuration changes will be made to this
- new file INSTALL.EXE. PROGINST.TPL is left in its original form, and I
- have set the +r attribute to give it a little protection. If an uncom-
- pressed INSTALL.EXE is already present, CONFINST reads the data out of
- this file and uses it as the default values; otherwise an entire new copy
- of INSTALL.EXE is made.
-
- 5. You are now guided through up to 7 screens of prompts. Most of them are
- self-explanatory so I'll just comment briefly on a few of them:
-
- File name of install utility: usually this will be INSTALL.EXE and this is
- the file that CONFINST works on. If you specify another name, CONFINST will
- rename INSTALL.EXE before exiting. Be sure to include the extension .EXE;
- CONFINST doesn't error-check for this.
-
- File name of executable: any program you want to run when all files have
- been installed, be sure to include the extension. Can be an EXE, COM, or
- BAT file. If left blank, INSTALLER just exits at completion.
-
- Default target directory: six levels deep are supported. Some error
- checking is done here, but follow the example shown. If installing in
- the parent directory, just enter C: for example. Also, the source files
- must be all at the same level -- INSTALL won't copy subdir's and their
- contents from the source disk (the next version will).
-
- Target drive space: how much space should there be on the target drive for
- the files you're installing? Allow more room if further new files are
- created by your own program. Note the number is in bytes, not Kbytes.
-
- Copy All?...: `only different files' means files that either have different
- names, lengths, file dates & times. `prompt for each' means the user will
- be asked for permission to install each file on an individual basis. 15
- disks, 1000 files per disk are allowed.
-
- Copy install utility too?: this option overrides Copy All -- in other words,
- you can elect to copy all files EXCEPT the install utility.
-
- The next 20 options specify the colors for various titles, menus, boxes...
- Accept the defaults if you're not sure what to do. It helps to have a color
- chart handy for this section. Note that all 16 colors are available for
- foreground and background. (REAL programmers of course, long ago memorized
- all the color codes.) Monochrome adapters are now supported (see NEW
- above).
-
- Look for this file on Disk #1: Pick one unique file name to act as a flag on
- each distribution diskette (include the extension, as usual). Include a
- number on each diskette label so the user can quickly find the right disk to
- insert next. INSTALL tries three times to find this flag file: the first two
- times, it displays an error message; the third time it aborts installation &
- returns to the main menu. NOTE: if you distribute your product in more than
- one disk format, make up a different INSTALL for each format. As many as 15
- disks are allowed, each with its own flag file.
-
- Title screen effect: the 'diagonal' effect is the one currently installed.
- Try the other one to see what it looks like.
-
-
-
- - 3 -
-
- Installer title screen line #1-#4: anything you like here really. All four
- lines will be displayed even if blank, so if you need only 2 for instance,
- type all blanks into the top and bottom lines, so the remaining two are
- centered vertically.
-
- 1. Save current configuration and quit.
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Writes the changes you made into INSTALL.EXE, renames the file to the
- name you specified if it's different than INSTALL.EXE, and exits to DOS.
- Because the data is written directly into the INSTALL.EXE file, no addit-
- ional 'script' files are required.
-
- 2. Quit without changing anything. -- just like it says.
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- 3. Re-start configuration from beginning. -- ditto, but you can also back up
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- a page at a time with Esc.
-
- 4. Save configuration, compress with LZEXE & quit.
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- LZEXE is an excellent compression utility for EXE files by Fabrice
- Bellard of France. An EXE file compressed with this utility de-compresses
- AFTER loading into memory and then runs. This allows for significant space
- saved on disks, and reduced loading time (de-compression is very fast). He
- has given permission to use LZEXE free of charge and it can be found on just
- about any BBS by this time. If you have LZEXE, copy it into the same dir-
- ectory as CONFINST.EXE and INSTALL.EXE. NOTE: LZEXE is distributed as
- `LZEXE91.ZIP' or `LZEXE91E.ZIP'.
- This option saves the configuration, compresses it with LZEXE (if
- present), renames it to your specification if different than INSTALL.EXE,
- then exits to DOS. If you select this option and LZEXE isn't present, the
- changes are written, and CONFINST exits leaving INSTALL uncompressed.
-
-
- Lastly...
- ~~~~~~~~~
- Copy INSTALL.EXE (or whatever) to the first disk and be sure to give
- instructions to the user on how to log on to the drive and run INSTALL.
-
-
- Rick Pedley, June 28, 1992
-
-
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