INSTALLER advice - Ciro's tips on NSIS scripting.

[modbaraban]

Hi. I need a freeware installation wizard with maximum available compression rate. Can you advise on this? I've never had experience with these.

[Carlos]

modbaraban - Is a "download manager" what you are looking for?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Download_manager

Freeware Downloader Managers
http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/
http://www.speedbit.com/
http://www.flashget.com/en/download.htm
http://www.sun.com/download/sdm/download.xml

[Ciro Pabón]

You could use NSIS. You have to study it for a couple of days to learn its scripting language. Read the introduction, skip the initial lessons and go directly for MUI (Modern User Interface) instructions.

It has zlib, bzip2, and LZMA compression and you can choose how much compression you want on the Install.exe file you produce.

If you have any questions (not too difficult, please, I'm a newbie with it) send me a PM.

[modbaraban]

@ Carlos
No. I mean the software that is used to pack-up and compress files into SETUP.exe file. The one we use to install software. Maybe something like ZIP self extracting archive but with better compression rate and interface.

[Ciro Pabón]

We posted at the same time. I repost so you notice on the forum home page.

EDIT: allright, you are reading now. Maybe you'll read this, I won't post again.

If you choose NSIS then you could download HM NIS Edit (mentioned in the article) to help you with writing the scripts (it checks your syntax).

Start with the samples provided with NSIS.

1. Install NSIS.
2. Click File/Load Script and pick one of the files in C:\Program Files\NSIS\Examples\Modern UI.
3. Click "Test Installer"
4. Open the script you created with Notepad (or NIS Edit) and read it. If you choose (for example) the script with the name "Basic.nsi" in step 2, then you have created an installer named "Basic.exe".
5. Click File/Help/NSIS User Manual to read it

The idea is that you use the compiler to "run" the scripts you write. Then NSIS compresses the files you specify in the script and creates your SETUP.exe.

You can create an uninstaller.exe and include a page to choose components (if your program has several versions, for example installation for users and installation for server).

Using NSIS, you can write your installation directory and other parameters to Windows registry with relative ease, so you can throw away your program's config file, if you use one.

In that case, if you're using VB for example, you can use the VB instructions "GetSetting" and "SaveSetting" to get and put information in the registry, instead of reading parameters from a config file.

[modbaraban]

We posted at the same time. I repost so you notice on the forum home page.

Thnx. I noticed and was already in process of reading that wiki.

Reading that I realized that I know too little about it Tomorrow I'll need to upload something that weighs about 1GB (uncompressed).

[Ciro Pabón]

Then open the "Basic.nsi" script in the Examples\MUI directory, open it with Notepad and modify it like this:

Change this lines:

1. OutFile "Basic.exe"

Change Basic.exe for Setup.exe (or whatever is the name of the installer exe file you wish to build):

2. InstallDir "$PROGRAMFILES\Modern UI Test"

Change "Modern UI Test" for the name of your default installation directory (for example "Modbaraban Software"). It will install your program in C:\Program Files\Modbaraban Software by default (if the user doesn't choose a different directory).

3. !insertmacro MUI_PAGE_LICENSE "${NSISDIR}\Docs\Modern UI\License.txt"

Change "\Docs\Modern UI\License.txt" to the path and file with the text of your license ("Modbaraban software hereby declares you can use this program if you bent backwards..." or whatever).

4. !insertmacro MUI_LANGUAGE "English"

Change to the language you wish, for example, "Ukrainian"...

5. SetOutPath "$INSTDIR"

;ADD YOUR OWN FILES HERE...

Erase ";ADD YOUR OWN FILES HERE..." and replace it for "File" and the names of the files you want to compress. You can use several SetOutPaths, if you have your files in subdirectories. For example:

SetOutPath "$INSTDIR"
File "Simulator.exe"
File "Database.mdb"

SetOutPath "$INSTDIR\Help"
File "Help.chm"

This will install the files Simulator.exe and Database.mdb in "C:\Program Files\Modbaraban Software" (or the directory chosen by user) and Help.chm in "C:\Program Files\Modbaraban Software\Help".

6. Section "Uninstall"

;ADD YOUR OWN FILES HERE...

Erase ";ADD YOUR OWN FILES HERE..." and replace it for "Delete" and the name of the files you installed and RMDir and the names of the directories you created. Following my example, I should write the instruction:

Delete "$INSTDIR\*.*"
Delete "$INSTDIR\Help\*.*"

RMDir "$INSTDIR\Help"
RMDir "$INSTDIR"


This will create an uninstaller that will erase the files and directories I created before in step 5.

7. Open NSIS and click "File\Load Script" and choose Basic.nsi.

That's it.

[modbaraban]

Thanx Ciro, that looks great! Check the topic name

[Ciro Pabón]

You're an evil ukrainian!

Tell us if it worked.

[m3_lover]

You're an evil ukrainian!

Tell us if it worked.

Aren't they all Evil? lol

[modbaraban]

Aren't they all Evil? lol

Perhaps, only those who moved to Canada

[joseff]

Sorry for going OT in a NSIS thread, but answering the original question:

I'm more of an Innosetup person.
http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php

Methinks it's easier to use, with the same LZMA compression that NSIS uses.

[segedunum]

Innosetup:

http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php

It's a bit easier to use than NSIS.

EDIT: Someone beat me to it. Didn't read the last comment.

The tools are pretty good for Innosetup, good compression and an awful lot of options to do anything you want.

[Ciro Pabón]

Thanks, joseff, segedunum.

There is also Wix, from Microsoft. It's Open Source. I haven't tried it, you have to build an XML document to "guide" the creation of the installation package.

http://wix.sourceforge.net/

[modbaraban]

Thankfully I found a programmer buddy to do this for me while I do other stuff.