I'm creating a set-up utility for blitzMax modules. This utility uses a standard wizard display to install a module, compile it if needed after coping the files to the correct location and even generate the documentation, all in a single self-extracting exe. This utlity is meant also for installing several modules in a single wizard, or even install complete frameworks.
This is the first setup application generated by this utility. this setup will install a module called testmod.fontmachine in your blitzmax setup (you can delete the testmod folder after the setup test, no other files will be modified during installation).
I want to be sure everything works well on both XP and Vista with UAC off machines.
get it here: http://www.blide.org/posts/module_setup_3.exe
Obviously all text displayed on the wizard is there for testing only. It will be customizable by the setup modules creator.
thanks!
[EDIT:] changed the link to a fixed one, as I detected a possible unhandled exception.
The benefits of this way to distribute modules:
-Open source modules:
Only the sourcecode can be included in the wizard package, and the self extracting application can compile the module and generate documentation at setup time. This reduces the size of the package drstically. Not to mention that the entire package is already compressed using the NRV algorithm so it is *small*.
Users don't have to deal with the command line commands to install the module, when the wizard says it is ready, it is really ready to be imported.
The wizard can optionally check for the correct setup of MinGW, so if the module compilation requieres minGW on the host machine, and the wizard is suposed to compile the module, the user will be promted to install MinGW first (prerequisite), and will optionally be redirecte to an online step-by-step guide on how to install MinGW on windows.
-Non Open Source Modules:
This package doesn't let the user install the module by coping files in the wrong place, and provides a nice customizable user interface to help the module being installed properly. So you avoid a lot of 'I can't install the module' support requests. You can provide the module in a pre-compiled way without source code and documentation already built too, to protect your code from being lamed.
Obviously this is just a first test of a work in progress.
This is the first setup application generated by this utility. this setup will install a module called testmod.fontmachine in your blitzmax setup (you can delete the testmod folder after the setup test, no other files will be modified during installation).
I want to be sure everything works well on both XP and Vista with UAC off machines.
get it here: http://www.blide.org/posts/module_setup_3.exe
Obviously all text displayed on the wizard is there for testing only. It will be customizable by the setup modules creator.
thanks!
[EDIT:] changed the link to a fixed one, as I detected a possible unhandled exception.
The benefits of this way to distribute modules:
-Open source modules:
Only the sourcecode can be included in the wizard package, and the self extracting application can compile the module and generate documentation at setup time. This reduces the size of the package drstically. Not to mention that the entire package is already compressed using the NRV algorithm so it is *small*.
Users don't have to deal with the command line commands to install the module, when the wizard says it is ready, it is really ready to be imported.
The wizard can optionally check for the correct setup of MinGW, so if the module compilation requieres minGW on the host machine, and the wizard is suposed to compile the module, the user will be promted to install MinGW first (prerequisite), and will optionally be redirecte to an online step-by-step guide on how to install MinGW on windows.
-Non Open Source Modules:
This package doesn't let the user install the module by coping files in the wrong place, and provides a nice customizable user interface to help the module being installed properly. So you avoid a lot of 'I can't install the module' support requests. You can provide the module in a pre-compiled way without source code and documentation already built too, to protect your code from being lamed.
Obviously this is just a first test of a work in progress.