HISTORY FILE FOR CHIEF'S INSTALLER PRO
--------------------------------------
Version 2.20 (October 1995)
---------------------------
1. New feature - each user option can now be assigned to specific
disk(s) in the installation set. This is done by the extension to
$USER-OPTION (below). This means that if that option is deselected
by the user, the user will not be prompted for the disk(s) containing
the option's files. Do NOT use this feature if you have only 1
install disk.
2. Extension of $USER-OPTION to take an addition (optional) parameter
- the disk(s) (if any) to which the user option is assigned to. If
this parameter is used, you MUST make sure that the specified disk(s)
contain ONLY the files belonging to that user option, otherwise there
WILL be confusion and the installation will fail.
e.g.,
$USER-OPTION3=Filters;353222;$DISK5
If more than one disk is specified, the disks must be separated from
each other by a space. Up to 10 disks can be specified for each user
option.
e.g.,
$USER-OPTION4=Filters;353222;$DISK6 $DISK7 $DISK9
Version 2.10 (September 1995)
----------------------------
1. New reserved word: $FORCE-OVERWRITE-ALL-EXISTING-FILES
This forces all existing installation files to be overwritten without
any input from the user. This was introduced by request. Please use
with great caution, because all existing files (in your respect of your
application only) will be overwritten without warning (the reason why
I made this command so cumbersome to type).
2. Extension of $ICO and $ICON;
with $ICO, if the second parameter is 2, or "REPLACE", then an existing
icon will be deleted and replaced with the new one
with $ICON, if the LAST parameter is 2, or "REPLACE" then an existing
icon will be deleted and replaced with the new one
Examples:
$ICO=$GROUP;REPLACE;INST.EXE;Chief Pro;WINSTALC.DLL
$ICON=WINSTALL.TXT;Sample Readme File;Chief's Sample Files;REPLACE
3. New reserved word: $DELETE-ICON - this can be used to delete an
existing icon. You can have an unlimited number of $DELETE-ICON lines
but each line can only contain a single icon to be deleted. If the
specified icon does not exist in the specified group, nothing happens.
The search for the specified icon title is not case-sensitive.
The syntax is: $DELETE-ICON=<groupname>;<icon title>
Examples:
$DELETE-ICON=$GROUP;Chief's Installer Pro
$DELETE-ICON=$GROUP;Program Documentation
4. New version of AutoCalc, which introduces a new entry "USE-$ICON"
into AUTOCALC.INI. This is to give users the option of specifying
that AutoCalc should use the $ICON reserved word when creating
template INF files (instead of $ICO, which is more difficult to
customise).
5. Bug in $UNZIP command fixed.
6. Some internal enhancements.
Version 2.00 (September 1995)
----------------------------
1. Extension of "$SOURCEDIR" - can be used to change the source
directory from the default (useful for internal customisations)
e.g.,
$SOURCEDIR=D:\BIN\LOCAL\APP2
* can also be used in $ICON lines, and all other lines
e.g.,
$ICON=$SOURCEDIR\SETUP.EXE;Re-Install MyProg v1.20
2. The directory pointed to by $TARGET will now be created recursively
(in such cases the root of that directory will not be removed by the
uninstaller).
3. New reserved word : $AUTOEXEC.BAT (to make entries into
AUTOEXEC.BAT)
Will look first in C:\ then in the
PATH. Entries not deleted by the uninstaller.
e.g. $autoexec.bat=SET TROOK=$DEST\TROOK
4. Limited support for UNC names (on supporting networks).
5. Extension of $DEST to provide for installing files to other
drives and directories - use $DEST!!=<dir name>=<files>
e.g., $DEST!!=D:\New=*.ini;*.txt;*.tkt
* other reserved words - e.g., $windir, $sysdir, etc., can be
used here.
6. Limits removed from the maximum number of lines allowed for
most reserved words;
Limits removed
--------------
$INI = no limit on number of lines
$FONT = no limit on number of lines
$REG-DATA = no limit on number of lines
$BATCH-FILE = no limit on number of lines
$CLEANUP = no limit on number of lines
$AUTO-REPLACE = no limit on number of lines
$AUTOEXEC.BAT = no limit on number of lines
$DEST = no limit on number of lines
$OPTIONAL = no limit on number of lines
$WINDIR = no limit on number of lines (or files)
$SYSDIR = no limit on number of lines (or files)
Number of lines in batch files = no limit
Number of files on each $DISK# = no limit
Exceptions
----------
$ICON = max 128 lines
(but check $ICO = no limit)
Number of install disks = max 64 disks
7. Extension of $REG-DATA to cope with new classes roots (in preparation
for the Win32 version). If an "HKEY_xxx\" root parameter is passed,
then the whole entry will be passed on without having HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
prepended to it. Note that the key MUST end with a back-slash;
e.g., $reg-data=HKEY_USERS\ChiefPro=Chief's Installer Pro
(NOTE: ** This is a 16-bit program, so please do NOT use any root key other
than HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT under Win95 or Windows NT).
8. New reserved word: $UNZIP
e.g., $UNZIP=<zipfile>;<dest directory>;<CODE>
"Code" specifies how to deal with files which already exist. Possible
values are;
OVERWRITE-ALL (overwrite all existing files without warning)
OVERWRITE-OLDER (overwrite only older files [by date-stamp])
SKIP (skip existing files)
CONFIRM (ask for confirmation before overwriting existing files)
e.g., $UNZIP=$sourcedir\bin.zip;$dest\bin;SKIP
9. New reserved word: $DATA-SPACE (for any non-optional data that your
app might need to create at installation - not part of percent
meter - but will be added to the free space checks)
10. Extension of $TARGET: $WINDIR and $SYSDIR can now be used in
the $TARGET line
e.g.,
$TARGET=$WINDIR\MYAPP
11. Bottom left corner of progress dialog now shows the
number of the disk being processed
12. Installation can now be aborted between disk changes, by
clicking on the "Abort" button on the dialog that prompts
for the next disk.
13. New support for displaying messages (up to 10) during
the course of the installation. All the messages must be
in an ascii file called WINSTALL.MSG. Each message section
must begin with a [#<number>] (e.g., [#1]), and cannot be more
than 8 lines long (max: 45 characters per line). The messages are
displayed in turn, automatically (at the rate of 100 divided
by the number of messages - as per the percent meter).
14. INSTALL.EXE is now so big that SETUP.EXE would now
be desirable in all cases. You can compress INSTALL.EXE
to prevent people from running it instead of SETUP.EXE
(e.g., compress -r install.exe).
15. New reserved word: $OPTIONHELP# (e.g, $optionhelp1=xxxx)
This is to present a brief explanation of the user-options
to the user. Each user-option will have a small button next
to it, if there is an OPTIONHELP for that option. Clicking
on that button will display a message box with your brief
explanation.
Each user option may have up to 10 $OPTIONHELP# lines - but an
absolute maximum limit of 1024 bytes applies to each user option.
Realistically, this maximum should be 512 bytes, because of limits
in the MessageBox() API when using CTL3D.
16. Extension of $INI to allow the assignment of $INI entries to
user options. This is done by specifying the relevant user
option (i.e, $USER-OPTIONx) as the 5th entry on the $INI line
(or as the 6th entry, if the 5th entry is used for NO-REPLACE).
If the specified user option is de-selected by the user at runtime,
then the INI entry will not be made.
17. New (limited) support for installing files from subdirectories
of the source directory (e.g., on a cd-rom or a network drive). The
scheme is to use each such subdirectory as a pseudo floppy disk
- i.e., the files in the subdirectory will be specified on a
$disk# line, and then the subdirectory itself will be called
$disk# (e.g., $disk2 = for the files which will be on
the $disk2 lines). If you specify $verify-install-disks then
you should also have a file called $disk#.dsk in the subdirectory.
18. The installer will now automatically look for directories
names $disk# under the source directory, to install $disk#
files from. This includes $disk1 as well. This simplifies
installing from network disks/cd-roms.
19. New reserved word: $MAX-DUPLICATES
This allows the installation of the same file into more than
one destination directory. The command takes one parameter - the
maximum number of times a single file can be duplicated in this
way. By default, this value is set at 1. You can increase it
to any number up to 30. Note that increasing this number will mean
the installer looping through each $DEST\xx directory the specified
number of times, for EACH file being installed. This is guaranteed
to slow down the installation considerably, if the specified number
is too high. Using it can also lead to multiple copies of files
which you do not really want to be duplicated - this is especially
so if you use wilcards at all, in your $DEST\xx lines.
20. Extension of $ICON. If the last parameter on the $ICON line
is "ALLOW-DUPLICATES" (or "1") then existing icons will be
duplicated if the program is installed again.
e.g.
$icon=$dest\test.hlp;Help file;allow-duplicates
$icon=$dest\test.hlp;Help file;1
21. When disk verification is turned ON, this now also affects
the first disk ($disk1) - so you must have a $DISK1.DSK file
on your first disk (even if there is only one disk in the
installation set). This is to remedy the anomaly where disks
from disk 2 are verified, but the first (and usually the most
important) disk is not verified.
22. Extension of $VERIFY-INSTALL-DISKS - to provide extra (optional)
checking of the .DSK file. To enable this, supply 'READ-FILES' as
a parameter -
e.g.,
$VERIFY-INSTALL-DISKS;READ-FILES
If this feature is turned on, then the installer will treat the .DSK
file for every disk as a Windows .INI file, and check in the [disk-id]
section for the keyname 'disk-id'. The entry here must match the name
of the .DSK file being examined - e.g., a .DSK file called $disk1.dsk
must have the following entries;
[disk-id]
disk-id=$disk1.dsk
Note that if the entry does not match, the installer will assume that the
disk is the wrong one and will keep prompting for the disk. Thus, you
should use this feature with care.
23. Changes in AutoCalc
[a] directories for $DISK# files must now be called
$DISK# and not just DISK# (under the source directory
tree). Files for $DISK1 can also now be in a sub-directory
of the source directory - must be called $DISK1)
[b] by the same token, directories holding files for
$SYSDIR, $WINDIR, and $TEMPDIR must also have the "$"
sign in their names.
These changes are introduced for consistency and to make things
easier, especially now that the installer will first of all look
for $DISK# files in similarly named sub-directories of the source
directory.
24. New reserved word: $DISKDIR
A directory path can now be optionally specified for the files
on each disk (one path only for each $disk). This is specified by
using the new $DISKDIR command.
The Syntax is $DISKDIR#=<dir name> ;[CODE]
"#" stands for the number of the disk;
"CODE" is optional; it specifies whether (for disk 2 to the end)
the installer should prompt the user to insert a disk. It defaults
to not prompting (to simplify installing from cd-rom or network
drives). If you want the user to be prompted for a particular disk,
put "ASK", or "PROMPT", or just "1" as the code.
"CODE" is not valid for disk 1
e.g.
$diskdir1=D:\USR\BIN
$diskdir2=D:\LIB\SRC;ASK
$diskdir3=$SOURCEDIR\LIB\SRC;ASK
$diskdir4=$SOURCEDIR\BIN\LIB
* if the specified directory is NOT found, the installer will prompt
the user for a disk.
* the installer will still automatically look for $disk# directories
under the specified directory
* this feature is optional, and is not needed at all
it should be used sparingly, since it has not been tested in all
possible scenarios. It is NOT advised to use this feature when
installing from FLOPPY disks (i.e., it is added mainly for the
convenience of those who wish to install from cd-rom, or hard disk).
25. New reserved word: $FORCE-RESTART-WINDOWS
Note that this feature uses the EXITWINDOWSEXEC() API call. Thus
it will fail if any program refuses to terminate (e.g., if the user
has a DOS session open).
26. New reserved word: $FORCE-EXIT-WINDOWS
Note that this feature uses the EXITWINDOWS() API call. Thus
it will fail if any program refuses to terminate (e.g., if the user
has a DOS session open).
27. New reserved words: $OK-BUTTON-TITLE and $CANCEL-BUTTON-TITLE
This can be used to change the caption of the "OK" and "Cancel"
buttons on the edit dialog box (note that these will sometimes be
overridden by the new string resources #542 and/or #543).
28. New GUI front end (or IDE) and Project Manager (run AUTOCALC.EXE).
29. New (DOS command line) compiler for INF and BATCH
files (COMPILE.EXE)
The syntax is;
COMPILE <source-file> <target-file> [/BATCH]
e.g. COMPILE test.inf winstall.inf
e.g. COMPILE batch1.txt program.cmd /BATCH
30. INI entries with empty settings can now be created with
$INI = by supply an empty string (i.e., " ") as the 4th
parameter;
e.g.,
$INI=$dest\prog.ini;386enh;printer.drv;" "
31. Extension of $GROUP. This reserved word can now take an
extra (optional) parameter ("SHOW-COMBO"), after the group
name. If SHOW-COMBO is used, then a combo box displaying the
names of the available Program Manager groups will be made
available to the user at run time. The user can then choose
any of the listed groups to use as the main group.
e.g.,
$GROUP=Chief Pro;SHOW-COMBO
32. Extension of $BANNER-MESSAGE - to take some optional parameters;
CENTERED = the banner will be centered
VERTICAL = the text will be displayed vertically
* must supply the X co-ordinates for the vertical text
e.g.,
$BANNER-MESSAGE=Chief Pro v2.0;CENTERED
or
$BANNER-MESSAGE=Chief Pro;VERTICAL;5
33. A new progress dialog and "percent" meter
34. New reserved word $LAN-SYSDIR. This was introduced by request.
35. New reserved words $BIG-METER-COLOR and $SMALL-METER-COLOR
to change the colors of the percent meters. They use the same
syntax as $TEXT-BACKGROUND.
36. New buttons ("Abort" and "Help") which remain on the desktop
for the duration of the install. The buttons will be shown by
default, unless the (new) reserved words $NO-ABORT-BUTTON or
$NO-HELP-BUTTON are used.
37. New reserved words: $NO-ABORT-BUTTON and $NO-HELP-BUTTON - to turn
off the desktop "Abort" or "Help" button respectively.
38. New reserved word: $ABORT-MESSAGE - this is the message that will
appear to the user when the user does something to terminate the
installation (e.g., clicking on the desktop "Abort" button, after
the installation has commenced).
39. New feature in the AutoCalc IDE - an option to convert Visual
BASIC Setup Wizard (.VBZ) files to a Chief's Installer Pro project.
40. In respect of strings in WINSTALL.INF, "\n" was always treated
as the code for a new line (carriage return). If a literal "\n"
is desired, an exclamation mark should precede the "n" (i.e., "\!n").
Furthermore, the "\n" is now case sensitive - so, for example,
"\N" will not be converted.
41. Extension of $DISK to take $UNZIP as a parameter. This is to
unzip files from a particular disk, instead of copying files
from it. In this case, the files will only go to the destination
provided in the $UNZIP command.
e.g.
$DISK1=$UNZIP;$SOURCEDIR\BIN.ZIP;$DEST\BIN
42. New reserved word: $ICO - this is for creation of Program
Manager icons, but this reserved word allows more lower level
access than $ICON, and also does not have any limit on the
number of lines.
This command takes up to 11 parameters, each separated with
a semi-colon, or a comma;
1 = the group name (or $GROUP for the default)
2 = allow duplicate icons? (0 for FALSE; 1 for TRUE)
3 = command line
4 = icon's title
5 = file to load the icon from (optional)
6 = icon index in the icon file (optional)
7 = x position of the icon in group (optional)
8 = y position of the icon in group (optional)
9 = working directory (optional)
10= hotkey (optional)
11= minimize (0 for FALSE; 1 for TRUE) (optional)
"Hotkey" consists of a number, made up of a code plus the ascii
code of the letter;
Codes:
Alt = 1024
Ctrl = 512
Shift = 256
So, if you want Alt+S then: 1024+83 (i.e., 1107) is the number.
example:
REM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
$ICO=$GROUP;0;$DEST\PRG.HLP;Prg Help;$DEST\PRG.ICO;0; ; ;$DEST;1107;1
Note that icon placement in existing groups is sometimes misaligned when
using the $ICO command.
43. The order of appearance of the user options has been changed on the
main dialog window.
44. New group boxes (with internal numeric IDs of 1 to 9) have been created
around different controls in the main dialog window.
45. New reserved word: $CLOSE-GROUP-BOX ; this allows you to close any
or all of the group boxes referred to above, by supplying their numeric
IDs as parameters (separated by semi-colons);
e.g., $CLOSE-GROUP-B0X=1;5;6
46. New reserved word: $ABORT-UNINSTAL-QUESTION ; the question to ask
when running the uninstaller, and the user clicks on the 'Close'
option in the system menu.
47. Support for batch commands with a new reserved word:
$BATCH-FILE. In WINSTALL.INF, you can have an unlimited number
of $BATCH-FILE lines, each specifying one file; but in SETUPINF.INF,
you can only have one $BATCH-FILE line.
Each batch file can contain an unlimited number of lines - but
note that the bigger a batch file is, the longer it will take
to read it. Each line in a batch file can be up to 200 characters.
Notes:
1. Whatever is done by these batch commands will normally NOT be
undone by the uninstaller.
2. Batch files are executed in the order in which they appear,
and are processed immediately after the files have been
installed (after $ini, $fonts, $reg-data, and $autoexec.bat,
but before $pre-exec, and $exec)
3. Certain reserved words are invalid when used in a batch
file that is run from SETUPINF.INF - e.g.,
$DEST
$TARGET
48. Several bugs fixed.
49. END OF THE INTRODUCTORY PRICING PERIOD.
Version 1.80 (February 1995)
----------------------------
1. New version of AutoCalc. This fixes some long standing bugs, and now
creates more reliable template INF files.
2. Spanish translation of the string tables.
3. New feature: an installation can now be terminated before completion
by pressing Alt+F4 or selecting "close" from the system menu on the
progress dialog. It is not advised to use this feature. Please use it
only as a LAST resort.
Version 1.70 (February 1995)
----------------------------
1. INSTALL.EXE has been enhanced to handle cases of mismatched
filenames (single file names only) on $DISK lines. Thus, for
example, if your disk file is called "FRED.DL_" and you mistakenly
put "FRED.DLL" in your $DISK line, INSTALL.EXE will (if "FRED.DLL"
is not found) try to look for "FRED.DL_."
2. New support for recursive creation of subdirectories under the
$DEST directory tree.
3. Problems encountered with SHARE.EXE under Windows 3.1 fixed.
4. Bug in $INI fixed.
5. Problem with AUTOCALC's processing of USER OPTIONS fixed.
Version 1.60 (February 1995)
----------------------------
1. Limited new support for wildcards on the following lines;
$SYSDIR, $WINDIR, $TEMPDIR, $DEST, $OPTIONAL, and $AUTO-REPLACE.
This support is limited to the asterix character ("*") plus a
FULL extension (e.g., *.TXT;*.EXE;*.DLL). You can mix these wildcards
with full filenames (e.g., *.TXT;DRAK.GLU;TROOK.FGC;*.TRK).
2. New reserved word $DIALOG-ICON - to change the icon on the installer's
dialogs. Icons must be in an optional DLL (WINSTALC.DLL) - a sample is
provided, which contains 8 icons.
3. $RESTARTWIN-MESSAGE can now take an optional parameter ("DISABLE").
When used, this disables the dialog asking if the user wants to
restart Windows.
4. SETUP.EXE can now install user files into the TEMP directory before
running INSTALL.EXE - this is achieved by using $TEMPDIR in the
SETUPINF.INF file.
5. $MAKE-UNINSTALL-LOG can now take an optional parameter ("OVERWRITE").
When used, UNINSTAL.EXE will overwrite all files and directories that
it is removing, so that the user can not undelete them. This feature
was introduced because a user asked for it. USE IT AT YOUR OWN PERIL!
6. New support for automatically installing fonts, with a new reserved
word $FONT.
7. New reserved word $SKIP-IDENTICAL-FILES. This causes a file to be
skipped, if a copy of it already exists, and that copy is exactly
the same version as the copy on the installation disk.
8. $INI can now take a 5th entry - "NO-REPLACE". Use this to prevent
the installer from replacing existing INI file entries (in which
case the entry will be made only if none already exists).
9. New functionality in AUTOCALC, with the /FULL parameter. This will
optionally generate a full template INF file, and even ATTEMPT to
create your installation disks for you. This new function
can be very complicated to configure properly. I wrote this for
my own personal use, and only decided to add it to AUTOCALC as an
after thought. This functionality is only included for those who do
not mind getting their hands dirty. When properly set up, it can greatly
simplify things in the future. However, it is totally optional, and I
have seriously considered removing it from AUTOCALC. Thus, if you find
it complex to use, just pretend that it is not there. But if you are
feeling adventurous, then read the "Advanced Users" section of
AUTOCACL.TXT.
10. Problem with certain files not being deleted from the TEMP directory
by $CLEANUP fixed.
Version 1.50x (January 1995)
----------------------------
1. The Uninstaller can now take a parameter - the home directory of the
program to be uninstalled. This means that you can now pass your
program's directory ("$DEST") as a parameter to UNINSTAL.EXE when
you are creating your program's icons with the $ICON command.
2. $CLEANUP can now accept wildcard characters. However, it will
NOT accept "*.*".
3. Install now uses CTL3DV2.DLL but will use CTL3D.DLL if CTL3DV2.DLL
is not found.
4. Uninstall will now delete INI files (but only those which are
in the home directory of the program being uninstalled).
5. $USER-OPTION lines can now take an extra parameter - the word
"UNCHECKED".
6. $GROUP can now take an extra parameter - the word "AUTO" or
the word "DISABLE".
7. A small bug in the text buffering for the INF file has been fixed.
8. New support for restarting Windows if any active shared file was
overwritten.
9. If the TEMP directory is on a different drive from the target
directory, $SWAP-SPACE will now be used to check for free space
on the drive which contains the TEMP directory only.
10. Files on $SYSDIR lines will now be installed into the Windows directory
if the installation is being carried out on a local area network.
11. New reserved words $SYSDIR-SPACE and $WINDIR-SPACE.
12. New reserved word $BANNER-SHADOW-COLOR.
13. New support for displaying a README file to the user before the
installation begins.
14. New reserved word $README-BUTTON-TEXT.
15. New reserved word $README-FONT.
16. New reserved word $SOURCEDIR.
17. New utility - AUTOCALC.EXE.
18. New (limited) support for the Registration Database, with a new
reserved word $REG-DATA.
19. $BITMAP can now take an extra optional parameter "NORMAL".
20. $MAKE-UNINSTALL-LOG can now take an optional parameter - the name
of the file to use as the LOG file for UNINSTAL.EXE.
21. UNINSTAL.EXE can now take an optional SECOND parameter - the name of
the LOG file for the uninstall.
22. $TARGET can now take optional extra parameters - details of an INI file
in the Windows directory from which entries from a previous installation
of your program can be obtained.
23. Foreign language support introduced for UNINSTAL.EXE and SETUP.EXE.
24. New DOS command line utility (SHOWLOG.EXE) to show the contents of
the UNINSTAL.LOG file, and new reserved word $DEBUG-LOG, to
accompany it - see SHOWLOG.TXT for details.
Version 1.10 (December 1994)
----------------------------
1. new reserved word $NO-CTL3D.DLL
2. new support for splitting "$DISK=" lines over up to 10 lines for each
disk in the installation set
3. SETUP.EXE now copies CTL3D.DLL to the Windows SYSTEM directory (if
there is no existing copy) instead of the TEMP directory.
Version 1.00 (December 1994)
----------------------------
First public release of the "Pro" version, at a special INTRODUCTORY
PRICE (£20 (U.K. Sterling), or $29 (US)).