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This thread is for those interesting in developing a Visual Basic installer stub. It will copy the VB runtimes, register any intrinsic control DLLs and OCXs, and shell out a "real" setup program written in VB and kill itself. This is similar to the "Please wait while Setup initializes" in a setup made by the Package and Deployment Wizard/Setup Toolkit.
It's probably gonna start out as c++ console i think.
Maybe we can add a GUI later if it actually works and stuff
It shouldn't need a GUI, except for a big ol' Cancel button. :)
ok, what are the exact files that you want it to copy?
The VB runtimes and enough dependencies to get a REALLY simple VB program up and running. The setup that I'll make will only use intrinsic controls and stuff. So far I think only MSVBVM50.DLL is needed (this is VB5).
ok, i see. something we could do is make a text file that the program reads to know which files to copy over. we could name it wahtever we want. But that would allow on;y the files the programmer needs to be copied copied over.
Which is fine.
exactly how much c++ do you know filburt?
I know REALLY simple stuff with pointers, and much more about File I/O, string/vector manipulation using the College Board AP Computer Science classes...
ok, so when do you want to start on this?>
I'll really get going tonight (USA EST) when I get home from my mentorship.
ok, good. i'll be on then, as i am sick and have not much else to do :(:D
anyone else wanna help?
'Kay, I'm ready to start this thang. BTW, I have Borland C++ 5.04 (which crashes under Windows XP :mad:).
I'm done!Code:// Visual Basic Installer Stub
// Designed for Visual Basic 5.0 and 6.0
// Copyright (c) 2001 Arien "filburt1" Talabac, "sail3005"
#include <iostream.h>
int main()
{
cout << "Work!" << endl;
}
:rolleyes: I dunno how to shell an outside app, there are like a million exec commands. :(
one q...why aren't you using VC++?Quote:
Originally posted by filburt1
'Kay, I'm ready to start this thang. BTW, I have Borland C++ 5.04 (which crashes under Windows XP :mad:).
Don't have it. BTW, the latest (obviously not anywhere near finished):
Code:// Visual Basic Installer Stub
// Designed for Visual Basic 5.0 and 6.0
// Copyright (c) 2001 Arien "filburt1" Talabac, "sail3005"
// ap*.h classes are from the College Board; download them at
// http://www.collegeboard.org/ap/compu...l/classes.html
#include <iostream.h>
#include <fstream.h>
#include <windows.h>
#include <conio.h> // requires Borland compiler
#include "apstring.h"
#include "apvector.h"
#define _PROJECT_VERSION_ "1.0.0"
#define _SCRIPT_FILE_ "script.iss"
apstring WindowsSystemDirectory()
// Returns a path to the Windows system directory or "" on error.
{
UINT i;
char path[MAX_PATH];
UINT sz = MAX_PATH;
i = GetWindowsDirectory(path, sz);
return apstring(path);
}
int main()
{
cout << "Visual Basic Installer Stub" << endl;
cout << "Version " << _PROJECT_VERSION_ << endl;
cout << endl;
cout << "Searching for stub script \"" << _SCRIPT_FILE_ << "\"...";
ifstream in(_SCRIPT_FILE_, ios::nocreate);
if (in.fail())
{
cout << "Failed" << endl;
return 1;
}
cout << "Found" << endl;
cout << "Loading script commands...";
apstring currentLine("");
apvector<apstring> lines;
while (!in.eof())
{
getline(in, currentLine);
lines.resize(lines.length() + 1);
lines[lines.length() - 1] = currentLine;
}
in.close();
cout << "Loaded " << lines.length() << " directive(s)" << endl;
cout << "Executing directives..." << endl;
for (long i = 0; i < lines.length(); i++)
{
currentLine = lines[i]; // cache it for speed
if (currentLine.find("copytowinsysdir") == 0)
{
apstring source;
int spaceLoc = currentLine.find(' ');
if (spaceLoc != npos)
{
source = currentLine.substr(spaceLoc + 1,
currentLine.length() - spaceLoc);
cout << "Copying \"" << source
<< "\" to \"" << WindowsSystemDirectory() << "\"...";
cout << "Done" << endl;
}
}
else if (currentLine.find("copytowinsysdirandregister") == 0)
{
}
else if (currentLine.find("shellprocess") == 0)
{
}
else
{
cout << "Unrecognized directive \"" << currentLine << "\"" << endl;
}
}
cout << "Stub execution complete." << endl;
return 0;
}
Cool, looks like a great start. I am gonna go to bed soon, but i will work on what you have there tommarow, and see what i can hack out.
Okay. Here's a sample Installer Stub Script (.iss) file.
Code:copytowinsysdir msvbvm50.dll
copytowinsysdirandregister specialsetupactivexcontrol.ocx
shellprocess "setup.exe"
looks great
one tip...
lets make the vars like this copyToWinSysDir msvbvm50.dll so it is more readable? is that ok?
Sure, I'll just make the code case insensitive. :)
Sounds really cool... don't know much in C++, but I would be very interested in using the stub when you're done - with your name on it
DIE, Package and Setup Wizard! DIE! :D
Note that all this does is get a crutch up for a full-blown VB setup program.
yeah - i know - i have one that i compiled in my age old version of QB4.5 (those were the days) - wouldn't mindd C++ one
QBasic couldn't do all the things we need like getting the system directory and checking if a file exists in a function (error trapping doesn't work in functions in QB :().
filb can you post the project in a zip file?
Here it is so far:
Code:// Visual Basic Installer Stub
// Designed for Visual Basic 5.0 and 6.0
// Copyright (c) 2001 Arien Talabac
// ap*.h classes are from the College Board; download them at
// http://www.collegeboard.org/ap/compu...l/classes.html
#include <iostream.h>
#include <fstream.h>
#include <windows.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <ctype.h>
#include "apstring.h"
#include "apvector.h"
#define _PROJECT_VERSION_ "1.0.0"
#define _SCRIPT_FILE_ "script.iss"
#define _WAIT_FOR_KEY_PRESS_TERMINATE_ true
#define _COPYRIGHT_NOTICE_ "Copyright (c) 2001 Arien Talabac"
// Uncomment below if bool is not a keyword in your compiler:
/*
#define bool int
#define true 1
#define false 0
*/
apstring windowsSystemDirectory()
// Returns a path to the Windows system directory or "" on error.
{
UINT i;
char path[MAX_PATH];
UINT sz = MAX_PATH;
i = GetWindowsDirectory(path, sz);
return apstring(path);
}
bool copyFile(const apstring &source, const apstring &dest)
// Copies source to dest and return true on success.
{
long flag = CopyFile(source.c_str(), dest.c_str(), FALSE);
return (flag != 0);
}
apstring lowercase(apstring s)
// Returns a lowercase version of s
{
for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++)
{
s[i] = tolower(s[i]);
}
return s;
}
bool executeScriptCommand(const apstring &s)
// Executes s and returns true on success.
{
if (s.find("copytowinsysdir") == 0)
{
int spaceLoc = s.find(' ');
if (spaceLoc != npos)
{
apstring source = s.substr(spaceLoc + 1, s.length() - spaceLoc);
apstring dest(windowsSystemDirectory() + "\\");
cout << "Copying \"" << source << "\" to \"" << dest << "\"...";
if (copyFile(source, dest + "\\"))
{
cout << "Done" << endl;
return true;
}
else
{
cout << "Failed" << endl;
return false;
}
}
else
{
cout << "Bad syntax in \"" << s << "\"" << endl;
return false;
}
}
else if (s.find("copytowinsysdirandregister") == 0)
{
}
else if (s.find("shellprocess") == 0)
{
}
else
{
cout << "Unrecognized directive \"" << s << "\"" << endl;
return false;
}
return true;
}
int main()
{
cout << "Visual Basic Installer Stub" << endl;
cout << "Version " << _PROJECT_VERSION_ << endl;
cout << _COPYRIGHT_NOTICE_ << endl;
cout << endl;
cout << "Searching for stub script \"" << _SCRIPT_FILE_ << "\"...";
ifstream in(_SCRIPT_FILE_, ios::nocreate);
if (in.fail())
{
cout << "Failed" << endl;
return 1;
}
cout << "Found" << endl;
cout << "Loading script commands...";
apstring currentLine("");
apvector<apstring> lines;
while (!in.eof())
{
getline(in, currentLine);
lines.resize(lines.length() + 1);
lines[lines.length() - 1] = currentLine;
}
in.close();
cout << "Loaded " << lines.length() << " directive(s)" << endl;
cout << "Executing directives..." << endl;
long errorCount = 0;
for (long i = 0; i < lines.length(); i++)
{
if (!executeScriptCommand(lines[i]))
{
errorCount++;
}
}
cout << "Done executing " << lines.length() << " directive(s) with "
<< errorCount << " error(s)" << endl;
if (_WAIT_FOR_KEY_PRESS_TERMINATE_)
{
getchar();
}
return 0;
}
thanks ;)
Try Inno setup at www.innosetup.com
That's cool & free (Comes with sources!)
I know, but that's a full-blown setup package, this is just a stub to get a full-blown setup program written in VB up and running. :)
I may be looking into this... =)
Filburt, is it finished yet?
Secure-It! 2002 SP1 is about to be released, and I want to create my own install.:):D
Hmm, haven't tested this out, but this looks like a way to see if a file exists in QB
http://www.tek-tips.com/gviewthread....314/qid/191533
.iss is InnoSetup's extension! (Inno Setup Script) You'll have to get a new extension :)
The project is dead.