C++ VB installer stub comm

[filburt1]

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.

[sail3005]

It's probably gonna start out as c++ console i think.

Maybe we can add a GUI later if it actually works and stuff

[filburt1]

It shouldn't need a GUI, except for a big ol' Cancel button.

[sail3005]

ok, what are the exact files that you want it to copy?

[filburt1]

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).

[sail3005]

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.

[filburt1]

Which is fine.

[sail3005]

exactly how much c++ do you know filburt?

[filburt1]

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...

[sail3005]

ok, so when do you want to start on this?>

[filburt1]

I'll really get going tonight (USA EST) when I get home from my mentorship.

[sail3005]

ok, good. i'll be on then, as i am sick and have not much else to do

[sail3005]

anyone else wanna help?

[filburt1]

'Kay, I'm ready to start this thang. BTW, I have Borland C++ 5.04 (which crashes under Windows XP ).

[filburt1]

// 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;
}

I'm done!

I dunno how to shell an outside app, there are like a million exec commands.

[sail3005]

Originally posted by filburt1
'Kay, I'm ready to start this thang. BTW, I have Borland C++ 5.04 (which crashes under Windows XP ).

one q...why aren't you using VC++?

[filburt1]

Don't have it. BTW, the latest (obviously not anywhere near finished):

// 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;
}

[sail3005]

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.

[filburt1]

Okay. Here's a sample Installer Stub Script (.iss) file.

copytowinsysdir msvbvm50.dll
copytowinsysdirandregister specialsetupactivexcontrol.ocx
shellprocess "setup.exe"

[sail3005]

looks great
one tip...

lets make the vars like this copyToWinSysDir msvbvm50.dll so it is more readable? is that ok?

[filburt1]

Sure, I'll just make the code case insensitive.

[Fencer5]

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

[filburt1]

DIE, Package and Setup Wizard! DIE!

Note that all this does is get a crutch up for a full-blown VB setup program.

[Fencer5]

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

[filburt1]

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 ).

[sail3005]

filb can you post the project in a zip file?

[filburt1]

Here it is so far:

// 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;
}

[sail3005]

thanks

[drcacho]

Try Inno setup at www.innosetup.com

That's cool & free (Comes with sources!)

[filburt1]

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.

[Sastraxi]

I may be looking into this... =)

[eiSecure]

Filburt, is it finished yet?

Secure-It! 2002 SP1 is about to be released, and I want to create my own install.

[Hampster]

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

[Osnr]

.iss is InnoSetup's extension! (Inno Setup Script) You'll have to get a new extension

[Sastraxi]

The project is dead.