Application that creates exe file with its own instructions?

[frankietp]

Thanks for your reply!

Well so far this is what I got... I have a main application "brander" in which I choose the file I want to brand, I also choose the filename of the result exe file from the branding process.

Then... I brand the file. I brand the file with another exe file that I call "extracter.exe". The result exe file from that branding process includes the extracter exe and an appended chosen file.

When I click that exe file (branded), it extracts the appended file and it is given the original file's extension. That means if I branded a .jpg file, that is the extension it gives to the extracted file.

Basically what I have is a tedious file copier. Of course that is not what I want.

Do you know how I can make the extracter to open the appended file instead of extracting it?

The result exe file from the branding process has the chosen file all appended to its data so all I would need is how to open it, without extracting it.

Any clue on how to do this?

Well I haven't downloaded or played with it. I can think of 1 easy way it could be done.

Two apps.
1. Simply create an application that will be able to read the end of its exe. At the end is a link to the file to be displayed/opened or possibly the entire file simply appended onto the exe. When the app is double clicked/opened up, it knows what to do with the stuff appended to the end of it. You can search for self-modifying executables on this site and elsewhere for examples.

2. Your "branding" app has in its resource file the app in #1 above. When you click a file to brand, you basically copy the app in #1 out of your resource file and append the target file to the end of it.

That's about all I can give you. This isn't my cup of tea and honestly not that interested.

As for building an actual exe on the fly, forget about it unless you create and deploy your own compiler.