How to Merge Module or File bag tutorial

[clwillia]

1. i find that most of the answers given here on the forums is use merge modules or file bags, but no one seems to point to how to create them or use them. <answer>

2. And if i do a search for them in the forums it crashes your webserver-search saying "search took too long".

3. (side complaing: when you do a search is it itemANDotheritem or is it item&otheritem or is it item AND otheritem) an example would probably be best in your search area.

4. is there a way to remove the "PRODUCT - installaware wizard " from the install window frame, just the installaware bit not our prouduct bit? when i mean the frame, i mean the bit that has the min/max/close button.

5. the main issue i need help with is from an earlier post referring to the "verifying, taking too long" issue, which Neshmith says "use file bag" but references to file bag turn up "files that wont be used after install" which wont work being the install is meant to install files. which brings me back to a way to get rid of verifying? i am building a single exe. i have tried all of your compression methods, and they dont matter. its 1 install not a bunch of installs bundled together so its not that. Using uncompressed only margonally helps. the installer is anywhere from 300-420mb (based on your compression options) with lots of files in that (which will probably get me the "use filebag" answer, so you people go to question 1). Going with "cd uncompressed format" as apposed to "single exe" gets me the speed i need, but doesn't get me the single exe i want.

p.s. you (installaware) should really ask before putting other companies logos/whatever up on your site. we were ok with it, but it would have been nice if you asked first.

[drunix]

1. i find that most of the answers given here on the forums is use merge modules or file bags, but no one seems to point to how to create them or use them.

HELLO INSTALLAWARE --- SAME HERE ----

It is very frustrating having bought a tool and finding it comes without enough documentation to be able to use it.

I can see how to drop a "File Bag" into a script but have no idea WHERE to drop it so that it WORKS. So far it seems to do NOTHING. No files are added to output.


THANKS!!

[jimo]

The most common use of a FIle Bag is to install files that may not be needed on every install, in other words you install them once and they are not installed again, ever.

I use FIle Bag for installing Crystall Reports.
I created a seperate "Light Mode" installer that includes the Crystal Merge modules.

In my main install I created 2 include scripts;
1. A script that checks to see if Crystal is installed (checkcr11)
2. A script that runs the "Light Mode" setup I created abaove (setupcr11)
Here is my setupcr11 script:

Code: Select all

if Variable HASCR11 Equals FALSE
 Set Variable PROGRESSTEXT to Installing Crystal Reports Runtimes
 Set Variable CR11LOC to 
 Define File Bag : E:\\MMD_Install\\MediaDent\\CR11\\*.*, include files recursively, get runtime location of files into variable CR11LOC
 Set Variable PROGRESS to 0
  Run Light Mode InstallAware Setup $CR11LOC$ (get result into variable CR11INST)
 Set Variable PROGRESS to 100
 Set Variable PROGRESS to 0
END

[tie_gerben]

I use them to have files I only need DURING the install.
For example, when installing a website, I want to construct a web.config using information from the dialogs.
So i add the definition of a file bag to including all my template-files. (among the lines defining the regular files to be installed)
During install, those files can be found in the folder identified by the output-variable of File Bag (a subpath in the window's temp folder)

After the 'apply install', you can do whatever you want with those temporary files. I use them to read their contents, replace some strings, and write it to for example a web.config in the destination folder.

I have also used the file bags containing all my sql-scripts I want to execute during installation.

About the use of file-bags
As far as i know, you can either define one file, (but the variable will get as path value still the temp-folder), or a wildcard to get multiple files.
Haven't discovered yet to define a list of files.