3 replies to this topic

[jramsden]

I've been tasked with producing a Multi-Installer InstallShield (MultiPlatform)package which will install MySQL, PHP, Apache, and finally a monitoring app I have written.

I'm beginning to think this is a Herculean, and possibly impractical or impossible, task; but I'm giving it a go.

Starting with the MySQL install, I downloaded and expanded a ZIP file, and the result is a set of files, including three CAB files which Microsoft's CABARC utility (part of the CAB SDK, available from http://support.micro...KB;en-us;310618 ) reckons are _not_ kosher cabinet files! DUH! So what gives here?! Does InstallShield use some kind of proprietary extension of Microsoft CAB files, and if so how does one edit the variant format?

For now, I'd be content just to combine MySQL and my app into one multi-installer package, as a 'proof of concept', and I'd be very interested if anyone can suggest any documentation or hints as to how to achieve that.

Unfortunately the MySQL install package, although it uses InstallShield, doesn't comprise a single SETUP.EXE file. So it looks like I have to enclose that in an 'outer' MySQL install. But then I have the big problem of conveying the user's chosen install directory from the outer install into the inner one (hence my disappointment at finding that one can't apparently tweak MySQL CAB files!)

In summary - HELP!!


Cheers

John Ramsden

[Stefan Krueger]

InstallSield CAB files use a different format than Microsoft CAB files. They only have the extension in common. InstallShield DevStudio comes with a CAB viewer.

[jramsden]

Many thanks for your prompt reply, Stefan. I'll try and keep this short:

Q 1: Does InstallShield Multiplatform also contain the IS-variant CAB file viewer,
and does this allow CAB files to be manually constructed and tweaked, like Microsoft's CABARC utility?

(Or doesn't IS Multiplatform only use JAR files rather than CAB files?)

Q 2: Is the format of InstallShield CAB files in the public domain?

Q 3: Does IS Multiplatform have provisions for including in an IS suite the built versions of some 3rd-party install, such as MySQL (where of course the released install files don't include the project XML file) or even an install produced by some other product such as Wise?

Obviously in those circs the 'wrapper' install couldn't be expected to play any part in tracking files and so forth relating to an 'autonomous' 3rd-party sub-install. The latter's inclusion in the suite would be purely a convenience for the installer.

I guess this is equivalant to a program doing an 'exec' of another program, as opposed to having the latter's source code compiled in.

Cheers

John Ramsden

[Stefan Krueger]

A 1: I'm not sure but I guess no. I don't think MultiPLatform uses the same format as Professional and DevStudio.

A 2: No.

A 3: I'm not very familiar with the MultiPlatform edition, but I would expect that it can run an external .exe, which may be the setup.exe of a third party package. I'm pretty sure you cannot import a third party setup, merging it into your own setup and making it an integral part of it.