3 replies to this topic

[KathyMorey]

We have a thick-client application which is installed with a basic MSI. We have a second MSI that installs the help files and that uses dynamic file links, since our department doesn't have control over the naming of the Web-based help files and since there are hundreds of them. (We always package the Help .msi as a major upgrade, so the files will uninstall/reinstall.)

I'm trying to find a way to make our product more administrator-friendly, which includes having 1 MSI to install everything on the Client, but I really don't want to have to maintain individual components for all the help files, whose directory structure is a couple layers deep and which are split into several modules that are conditionally installed depending on which modules are licensed.

How does everyone else handle the installation of sets of files that contain .html, .gif and .jpg, .xml and other Web-type files when there are hundreds of them spread out over several directories and subdirectories?

[lavocat]

When you said :"directory structure is a couple layers deep and which are split into several modules that are conditionally installed depending on which modules are licensed. " I don't understand how you may pretend manage this with dynamic file link?

Here I found tools to create components from a directory hierarchy and add them to your database : http://www.xmission....lize/installer/

When all the help components are created, I suggest you to use Orca to edit your msi and associate component with right module etc. Orca help you to manipulate the MSI db very fast. Sometime, I also use Orca in combination with MS Excel or notepad...

[Christoph]

Kathy,

we distribute also a client application that have a lot of webbased help files and this for 6 different languages. However, I've choosen to do it the hard way and made different component sets per directory within the help folderstructure. Within every defined component, I use dynamic linking.

I also perform major upgrades.

It is a bit of work to maintain but we only release different help files with a major release(1 every year) so it's not really a pain in the ass.

[KathyMorey]

Thanks for the reply. I was hoping to fold our Help into the main client installation, but I want to be able to do patches with the client (which we recently converted to a Basic MSI from an InstallScript MSI).

Maybe I'll rethink that....