Installer

[Mike Thurman]

Hi,

Anyone know of any program that can compile my plane into an .exe file, so that when people download it they can install everything to the correct places insted of copying all of the stuff to different locations?


Thanks

Mike

[Jared]

But then you have to remember that some people don't put their sim files in the same spot...;-)

I have Visual Studio dot.net and you can create a installer in there..;-)

[Mike Thurman]

Might you be a bit more specific, for example, what is Visual Studio dot.net  :P

[Hagar]

Hi Mike

I dislike auto-install programs intensely. I would never use them myself but have been known to compile my own files as auto-installers due to their popularity. I use self-extracting WinZip files these days. These are very easy to create but might be an extra feature included with my registered version of WinZip. One alternative is a free utility named the ClickTeam Installer. http://www.clickteam.com/English/install_creator.htm

It's not difficult to use once you get the idea. If you insist on doing this please take great care in configuring the files & folders. Also test the install carefully & if at all possible get others to test it for you before uploading the files for public use. I suggest not using the Uninstall option. This is selected by default & you have to remember to deactivate it each time you compile a file. I haven't tried it but suspect this could cause problems. Finally - always zip the EXE files up before uploading them or posting on your own website. Viruses can easily attach themselves to EXE files.

The auto-install will only work if the files/folders are configured properly in the first place. Providing the files/folders are configured in the same way it's much easier all round to post addons as ordinary zipfiles. IMHO

[Mike Thurman]

aha,


Thanks Hagar, i've used that before, but to install aircraft, in the past i tried to find tthe freeware version, but couldn't, and it was right under my nose all the time


Mike

[RollerBall]

Mike

Don't do it. Simmers are not chimps (at least in the majority)

They are quite capable of installing aircraft and don't need any form of auto-installer to get files in the right place. I frankly resent ANY designer thinking he knows better than I do where to install files on MY PC and after several bad experiences in the past will NEVER use an autoinstaller no matter how good the designer thinks his plane is.

I don't need any more rubbish entries in my Windows Registry, thanks and I suspect noone else does either.

Just Zip em up and let people do their own thing!

A 'crie de coeur' from somone who has been bitten once too often by autoinstallers.

Roger

[Hagar]

Mike

Don't do it.

I second that - although I don't necessarily agree with the qualifying sentence.

I've done my best to dissuade Mike from doing this. If he's determined to go ahead anyway he might just as well learn how to do it correctly.

I don't need any more rubbish entries in my Windows Registry,

I suspect this was caused by that Uninstall option I mentioned. This is why I prefer the self-extracting zipfiles for my own files. These create no Registry entries & can be extracted in the usual way from the right-click WinZip options.

PS. Mike. If you're not prepared to check the auto-install out on a fresh install of the sim every time you configure a new one - DON'T DO IT............! It ain't worth the risk.