Installer Creator

[TheSaint]

For those who want to bypass the Install routine of this and any other of my Installer enabled program downloads, I remembered how it all works today.

When you run my setup file, the first thing it does (before you get presented with the Install dialog) is extract all files to the current user's temp folder. When the Installer closes, any files remaining there are deleted.

So if you leave the Installer dialog running, you can copy what you want to another location, then close the Installer.

P.S. The user's temp folder is usually hidden by default (i.e. C:\Documents and Settings\TheSaint\Local Settings\Temp) but you could create a shortcut to open it - if you don't want to fiddle with your settings. Obviously you replace 'TheSaint' in the path with your user name.

Edited November 7, 2008 by TheSaint

[TehWhale]

It Still RequiresAdmin, but whatever.

[TheSaint]

It Still RequiresAdmin, but whatever.

Even to do that much? You tried it?

If that is the case, then you know where you can put Vista don't you?

[Automania]

Hi all,

this is a very impressive program as far as I can tell.

Sadly, no matter what I do, each time I start the installer I created (with v2.2) it shows a popup after it copied the files to the temp folder:

AutoIt Error

line -1:

Error: variable used without being declared.

Is that an error in your source code or did I overread something in the help file? The interface is really something I have to really get used to, some parts are confusing, maybe I messed up somewhere.

Edited October 25, 2008 by Automania

[TheSaint]

Hi all,

this is a very impressive program as far as I can tell.

Sadly, no matter what I do, each time I start the installer I created (with v2.2) it shows a popup after it copied the files to the temp folder:

AutoIt Error

line -1:

Error: variable used without being declared.

Is that an error in your source code or did I overread something in the help file? The interface is really something I have to really get used to, some parts are confusing, maybe I messed up somewhere.

I'd love to help you, but unless you give me something more to go on - like what version of AutoIt, Windows, etc - I've got very little to say. The installers work fine for me, and have done for a very long time. Mayhap the variable in question is related to an include file which is not supported properly by the version of AutoIt you are using? Maybe there is a limit of permissions on your temp folder? Maybe you didn't set something that needs to be set (that I always set and so missed in my testing somehow)?

If you lay out all your steps (i.e. 1, 2, 3 etc), then I can try to see what's maybe gone wrong!

Thank you for taking the time to give me feedback, and persevering with the program!

P.S. The interface may seem a little confusing at first, but believe me I find it so much faster, than other programs I've tried over the years (all the ones with most of the same features anyway). It doesn't take long to get used to, once you understand some of the concepts - which are pretty basic ... I tried to keep it plain and simple (and powerful).

[Jussip]

looks pretty neat

[TheSaint]

looks pretty neat

Thanks!

Hope it works well for you?

[TheSaint]

Installer Creator has jumped a few versions and gone straight to v2.5. I did this, because I've implemented a major new feature - Install Packages.

Install packages are just regular .zip files that contain an instruction file for installing (Install.ini). A simple method, but a little tricky to implement.

I've also (as you can see at the first post - new screenshot) added the option of manually toggling the right-click context menu access for the program. Plus, I added a 'Build In Steps' option (which was there before - you just deselected 'Build In One Process' option) and given the choice of creating a regular setup executable or an installer package (.zip).

Install packages are much smaller than the regular setup executable, they do not contain the Installer and Uninstaller executables - they contain an extra .ini file instead. They can still be installed in very much the same way as before, except you need an extra program installed - Universal Installer, which can be found here. They also do not get enlarged by compiling into an AutoIt executable.

The Universal Installer program installs the 'Uninstaller' program for all the 'Install Packages', when it is installed. However, it is not required to access the content of the packages, they can be used like regular zips.

For those who want a version of Installer Creator that is not in an 'Installer', the download at The Saint's Toolbox, is now a much smaller package (.zip) file. Use it with or without the Universal Installer program, though I recommend installing it correctly with it, at least once - those who have downloaded it before, have done that most likely.

As an extra note, I discovered a minor bug in Installer Creator which I haven't addressed yet, which is related to removing a saved shortcut setting (I noticed that not all settings were being removed for a '$AllUsers\SendTo' shortcut - it may also occur for others). I didn't have time to fix it before the latest upload, and I want to add some other features as well, so I left it as is for now. This bug should only impact what you see in the shortcuts to be installed list, but should not actually get created ... that's if I remembered rightly how it all works. The new features I want to add, are very similar to what you see in the 'Installer' for my Universal Installer program, which is virtually identical to the executable one created by Installer Creator. You may understand what I mean, if you compare screenshots for both programs.

Download both programs from here.

Edited December 11, 2008 by TheSaint

[Armand]

neat !!!

i'll give it a try... maybe we can finally say: "bye bye nsis!"

[TheSaint]

neat !!!

Thanks!

i'll give it a try... maybe we can finally say: "bye bye nsis!"

I don't know about that? It depends on how much power you need. This just has most of the required features of an installer, but not really a full-blown updater as such!

[pegasus]

I'd love to help you, but unless you give me something more to go on - like what version of AutoIt, Windows, etc - I've got very little to say. The installers work fine for me, and have done for a very long time. Mayhap the variable in question is related to an include file which is not supported properly by the version of AutoIt you are using? Maybe there is a limit of permissions on your temp folder? Maybe you didn't set something that needs to be set (that I always set and so missed in my testing somehow)?

If you lay out all your steps (i.e. 1, 2, 3 etc), then I can try to see what's maybe gone wrong!

Thank you for taking the time to give me feedback, and persevering with the program!

P.S. The interface may seem a little confusing at first, but believe me I find it so much faster, than other programs I've tried over the years (all the ones with most of the same features anyway). It doesn't take long to get used to, once you understand some of the concepts - which are pretty basic ... I tried to keep it plain and simple (and powerful).

Referring too to post #24 I am getting the same error message i.e. a pop up that says:

AutoIt Error

Error -1

Error Variable used without being declared.

Here is what I did:

I just downloaded your Installer Creator

I read all the forum posts and the help files

I copied my compiled AutoIt program and a supporting .txt file to a new folder

I started the Installer Creator and put in the appropriate details/options, choosing the option to make an .exe

It ran and produced a .exe "progname setup.exe"

I run the setup program and it starts and copies some files then at some unknown point in the process I get the error mentioned above and the program quits. I can see that it has not at that point created the destination program folder.

My prog was compiled with AutiIT 3.2.12.1.

Any light you can shed on this will be appreciated as I have invested 2-3 hours in finding and getting acquainted with this tool (and others of yours) which looks like just what I need and I am hoping that was not wasted!

Thanks

Graham

Edited January 29, 2009 by pegasus

[TheSaint]

Referring too to post #24 I am getting the same error message i.e. a pop up that says:

AutoIt Error

Error -1

Error Variable used without being declared.

Here is what I did:

I just downloaded your Installer Creator

I read all the forum posts and the help files

I copied my compiled AutoIt program and a supporting .txt file to a new folder

I started the Installer Creator and put in the appropriate details/options, choosing the option to make an .exe

It ran and produced a .exe "progname setup.exe"

I run the setup program and it starts and copies some files then at some unknown point in the process I get the error mentioned above and the program quits. I can see that it has not at that point created the destination program folder.

My prog was compiled with AutiIT 3.2.12.1.

Any light you can shed on this will be appreciated as I have invested 2-3 hours in finding and getting acquainted with this tool (and others of yours) which looks like just what I need and I am hoping that was not wasted!

Thanks

Graham

Hi Graham

I can only do some testing with AutoIt 3.2.12.1, at this point, because you have not supplied me with any specific detail, other than the basic steps. You also don't mention your version of Windows. I use Windows XP SP2 exclusively, which I state on my Toolbox page, so if you are using something else like Vista, and that is the issue, then I cannot help you. That said, it may be a simple issue related to the compiler in the version of AutoIt you are using ... I haven't tested it beyond v3.2.4.9 as I haven't had a reason to upgrade beyond that yet (or come to terms with any of the new changes ... which may be the issue).

However, you can try out the following tests.

Test 1

1) De-select the 'Wipe Script' option (directly under the main BUILD button).

2) Try to manually compile the last script created while you have it open in SciTE (this script normally gets wiped after the executable is created).

3) If any errors occur, they should get reported to you, and it will most likely mean a compile issue is the problem.

4) There is a program available from the AutoIt forum (and instructions) for upgrading older scripts to the newer #Include standards, etc. You could also try doing that as a test.

Test 2

1) Instead of creating an executable, try creating an installer package (.zip) only, without changing any of your other settings.

2) Try installing from that (obviously you'll need to install my Universal Installer program first to test this method out).

3) If any error occurs, this should tell us that one of your settings is to blame.

Test 3

1) If you have access to an earlier version of AutoIt (i.e. 3.2.0.1 --> 3.2.4.9), then try that with your settings (i.e. executable & then install test).

2) If any error occurs, this should tell us that one of your settings is to blame.

My Thoughts

While it is easy to think that the version of AutoIt may be the issue, I suspect that I would have had more reports of an issue by now ... unless others have done the above tests or made logical deductions of their own, and dealt with that in some way or the other.

You could also email me a copy of your 'Installer.inst' and Installer script (au3) files or just post the content for me to check.

Other Questions

Have you set the Install path before building?

What about other paths (Uninstall, Shortcuts)?

I'm presuming you are using Installer Creator v2.5?

I also presume you've read all of Post #25 etc?

I should be able to get back to you in a day or three with the results of the version test (maybe after the weekend). Hopefully you can also do your own tests (as above) and get back to me.

[TheSaint]

@pegasus

Ok, it seems I was wrong to presume that lack of more notifications mean't all was ok with AutoIt version. I've just tested it with v3.2.12.0 and are getting the same error message.

What I've been able to divine so far, is that no variables of mine are undeclared, and that the unzipping to a temp folder is working.

I'm presuming, that the #Include line in the 'Installer.au3' file that get's created during the first step, is probably the issue, but I'll need to do further testing.

If you build in stages (select that option), then you can do your own testing. The 'Installer.au3' file is the first script that gets created, and is removed during the zipping stage, so you'll need to copy that created folder and file before doing that stage. The other script that gets created (and which remains if you de-select the wipe option ... as mentioned last post), does not have any include lines, and is purely for unzipping, cleanup and running the 'Installer.exe' file (compiled version of the first script), and seems to be working ok, so I feel fairly certain that the problem is within the 'Installer.au3' file (i.e. compiled to 'Installer.exe').

You may be able to test my theory out, by updating that #Include statement to the current standard required by v3.2.12.0 and above (I think that was the version where things changed). Re-compile manually, then continue with steps 2 & 3 of Installer Creator ... the program should have remembered what stage you stopped at. If installing then works ok, then we know what needs adapting ... probably I will just need to add a test for which version of AutoIt is currently active, then have the correct line(s) added for that version of the compiler. If someone else reading this, knows the line(s) already, then please post them here, and I'll update Installer Creator to v2.6 much faster.

If many other users here had volunteered some decent feedback by now, then I would probably be suppling the source code right now for others to play with an adapt. I guess I was wrong to think that nothing heard (mostly), mean't all was ok (mostly).

Thanks for persevering with my program, and I'm sorry it's given you problems, though I did state what versions of AutoIt I use on the 1st Toolbox topic post.

[TheSaint]

Ok, this is probably the best solution for now, from Zedna. I haven't tested it yet, but I should imagine that it is what others have used, and why I've had very little feedback about this issue. Just place that GUIConstants.au3 file in the Installer Creator folder ... even prune it if you want ... and that should do the trick.

Be interesting to see if pruning that file makes much difference to the final file size.

If anyone tries this or has tried it, then please give feedback.

I will eventually update Installer Creator, but who knows when that will happen.

P.S. You only need to do this, if you are using a fairly current version of AutoIt, that doesn't have a GUIConstants.au3 file. I believe that it has been replaced by the GUIConstantsEx.au3 file (or somesuch), which my program doesn't cater for yet.

Edited February 5, 2009 by TheSaint

[TheSaint]

P.S. You only need to do this, if you are using a fairly current version of AutoIt, that doesn't have a GUIConstants.au3 file. I believe that it has been replaced by the GUIConstantsEx.au3 file (or somesuch), which my program doesn't cater for yet.

Ok, I've since discovered that this is slightly incorrect. The GUIConstants.au3 file still exists, but only has one line which #Includes the GUIConstantsEx.au3 file.

I've also discovered the broken Icon ID situation, so even though you follow the instructions from my last post, and the created Installer works, the icons will be wrong on the buttons.

I'm currently working on an update to resolve all these issues, and hopefully retain backwards compatibility.

[TheSaint]

Ok, Installer Creator has been updated to v2.6, and is hopefully now compatible for AutoIt v3.2.0.1 --> v3.3.0.0.

Download from here.

[TheSaint]

Ok, Installer Creator has been updated to v2.7, with the details here.

Download from here.

[GregoryAlan]

Hey Saint-Guy,

I'm getting an error when I try and create a build using Installer Creator v2.7

The error comes up multiple times: "Compiler Location Error, Cannot find the 'Aut2Exe' file!"

I'm trying to create a build that includes a pre-compiled .au3 (an .exe) along with a .dll file

I'm on XP Professional SP3

My Aut2Exe is located at C:\Program Files\AutoIt3\Aut2Exe\Aut2Exe.exe

Do I need to move this aut2exe file elsewhere,

Thanks,

Greg

[TheSaint]

Hey Saint-Guy,

I'm getting an error when I try and create a build using Installer Creator v2.7

The error comes up multiple times: "Compiler Location Error, Cannot find the 'Aut2Exe' file!"

I'm trying to create a build that includes a pre-compiled .au3 (an .exe) along with a .dll file

I'm on XP Professional SP3

My Aut2Exe is located at C:\Program Files\AutoIt3\Aut2Exe\Aut2Exe.exe

Do I need to move this aut2exe file elsewhere,

Thanks,

Greg

The program should be reading the location from the Registry entry, which in your case may not exist if you used the zipped install version of AutoIt.

I also thought I had it checking the default location anyway, but maybe I haven't.

I have mine in an additional sub-folder called Tools (i.e. ..\Program Files\Tools\AutoIt3\..). Normally I hard code the standard default and my default in any of my programs that require it (plus do a reg query first??) ... but I'll check when I get the chance.

As you are the first one to report this problem, I can only assume your reg entry is missing, incorrect or there is a conflict perhaps.

Also note that I'm always a few version points behind the latest AutoIt, which may be an issue, but probably not.

[TheSaint]

I haven't got the time to do a more detailed check at the moment, but I was able to extract this function from the program.

Func GetRegLocation()
    $regky = "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AutoIt3Script\Shell\Compile\Command"
    $val = RegRead($regky, "")
    If $val <> "" Then
        $pth = StringSplit($val, "/")
        $a2e = StringStripWS($pth[1], 3)
    Else
        $a2e = ""
        MsgBox(262160, "Compiler Location Error", "Cannot find the 'Aut2Exe' file!")
    EndIf
EndFunc ;=> GetRegLocation

Edited October 28, 2009 by TheSaint