The Big Picture
I've been helped to see how one can add serial numbers to an NSIS file. I need to work out the uninstall details for a real installation, but most fundamentally right now, I'd like to get some impression of how one approaches the big picture in terms of distributing an application with a serial number. I suspect it will give me some much needed momentum in terms of actually getting a script generated, rather than studying those already written by others.
Most basically, after I've generated a serial number, I need to somehow generate a script that will run on an internet server that will run the compile program. (I can see how one might use an "include" command referring to a text file that would contain the new serial number and be placed in the same directory as the NSIS main script file to get an individual serial number into the compiled installer.)
Can anyone recommend how to approach this? How do I programmatically compile the new installation software using an automatic scripting approach suitable for a web site? Can I put NSIS on a server, or some part of it, or will this violate a license? Is one copy of NSIS enough for my computer and a remote server? Just a quick description and some suggested scripting languages (or other) approaches to driving the process of compiling with a unique serial number in the NSIS script file would be great. I'm not asking for a script file, just the reassurance that this can be done, is being done, and a few ideas from various parties with regard to what one might employ to accomplish the task. (Links are always welcome if you know they work.)