${__SECTION__} is not defined if section is hidden "-"

Archive: ${__SECTION__} is not defined if section is hidden "-"

dbach
29th March 2010 10:15 UTC

${__SECTION__} is not defined if section is hidden "-"
Hi forum users,

this seems like a bug to me. When I hide a section like this ...

Section "-I am not shown" HIDDENSEC
SectionEnd

the define/var ${__SECTION__} will not be set. This is a bug, right? If not how to get the sectionname?

Kind regards,
dbach

MSG
29th March 2010 17:08 UTC

Hidden sections are nameless, even if you give them a name. I filed a report about this issue ages ago, but it hasn't been fixed yet...

Animaether
30th March 2010 04:32 UTC

I don't think they're nameless - they're just textless. This can almost be explained by ways of the SectionSetText function, which details that setting a section's text to "" (an empty string) will hide it.

So when you specify...


Section "-I am not shown" HIDDENSEC
SectionEnd

You're doing little more than making it easier for yourself, while browsing your source file, to identify sections. The section ID will still be stored in ${HIDDENSEC}, though. So you can do something like this...


!include "MUI2.nsh"

OutFile "test.exe"

setCompress off

!define MUI_PAGE_CUSTOMFUNCTION_PRE Pre
!insertmacro MUI_PAGE_COMPONENTS

Section "I am not shown" HIDDENSEC
SectionEnd

Function Pre
        SectionGetText ${HIDDENSEC} $0
        MessageBox MB_OK "[$0]"
        SectionSetText ${HIDDENSEC} ""
FunctionEnd

!insertmacro MUI_LANGUAGE "English"

Which will pop up the section's text, and then hide it on run-time. Not sure what the point of that (getting the section text of a section that's going to be hidden) would be, though - but if you have a use for it.. go for it.

dbach
30th March 2010 09:06 UTC

I want to use something like this:

Var _day

>Var _month

>Var _year

>Var _dayname

>Var _hour

>Var _minute

>Var _second

>!define SECTIONINFO '!insertmacro SECTIONINFO'

>!macro SECTIONINFO

   ${GetTime} "" "L" $_day $_month $_year $_dayname $_hour $_minute $_second ; $0=DD, $1=MM, $2=YYYY, $3=dayname, $4=hh, $5=mm, $6=ss

    ClearErrors

    LogText ""

   LogText "------------------------------------------------------------------------------"

   LogText "${__SECTION__}"

   LogText "($_day.$_month.$_year $_hour:$_minute:$_second)"

   Logtext "------------------------------------------------------------------------------"

>!macroend



Section"I am visible" VISIBLESEC

  ${SECTIONINFO}

>SectionEnd


Section"-I am hidden" HIDDENSEC

  ${SECTIONINFO}

>SectionEnd 

>

The first works, the second not. Is there a simple workaround so that I can contine use my macro without defining a pre?

Animaether
30th March 2010 13:33 UTC

no super-simple transparent work-around that I can think of.

With the Pre function you have to remember to make the appropriate sections invisible - that's some manual editing and tracking.

One alternative would be to add a parameter to your SECTIONINFO macro and supply the information yourself, a la:


SectionEnd 

>

But then you have to adjust all of your SECTIONINFO invokes.

dbach
30th March 2010 13:41 UTC

Thanks Animaether,

I guess I will change my SectionInfo Macro. :)

Afrow UK
30th March 2010 14:44 UTC

You could in addition only use __SECTION__ if it is defined:

!ifdef __SECTION__
LogText "${__SECTION__}"
!else
LogText "${MacroParam}"
!endif

Save you repeating section names twice.

Stu

dbach
30th March 2010 14:59 UTC

Originally posted by Afrow UK
You could in addition only use __SECTION__ if it is defined:
!ifdef __SECTION__
LogText "${__SECTION__}"
!else
LogText "${MacroParam}"
!endif
Save you repeating section names twice.

Stu

Its doesn't work that way bcs. __SECTION__ is defined but empty. This works:
${If} "${__SECTION__}" != ""
LogText "${__SECTION__}"
${Else}
LogText "${MacroParam}"
${EndIf}

Animaether
30th March 2010 15:52 UTC

wouldn't you still have to specify -something-, even if an empty string, for the macro, though?

e.g.


"English"

fails with: !insertmacro: macro "SECTIONINFO" requires 1 parameter(s), passed 0!

Afrow UK
30th March 2010 16:36 UTC

Yes of course.

Edit: dbach you could instead do:

!if `${__SECTION__}` != ``
  LogText "${__SECTION__}"
!else
  LogText "${MacroParam}"
!endif

Stu