justin
15th December 2001 06:07 UTC

InstallOptions as an extension DLL
Anybody want to do it, or should I?

Benefits:
* better integration (can subclass and do things like use the normal cancel and next> buttons -- see nsisdl.dll for some good examples)
* better script integration (don't have to write out the HWND, can have items go direct from/to variables)

Downsides:
* have to make sure the DLL frees all memory, since it is running in-process (looks like this can already be done with a #define in installoptions.exe :)

Thoughts, etc? :)

-Justin

justin
15th December 2001 10:05 UTC

Went ahead and got bored and hacked it together.

From the iodll.cpp header:

* key changes
* - no longer need parentwnd ini writing shit
* - to call now, use:
* Push $TEMP\inst.ini
* CallInstDLL $TEMP\mydll.dll dialog
* Pop $0
* ($0 would be "success" "cancel" or some other value on error.
* - new INI entries: [settings]\cancelconfirm (text to confirm cancel on cancel button click)
* - fixed some flag related bugs (multiple of them at 0x100 etc)
* - made it so you can specify positions in negative, for distance from the right/bottom edges.
* - made it so that the file/dir requests automatically size the browse button in
* - removed a lot of code for the old style integration
* - removed support for silent installers (it seems the old version would bring up it's own dialog)


Attached is source and compiled version (in release/)

-Justin

petersa
15th December 2001 10:11 UTC

This is a great idea, Justin! :D

Small problem, though. The compiled installer can't be cancelled. You have to choose Next. Why doesn't this work?

I really don't like that old Win3.1ish box you get when you click the Browse button either. Or the useless Read-Only checkbox on it.

Any chance of putting the [Settings]\Title option back in?

Hiding the disabled Back button?

Hando
15th December 2001 11:12 UTC

Error with .nsi
The example test.nsi has an error in it. Calls a non-existant label/function "Quit".

Thor
15th December 2001 12:56 UTC

Great idea
i was wondering before why install options needed to be a seperate exe, instead of beeing a plugin like nsisdl...

btw Justin, would it be a good idea to make splash.exe a plugin too?
prolly not really any more usefull i suppose...

F. Heidenreich
15th December 2001 18:22 UTC

Originally posted by petersa

I really don't like that old Win3.1ish box you get when you click the Browse button either. Or the useless Read-Only checkbox on it.

{ "FILE_EXPLORER",     OFN_EXPLORER      },
{ "FILE_HIDEREADONLY", OFN_HIDEREADONLY  },

Smile2Me
15th December 2001 18:45 UTC

maybe a good idea (i hope so):
Maybe it's possible to allready have a window or something at .onInint to be able to use InstOpts there?

But maybe that conflicts with the use of splash, but i don't know, I'm no c expert, sorry...

The reason i'm asking: it would be a lot easier to ask for e.g. RegCodes or something. Right now, i'm using a second installer which has instopts in a section, in my .onInit to ask for RegCode.

Hendri.

justin
15th December 2001 19:53 UTC

Here's an updated DLL+source:

• Return of [Settings]\Title support
• Keyboard shortcuts fix (elegant way :).
• Fixes for file open dialog (doesn't prompt you twice on cancel)
• Fixes of test.nsi

justin
15th December 2001 19:55 UTC

Originally posted by Smile2Me
maybe a good idea (i hope so):
Maybe it's possible to allready have a window or something at .onInint to be able to use InstOpts there?

But maybe that conflicts with the use of splash, but i don't know, I'm no c expert, sorry...

The reason i'm asking: it would be a lot easier to ask for e.g. RegCodes or something. Right now, i'm using a second installer which has instopts in a section, in my .onInit to ask for RegCode.

Hendri.

justin
15th December 2001 20:49 UTC

OK here's another update. Made the back button optional now, and started upgrading NSIS for better integration. I'll put up nsis 1.9b2 up later today that will really help (a couple of new callbacks and a new instruction). Included in the .zip is an example test-setup.exe, that shows how you can go backwards and forwards..

Something I am thinking is, I want to store the results of a dialog in the ini in such a way so that when you read it back in, the changes you made are saved.

That way, when you go back to a page you already editted, your changes will be preserved. and so on.

The new callbacks I've added to NSIS aren't really right yet. It's a pain figuring out the most general but not painful way to do these things.

-Justin

justin
16th December 2001 01:48 UTC

Here's yet another version, that adds a few options, but the primary difference is that it reads control state information from State=, and writes out the results to the same place (this lets you do neat things like in the example I included). The example I included requires NSIS 1.9b2 which is on www.firehose.net/free/nsis/ (I also included a compiled exe for you to try)

Try this puppy out, let me know what you think.. I suppose I'll clean it up, update the documentation, and all that, unless Michael would rather do it. :)

-Justin

Smile2Me
16th December 2001 08:28 UTC

hi justin,

i noticed a little detail in test-setup.exe:
if instopts have been displayed and you continue to select a dir, but then again return to the instopts page, the Next button still says "install"

Greetzzz, Hendri.

Smile2Me
16th December 2001 08:53 UTC

hi justin,

sorry, i found the necessary settings to change button text in test.ini...

another thing, we can call instopts after license now. So including RegCode has become possible! Well done!!!

Greetz, Hendri.

Smile2Me
16th December 2001 14:56 UTC

Justin,

i think i have found a little bug in InstOpts.dll (that's also in InstOpts.exe BTW):

i use editboxes to get user name and regcode. if these are left blank, then instopts procudes a runtime error.

(at least in my install...)

good luck, greetz, Hendri.

Smile2Me
16th December 2001 15:57 UTC

Justin,

two more strange things i noticed using 1.9b2 and instoptsdll4:

-if you use a splash screen, the installer moves to the background suddenly after finishing the splash (no problem in 1.81!)

-if you use .onNextPage and .onPrevPage and program something in these functions (eg a Messagebox, eg after checking RegCode) than the first screen (lisence) appears again, then the message appears and after clicking ok, the page for dirselect appears...

So my order of pages is: lisence agreement, RegCode, DirSelect,...

and using 1.9b2 and instoptsdll4, the installer returns to lisence while checking the code and after that, moves on to DirSelect.

Why is the installer returning to the lisence agreement between page changes?

Greetz, Hendri.

Hando
16th December 2001 17:07 UTC

.onNextPage and .onPrevPage work for next/previous screens but what if you wanted to do something on the inital screen?

justin
16th December 2001 20:31 UTC

Originally posted by Hando
.onNextPage and .onPrevPage work for next/previous screens but what if you wanted to do something on the inital screen?

BringToFront
CallInstDLL...

justin
17th December 2001 01:35 UTC

Originally posted by Smile2Me
Justin,

i think i have found a little bug in InstOpts.dll (that's also in InstOpts.exe BTW):

i use editboxes to get user name and regcode. if these are left blank, then instopts procudes a runtime error.

(at least in my install...)

good luck, greetz, Hendri.

Smile2Me
17th December 2001 07:42 UTC

hi justin,

sorry, nsi not available right now, because i'm not at home...
but this is what i'm doing:

using .onNextPage and .onPrevPage to activate the ini with editboxes using instopts.dll dialog.
Then reading the output of the dll (Pop $R8).
using this to determine what to do (just as in your example...)
The if user has clicked "register", read the ini with readinistr $0 $TEMP\mtlis.ini "FIELD 5" State

And this causes some problem, i think in instopts.dll but maybe it's in my install if you do not experience problems...

Well what I do next:
pass regname and regcode to exe: execwait "check.exe n=$0 c=$1"
and in my exe there's a try environment, so this cannot cause any problem (i guess...)

This exe pushes a 1 if name and code match, a 0 otherwise (eg on error). Then the install checks whether the exitcode of the exe is 1 or 0 and display a message...

But I had some trouble before using this try in a dll (there it didn't do anything so maybe this is the case here, see the thread on RegCode). I will check the source code of my checker, thanks for you response!!

And what about this returning to first page thing??? I want to display a message (eg: Code is ok, thx for registering) but this message appears on top of the lisence agreement (the prev page) and than (after clickin ok) the installer shift to dirselect. This message should be on top of the regname and regcode page, shouldn't it?

Thx for your trouble, greetz, Hendri.

justin
17th December 2001 08:01 UTC

Originally posted by Smile2Me
hi justin,

sorry, nsi not available right now, because i'm not at home...
but this is what i'm doing:

using .onNextPage and .onPrevPage to activate the ini with editboxes using instopts.dll dialog.
Then reading the output of the dll (Pop $R8).
using this to determine what to do (just as in your example...)
The if user has clicked "register", read the ini with readinistr $0 $TEMP\mtlis.ini "FIELD 5" State

And this causes some problem, i think in instopts.dll but maybe it's in my install if you do not experience problems...

Well what I do next:
pass regname and regcode to exe: execwait "check.exe n=$0 c=$1"
and in my exe there's a try environment, so this cannot cause any problem (i guess...)

This exe pushes a 1 if name and code match, a 0 otherwise (eg on error). Then the install checks whether the exitcode of the exe is 1 or 0 and display a message...

But I had some trouble before using this try in a dll (there it didn't do anything so maybe this is the case here, see the thread on RegCode). I will check the source code of my checker, thanks for you response!!

And what about this returning to first page thing??? I want to display a message (eg: Code is ok, thx for registering) but this message appears on top of the lisence agreement (the prev page) and than (after clickin ok) the installer shift to dirselect. This message should be on top of the regname and regcode page, shouldn't it?

Thx for your trouble, greetz, Hendri.

---

Smile2Me
17th December 2001 08:08 UTC

hi justin,

Quote:

  File /oname=spltmp.bmp "splash.bmp"
  File /oname=spltmp.exe "splash.exe"
  ExecWait '"$TEMP\spltmp.exe" 3000 $HWNDPARENT $TEMP\spltmp'
  BringToFront
  Delete "$TEMP\spltmp.exe"
  Delete "$TEMP\spltmp.bmp"

Function .onInit
  StrCpy $9 ""
FunctionEnd

Function .onNextPage
  StrCmp $9 "" isFirstPage
    Return
isFirstPage:
  StrCpy $9 "Y"
  ; Do InstallOptions stuff
FunctionEnd