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Any additional documentation on the MSI Builder?

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:16 am
by brbedgood@gmail.com
PrimalScript 2015 7.1.69
64 bit

Is there any additional information on the MSI packager? The base documentation seems incomplete. For example, by trial and error I had to discover the local installation folders.

Is there some way to make the MSI installer execute one or more of the included files as part of the installation process?

Having previously used PrimalScript 2007 and PrimalScript 2012, I am finding serious gaps with the features of the 2015 packager and MSI builder.

1. The old packagers let me compile multiple files with the script that could then be accessed by the script when it executed. The new packager appears to only compile the one script file. Is this accurate?

2. The MSI builder lets me install multiple files on the computer, but it doesn't seem to let me execute any of the installed files as part of the install. Is this correct?

What I am getting at is that it used to be a single execution step to drop files on the machine and execute a script. This was ideal for sending and executing scripts via software deployment tools. It had the added advantage of optionally cleaning up after itself. Now, it seems like it's two discrete steps to install scripts with dependent files and then execute them.

Any additional documentation on the MSI Builder?

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:16 am
by SAPIEN Support Forums
This is an automated post. A real person will respond soon.

Thank you for posting, brbedgood@gmail.com.

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Re: Any additional documentation on the MSI Builder?

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:36 am
by Alexander Riedel
Yes, you are correct. You need two distinct steps now. You need to install your main script and any additional files you need.
You can of course execute any additional scripts or executables from your main program as needed. I assume that know how to call another script or program.

The old packager was basically a self-extracting executable. It unpacked additional scripts and files when executed and deleted them optionally at the end. With modern OS versions this is mostly no longer an option. For example you cannot simply write files anywhere in C:\Program Files unless your process is elevated. Many anti-virus/malware scanners actively prevent this type of behavior from happening. This meant that the "old-style" packages failed on many modern machines and we were naturally asked to "fix this ASAP".

So we went with the procedure prescribed by Microsoft. Create an MSI installer to copy the files needed and then execute them as desired.

The advantages are the MSIs can be easily rolled out with deployment tools, they are allowed (via elevation) to write to places like C:\program Files and the end user can easily determine if a solution is installed and what version via the control panel.

https://www.sapien.com/blog/2014/03/25/from-script-to-server-deploying-solutions-with-primalscript-2014-part-1/

https://www.sapien.com/blog/2014/04/07/from-script-to-server-deploying-solutions-with-primalscript-2014-part-2/

https://www.sapien.com/blog/2014/04/14/from-script-to-server-deploying-solutions-with-primalscript-2014-part-3/

https://www.sapien.com/blog/2014/04/21/from-script-to-server-deploying-solutions-with-primalscript-2014-part-4/