PillarSoft

The SFX Installer is made up of two parts. The setup tool [SFXSetup.exe] and the actual Installer which is put together when the setup is complete.

The setup tool will help you easily put your package together by letting you select items and fill in the blanks. This saves you the trouble of cryptic commands or scripts that need to be filled out. The toughest part will be getting your setup strings together (for desktop objects) but most of you should be familiar with that.

The SFXSetup tool will allow you to:

• Select files to archive
• Set the archive name
• Set the destination directory
• Toggle - use installer
• Toggle - make self-extracting
• Select a bitmap for the splash screen
• Setup unlimited object strings
• Customize the color scheme
• Personalize the installer with your program name
• Set special commands by way of plugins
• Set readme or license files to show the end user
• Toggle dll & help path windows
• Save or reload your archive setup information

The installer is based on the same installer used for WarpZip. It leads your user through the installation page by page. It installs your app and if you have used the SFX option will clean up back to it's original file.

It will:

• Slide your bitmap into the splash screen
• Personalize a few spots in the text
• Allow users to set the installation directory
• Create the installation directory if needed
• Allow users to select an existing dll directory or modify the LIBPATH
• Allow users to select an existing help directory or modify SET HELP
• Backup config.sys if needed
• Skip dll & help pages if you don't need them
• Create unlimited objects
• Write a log file of the install
• Write an Uninstall script specific to the installation
• Show your License or readme
• Run your plugin (Rexx .cmd file) at installation time

It will not:

• Create directories more than one deep
• Package archives with subdirectories

Here are some other Notes and tips