InstallAnywhere Tutorial and Reference Guide

InstallAnywhere Tutorial and Reference Guide

by Zero G Team
Released July 2004
Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
ISBN: 9780321246103

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Book description

"Very informative...The perfect resource when just getting started, and a great reference for someone who has used the product for some time."

--John Burrows, Software Configuration Process Manager, DST Interactive, Inc.

"If only this book existed when I began using InstallAnywhere!"

--Daniel Kirsch, Senior Software Engineer, Symantec Corporation

Software installation and deployment made simple--that's the promise of InstallAnywhere from Zero G Software. Are you harnessing the full potential of InstallAnywhere in your software installation project? InstallAnywhere Tutorial and Reference Guide is the authoritative guide for users of InstallAnywhere. It helps you maximize your investment in this powerful deployment tool by taking you step by step through easy-to-follow exercises that will unleash the power and productivity of InstallAnywhere in your organization.

InstallAnywhere Tutorial and Reference Guide is perfect for developers of all knowledge levels. Whether you're just getting started or an experienced user of InstallAnywhere, this handy tutorial will help you build and reinforce the skills necessary to create reliable installations every time. And after you've mastered those skills, it is an ideal resource for troubleshooting the most common installation problems.

Inside you'll find best practices for making even the most complex software deployments easy. You will learn essential InstallAnywhere user principles and effortlessly discover why InstallAnywhere is the only software installation and deployment solution you'll ever need.

Highlights include:

  • Basic installer development strategies

  • Basic installer customization

  • Using advanced actions, interface options, and organization concepts

  • Managing installation locations and uninstaller issues

  • Source and resource management

  • Integrating InstallAnywhere with advanced build environments

  • Developing and using custom code actions

    • InstallAnywhere has been recognized as the preferred multiplatform software deployment and installation tool by developers worldwide. It is the recipient of prestigious industry accolades, including two consecutive Java Developer's Journal Readers' Choice Awards, the Jolt Product Excellence Award from Software Development, and JavaWorld's Editor's Choice Award.

    Table of contents

    1. Copyright
    2. Preface
    3. Introduction
    4. Introduction to InstallAnywhere
      1. What Is InstallAnywhere?
      2. Requirements
      3. Editions
    5. The InstallAnywhere End-User Experience
      1. The End-User Experience
      2. The Client-Side Installer Experience
      3. The Server-Side Installer Experience
    6. The InstallAnywhere Developer Experience
      1. The InstallAnywhere Wizard
      2. Building Your First Installer
    7. Key Concepts in InstallAnywhere
      1. Authoring Environments
      2. Installer Types
      3. Installer Modes
      4. Install Sets, Features, and Components
      5. Installer Interface GUI
      6. Actions
      7. Rules
      8. Uninstaller
      9. LaunchAnywhere
      10. PowerUpdate
      11. InstallAnywhere Variables
      12. Magic Folders
      13. SpeedFolders
      14. Project File
      15. Manifest Files
    8. Basic Installer Development Strategies
      1. Installation Planning
      2. Installation Goals
    9. An Introduction to the Advanced Designer
      1. Exercise 6.1 Building an Installer with the Advanced Designer
      2. Defining Installer Projects and the Product Registry
      3. File Settings—Timestamps and Overwrite Behavior
      4. Platforms
      5. Locales
      6. Rules before the Pre-Install Task
      7. Creating Debug Output
      8. Virtual Machines
      9. Quick Quiz
    10. Build Options
      1. Generic UNIX Build
      2. VM Packs
      3. Distribution
    11. Basic Installer Customization
      1. Customizing Your InstallAnywhere Installer's Look and Feel
      2. Exercise 8.1 Exploring Look and Feel
      3. Introducing Conditional Logic
      4. Exercise 8.2 Using Installer Rules
      5. Exercise 8.3 Using Rules to Control Visual Elements
      6. Exercise 8.4 Managing Installer Flow Based on End-User Input
      7. Quick Quiz
    12. Installer Organization
      1. Install Sets, Features, and Components
      2. Organizing Features and Components
      3. Exercise 9.1 Using InstallAnywhere's Basic Installer Organization
      4. Adding Components
      5. Assigning Files to Components
      6. Removing Empty Components
      7. Integrating Components Already Installed on Target Systems
      8. Adding Features
      9. Quick Quiz
    13. Introduction to Advanced Actions and Panel Actions
      1. Actions
      2. Exercise 10.1 Using Panels in Pre-Install
      3. Exercise 10.2 Using Files Task Actions
      4. Quick Quiz
      5. List of Actions
    14. Managing Installation Locations with Magic Folders
      1. Magic Folders and InstallAnywhere Variables
      2. Exercise 11.1 Magic Folders
      3. InstallAnywhere-Provided Magic Folders
    15. Applying Basic and Intermediate Development Concepts
      1. Concept Review
      2. Debugging InstallAnywhere Installers
    16. Advanced Installer Concepts
      1. Console Installers
      2. Exercise 13.1 Building a Console-Enabled Installer (Return of OfficeSuite)
      3. Silent Installers
      4. Exercise 13.2 Building a Silent-Mode Installer
    17. Uninstaller Issues
      1. About Uninstaller
      2. Feature Uninstall
      3. Uninstaller for Multiple Products
    18. Source and Resource Management in InstallAnywhere
      1. How Source Paths Work
      2. Managing Source Files
      3. The Resource Manager
      4. Exercise 15.1 Creating Source Paths
      5. Quick Quiz
    19. Advanced Interface Options
      1. Installer Panel Additions
      2. Exercise 16.1 Creating Installer Logic Using Jump Labels and Actions
      3. Quick Quiz
    20. Advanced Organizational Concepts
      1. Integrating the Find Component in Registry Action
      2. Merge Modules and Templates
      3. Importing a Design-Time Merge Module
      4. Exercise 17.1 Creating Merge Modules
      5. Quick Quiz
    21. Integrating InstallAnywhere with Automated Build Environments
      1. InstallAnywhere Command-Line Build Facility
      2. Build Tools
      3. Exit Codes
      4. ANT Build Integration
    22. Custom Code
      1. Writing Custom Code
      2. Quick Quiz
    23. Developing and Using Custom Code Actions
      1. Custom Code and InstallAnywhere Variables
      2. Accessing InstallAnywhere Variables via Custom Code
      3. Executing External Scripts and Executables via Custom Code Action
      4. How to Write Custom Errors in the Installation Log
      5. Exercise 20.1 Create a Custom Code Action
      6. Exercise 20.2 Create a Custom Code Panel
      7. Exercise 20.3 Create a Custom Code Console Action
      8. Exercise 20.4 Create a Custom Code Rule
      9. How to Package and Execute Custom Code with an Installer
      10. Plug-Ins
    24. Localizing and Internationalizing InstallAnywhere Installers
      1. Dynamic and Static Text
      2. Localization and the Internationalized Designer
      3. Specific Localization Concerns
      4. Localizable Elements
    25. Standard InstallAnywhere Variables
    26. Provided Magic Folders
    27. Actions
      1. Console Actions
      2. Common Properties
      3. Panel Action Settings
      4. Additional Action Information
    28. Build Tools
    29. Exit Codes
    30. Parameters
      1. Examples
    31. Language Codes
    32. Localizable Elements
      1. Localizing Items in the Installer
    33. LaunchAnywhere Executable Properties
    34. Quick Quiz Answers
      1. Chapter 6: An Introduction to the Advanced Designer
      2. Chapter 8: Basic Installer Customization
      3. Chapter 9: Installer Organization
      4. Chapter 10: Introduction to Advanced Actions and Panel Actions
      5. Chapter 15: Source and Resource Management in InstallAnywhere
      6. Chapter 16: Advanced Interface Options
      7. Chapter 17: Advanced Organizational Concepts
      8. Chapter 19: Custom Code
    35. Index

    Product information

    • Title: InstallAnywhere Tutorial and Reference Guide
    • Author(s): Zero G Team
    • Release date: July 2004
    • Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
    • ISBN: 9780321246103