Support System File Naming Conventions

Provide a Smart Setup Program/Uninstall Utility

When designing an application, provide a "smart" setup program. For example, you may want to add some of these options:

• Express setup, which sets up the application in its default configuration.
• Custom setup, which allows the user to select which components they want to install, the directory in which they want the program to be installed, and whether the application should make system changes.
• Minimal setup, which allows the application to take up the least amount of space.
• You should also consider giving your user the option of storing large ancillary files (such as a dictionary or thesaurus) on a shared network server rather than locally.

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Note

When you create your smart setup program, do not save the setup information in WIN.INI; use the registry instead.

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The Setup Wizard

The Setup Wizard included with Visual Basic creates the file dependencies you need based on your project file. In addition, it compresses these files and builds an installation program (to a hard drive or floppy). All client-side registration is handled automatically, including file version verification. This is especially critical when you are installing DLL or OCX files onto a client's machine. The Setup Wizard also can be customized to include specific files, a company logo, or additional installation screens. All choices made with the Setup Wizard can be saved to a template.