Building the deployment package


Once the release is defined and the project is complete, you need to compile it into the setup package you deploy to your users. You probably also want to test the setup on your development machine and perhaps even install it on one or more test machines before deploying it to your customers.

Compiling the project

Compiling a project is as simple as clicking the Compile button located in the button group along the lower right of the WfWI window, shown in Figure 27 .


Figure 27. Click the Compile button to build the release package.

Compiling the project creates the output file(s) specified by the release(s) you defined in the project. In the case of the demo app, the output from the compiler is a single-EXE setup file named DEPLOYFOX DEMO APP.EXE, which, on our development machines, is written to C:\DEPLOYFOX\WISE SETUPS\RELEASE FILES per the media destination directory we established in Figure 26. To facilitate the creation of future upgrades or patches, WfWI also creates an MSI file even if you ‚ re building a single-EXE setup file. The MSI file is written to the same folder as the EXE file. The MSI file for the demo app is named DEPLOYFOX DEMO APP.MSI.

If you build a single-EXE setup you do not need to distribute the MSI file; you only need to distribute the EXE file. If you build a release other than a single-EXE setup file, you need to distribute the MSI file and any other files created in the compiler output directory.

Testing the setup

Wise for Windows Installer provides a mechanism for you to test your newly compiled setup package without actually installing the product on your machine. To test your setup, simply click the Test button shown in Figure 27. Testing a setup runs Windows Installer and steps through the entire setup process as the end user sees it, but because no files or other resources are actually installed, your development machine is unaffected. This is especially useful in cases where running the actual setup on your development machine could have undesirable consequences, such as overwriting files, creating registry entries, changing DSN properties, and so on. Using the Test button allows you to verify the setup works the way you want it to without disturbing anything your own computer. It also gives you a chance to review the installation dialogs the way the user sees them, to quickly review any changes you may have made, and to document the install process for the user.

Running the setup

Of course, you can run the actual installation of the product on your development machine if you want to. To do this from within Wise for Windows Installer, simply click the Run button shown in Figure 27. Unlike the Test button, clicking the Run button actually installs the application on your machine: it creates folders, writes files, adds registry entries, creates shortcuts and ODBC resources, etc. Of course, you can also run the installation on your machine by running the setup EXE file from Explorer or the Run command window.

Distributing the setup

Once the release of the product is successfully compiled and tested , deploying the product is simply a matter of distributing the appropriate setup package. Common methods of distribution include Web-based download, distribution on a CD-ROM or DVD, and network deployment. As you worked your way through the Release Definition group, you already had to give some thought to how you intended to distribute your product, so this shouldn ‚ t be a new decision by the time you reach this step.

Wise for Windows Installer provides a Package Distribution tool to assist you in deploying your setup package. Launch the Package Distribution tool by clicking the Distribute button shown in Figure 27. The first step of the Package Distribution tool asks you to choose the type of distribution you want to perform. The various choices are shown in Figure 28 .


Figure 28. The Package Distribution tool helps you deploy your setup package.

In the case of the demo app, we built a single-EXE setup package. This type of setup is suitable for distribution over the Web or on a CD-ROM. The Package Distribution tool provides FTP-based distribution assistance if you want to copy your setup package to a Web server. It also provides assistance for copying the setup package to a CD-ROM, DVD, Zip disk, or other removable media. This is what we want to do for the demo app, so the Removable Media choice is selected in Figure 28.

The next step of the Package Distribution tool depends on the type of distribution you chose in the first step. If FTP distribution to a server was chosen, the next step prompts you for the server URL, login name , password, and directory on the server. If Removable Media was chosen , the next step prompts you for a drive letter, disk label, and setup file name. Regardless of the type of distribution, WfWI automatically compiles the project after the first step if necessary.

The second step of the Package Distribution tool for a Removable Media type of distribution is shown in Figure 29 . If you are copying your setup package to a CD-ROM, choose the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive as the Destination Disk.


Figure 29. The final step is to specify the destination disk where your setup package is to be copied .

Optionally, you can provide a Disk Label and a Setup File Name. The Setup Filename is the final name of your setup file on the distribution media. You do not need to enter a file name extension. If you leave the Setup Filename field blank, WfWI uses the name of the currently open project file. Note the Erase Disk Before File Copy check box is selected by default.




Deploying Visual FoxPro Solutions
Deploying Visual FoxPro Solutions
ISBN: 1930919328
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 232

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net