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[deVBuzz note]
Recently I had the opportunity to check out
PPCInstall from Jeff Law. If you're looking for an eVB installation solution this
is definitely worth looking at. I asked Jeff for an overview of the improvements
that PPCInstall offered over and above alternative installation/distribution setups
and this article is the result.
PPCInstall
costs $75 and my only issue at the moment is that although it does a great job
of automatically recognizing the component DLLs to include in your setup it doesn't
pick up the SQL CE control. Not for much longer though since Jeff has confirmed
that this functionality is at the top of his list in addition to auto-run CF card
setups! (Probably within the next 2 weeks). PPCInstall is pretty easy to use,
several installations later and I could see it becoming a must have in your tool
suite. So onto the explanation from Jeff...
[**Update**]
v1.8 provides the ability to detect references
to SQL Server CE and install the necessary components. It also
discerns and installs ADOCE 3.1 where this is referenced. A new
option is the ability to produce a Combined Setup, including all
three processor setups in one distributable.
PPCInstall Overview from Jeff Law
One of the least enjoyable aspects
of software development is putting together a distributable setup that will work.
This is compounded by the fact that so many setup applications offer very little
help to the user. The other problems with setup applications are (no names being
mentioned!):
- Some don't save the setup parameters
for later re-use
- Some don't provide a Wizard front-end
to do the bulk of the work
- Some cost way too much for
the small-time developer
Faced with these shortcomings,
I decided that the only way out was to build my own setup wizard. This, then,
is the basis for the development of PPCInstall (see http://www.datamasta.co.nz/ppcinstall.htm).
PPCInstall
addresses the following shortcomings:
- It saves the
setup parameters so that the user may modify it and rebuild later
- It
provides a front-end which parses an eVb Project file to derive most details
- It
is inexpensive - US$75.00, and available on the 'net for a 30-day trial
When
run, PPCInstall provides a simple interface:
The
five buttons at top left provide:
- Exit from PPCInstall
- Start
a new setup project - this allows the user to select an eVb .ebp file
- Open
a previously-created PPCInstall setup file (.ppc)
- Save
the current setup file
- View the About screen
Once
a new project has been started or an existing one re-opened, the tree-menu at
the left is available, and may be used to navigate the various parts of the setup
project. In addition, the left and right arrow buttons move through the project
one step at a time.
The second item, Project Details,
displays the following screen:
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