File Extensions and Directory Writes
in [Visual Basic]
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From: mayayana on 12 Mar 2010 15:39 I think if it were me I'd just put the file into an updater SFX zip file. Put a small EXE in there with it. Have the SFX unpack to TEMP and run the EXE. (Most ZIP programs can do all of that for you.) The EXE then just copies the file wherever you want it to go. If you put "setup" in the file name it will get admin rights. I think "update" might also work. That way people don't have to move the file themselves and you don't have to explain it. If you don't know where your program folder is, look in the App Paths key. (Assuming you registered during install. The PDW does that. I don't know about Inno.) That could introduce another issue, though: People using a late model version of IE might get warnings about the download, or even have it blocked. Ditto with some anti-virus software. But there's nothing you can do about that. And anyone in such a situation has probably long since stopped paying attention to the warnings. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to download much of anything. :) For registering a file type, look in the Registry. You'll want to make sure it's not a common extension first. There are websites that list all known assignments for a particular extension. You should be able to find them via Google. Then create a key: HKCR\.fdr\ Pick a file type name, like FDRFile. Set the default value to that string. Create some more keys: HKCR\FDRFile\ HKCR\FDRFile\DefaultIcon def. value: path to file icon and number. Ex.: "C:\Program Files\FDR App\FDR.exe,0" HKCR\FDRFile\Shell\ HKCR\FDRFile\Shell\Open\ HKCR\FDRFile\Shell\Open\Command\ def. value: "C:\Program Files\FDR App\FDR.exe %1" Those are the basics. You can see the other typical options in the Registry. Typical additional keys are Edit, Print, etc. They show up on the context menu.
From: Webbiz on 12 Mar 2010 15:49 On Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:39:43 -0500, "mayayana" <mayayana(a)nospam.invalid> wrote: > I think if it were me I'd just put the file into an >updater SFX zip file. Put a small EXE in there >with it. Have the SFX unpack to TEMP and run the >EXE. (Most ZIP programs can do all of that for >you.) The EXE then just copies the file wherever >you want it to go. If you put "setup" in the file >name it will get admin rights. I think "update" >might also work. > > That way people don't have to move the file >themselves and you don't have to explain it. >If you don't know where your program folder >is, look in the App Paths key. (Assuming you >registered during install. The PDW does that. I >don't know about Inno.) > > That could introduce another issue, though: >People using a late model version of IE might >get warnings about the download, or even >have it blocked. Ditto with some anti-virus >software. But there's nothing you can do about >that. And anyone in such a situation has probably >long since stopped paying attention to the >warnings. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to >download much of anything. :) > > For registering a file type, look in the Registry. >You'll want to make sure it's not a common >extension first. There are websites that list >all known assignments for a particular extension. >You should be able to find them via Google. >Then create a key: > >HKCR\.fdr\ > >Pick a file type name, like FDRFile. > >Set the default value to that string. > >Create some more keys: > >HKCR\FDRFile\ > >HKCR\FDRFile\DefaultIcon > def. value: path to file icon and number. > Ex.: "C:\Program Files\FDR App\FDR.exe,0" > >HKCR\FDRFile\Shell\ >HKCR\FDRFile\Shell\Open\ > >HKCR\FDRFile\Shell\Open\Command\ >def. value: "C:\Program Files\FDR App\FDR.exe %1" > > Those are the basics. You can see the other >typical options in the Registry. Typical additional >keys are Edit, Print, etc. They show up on the >context menu. > > Great! I like this idea. Time to do a search on SFX. Thanks! Webbiz
From: mayayana on 12 Mar 2010 15:53 > > Everyone has a right to privacy. While the world would not end if the > names of the applications were posted on the newsgroup, I'd prefer > that they are not. > I'm with you. The real name has nothing to do with anything in this thread. And while privacy online is limited, we don't have to help the corporate datamining by connecting all of the dots. (Eric Schmidt's naive fascism notwithstanding: http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/12/google-ceo-eric-schmidt-dismisses-priva cy )
From: mayayana on 12 Mar 2010 16:13 > > Time to do a search on SFX. > This is what I use. V. 6.11 is free without restrictions. It's 9 years old now, but ZIP hasn't changed much. http://oldapps.com/powerarchiver.php An SFX is just self-executing. Usually CAB or ZIP. It works by attaching a small EXE "stub" to the front-end of the file. That's what a lot of MS downloads are. (You can tell by the old-fashioned icon that shows a Win95-era program window with an open yellow box in front. It's sort of the old version of the newer icons for setups that show a PC, with box and CD in front.) Oddly, Microsoft often uses an SFX CAB with an SFX ZIP inside that! The SFX stub unpacks the ZIP/CAB. Generally there's also an option to run an EXE inside the ZIP after unpacking. You can actually get free stubs, and you can get source code to write a custom one. But it's easier to just use something like Power Archiver, or another "full-featured" ZIP program. You just make a zip and then create an SFX from that.
From: Webbiz on 12 Mar 2010 17:40
On Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:13:03 -0500, "mayayana" <mayayana(a)nospam.invalid> wrote: > > >> >> Time to do a search on SFX. >> > >This is what I use. V. 6.11 is free without >restrictions. It's 9 years old now, but ZIP >hasn't changed much. > >http://oldapps.com/powerarchiver.php > > An SFX is just self-executing. Usually CAB >or ZIP. It works by attaching a small EXE >"stub" to the front-end of the file. That's what >a lot of MS downloads are. (You can tell by >the old-fashioned icon that shows a Win95-era >program window with an open yellow box in front. >It's sort of the old version of the newer icons >for setups that show a PC, with box and CD in >front.) > > Oddly, Microsoft often uses an SFX CAB with >an SFX ZIP inside that! > > The SFX stub unpacks the ZIP/CAB. Generally >there's also an option to run an EXE inside the ZIP >after unpacking. > > You can actually get free stubs, and you can get >source code to write a custom one. But it's easier >to just use something like Power Archiver, >or another "full-featured" ZIP program. You >just make a zip and then create an SFX >from that. > I actually have a purchased copy of PowerArchiver 2010. Ran through the SFX stuff and coded it for %DOCS%\MyProgramStuff. The .exe file I created was uploaded to my private Discus forum which produced a link. Problem: When clicking on the link, it will not run the SFX exe from the server itself. It asks where you want to download it. Having to download this does not save any steps and still requires the user to say where to download. This is a bummer. Can't believe something that seems so simple is so difficult to do. Thanks. Webbiz |