Q130664: HOWTO: Use the Setup Wizard in Professional Visual FoxPro
Article: Q130664
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s):
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s): kbsetup kbnokeyword kbvfp300 kbvfp500
Last Modified: 01-NOV-2001
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, Professional Edition
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY
=======
This article discusses the steps followed by the Visual FoxPro Setup Wizard. The
Professional Visual FoxPro Setup Wizard creates distribution disks from the
files in your distribution tree. To learn about the distribution process and how
to prepare your distribution tree before running the Setup Wizard, please see
Chapter 10, "Creating Distribution Disks," in the Professional Features Guide.
NOTE: The Setup Wizard is included only with the Professional Edition of Visual
FoxPro.
MORE INFORMATION
================
NOTE: If the Setup Wizard has never been run, an additional step occurs before
Step 1 listed below. This additional, initial step asks for a directory to place
compress file in. This directory cannot be the same as the root directory of
your application.
Step 1 - Distribution Tree
--------------------------
The directory that you specify for your distribution tree must contain all files
and subdirectories you want to create in a user's environment. The Setup Wizard
uses this directory tree as the source for files that it will compress into the
disk image directories.
The Setup Wizard records the options you set for each distribution tree and uses
them as default values the next time you create a setup routine from the same
distribution tree.
NOTE: You cannot use the DISTRIB directory that the Wizard creates as the
directory for your distribution tree. Also, it is a good idea to place your
source tree outside the Visual FoxPro directory.
Step 2 - Optional Components
----------------------------
Select the system features your application uses and the operating systems on
which users can install your application. The Setup Wizard will create a setup
routine that includes all necessary system files for the system features you
specify.
The following table lists the sizes of files that could be included with
your setup routine.
<BR/><BR/>
Select this option if
Option Size your application...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Visual FoxPro 3.0 Runtime 3.5 MB Requires the Visual FoxPro Runtime
(Vfp300.esl) to execute.
Microsoft 5.0 Graph Runtime 2.2 MB Includes forms that use Graph 5.0
controls.
ODBC Drivers 3.5 MB Communicates with tables other than
Visual FoxPro .dbf files. When you
select this option, the ODBC
Drivers dialog box appears so that
you can select necessary drivers.
ODBC Drivers (Win32s) 4.3 MB Communicates with tables other than
Visual FoxPro .dbf files. When you
select this option, the ODBC
Drivers dialog box appears so that
you can select necessary drivers.
Win32S (1) 4.0 MB Is being distributed to users
running Windows version 3.11.
Visual FoxPro applications require
Win32s.
Windows 95 (1) 0.5 MB Is being distributed to users
running Windows 95.
Windows NT (1) 0.5 MB Is being distributed to users
running Windows NT.
(1) If you are distributing files other than Visual FoxPro applications,
such as a Help file, you don't need to select a platform option.
The sizes listed above represent the bytes used after the files have been
installed on a user's hard disk. When the user runs the setup these sizes might
be slightly exaggerated.
Step 3 - Disk Images
--------------------
The Setup Wizard creates a distribution subdirectory containing disk images for
each disk type you specify. If you select the Netsetup option, the Setup Wizard
creates a single directory to hold all the files.
You can create the disk image directory before you run the Setup Wizard. If you
want the Setup Wizard to create the directory for you, type a directory name in
the text box.
Step 4 - Setup Options
----------------------
The Setup Wizard creates installation dialog boxes with the title you specify in
the Dialog Caption box. It also places the copyright statement in the About
Setup dialog box that the user can access from the About command on the Setup
application's control menu. Entries are required in the Dialog Caption and Setup
Copyright boxes. The Post-Setup Executable entry is optional.
NOTE: To advance to Step 5, you must ensure that the insertion point (mouse
pointer) is not in the Dialog Caption or Setup Copyright box.
Step 5 - Default Destination Directory
--------------------------------------
The setup routine places your application in the directory you specify in the
Default Destination Directory box.
Step 6 - File Summary
---------------------
NOTE: To create a Windows Program Item and icon for your application, you must
select the PM Item option, providing the information described in the following
table.
The Setup Wizard lists your files in a grid. You can change the settings for any
file by clicking the item you want to change. The following table describes the
settings displayed in each column:
Column Description
------------------------------------------------------------------------
File The file name as it will be created on the user's computer.
Target Dir The file can be installed on the user's machine in the
Application directory, Windows directory, or Windows System
directory.
PM Item If you select this option, the Wizard displays the Program
Manager Item dialog box, so you can specify the program item
properties (description, command line, and icon).
In the command line, you can use an embedded %s sequence to
replace the application directory. The "s" must be lowercase.
Use the %s sequence when you install files in application
subdirectories. This ensures that files are installed in
the correct subdirectory if your users specify a name for
the application directory other than the default name. The
following example installs MYDATA.DBF in the MAINDATA
subdirectory of the application directory:
%s\MAINDATA\MYDATA.DBF
If you specify an icon that is outside your source tree, the
setup routine installs the icon in your application directory.
OLE If you select this option, the generated setup registers the
OLE control when it is installed on a user's computer. This
does not register a design-time license for the control on the
user's computer. It is a good idea to have your setup register
OLE controls to ensure that your user always uses the correct
version of the control.
Visual FoxPro allows an OLE control to be created or
instantiated only if the control and its license have been
purchased and installed on your computer. License information
is saved with the form or class. This allows distributed forms
to run successfully on users' computers. Users cannot modify
these forms in design-time unless they also purchase a
design-time license from the manufacturer of the control.
You may distribute visual class libraries that contain OLE
controls. New controls based on these visual classes can be
added to running forms. Users, however, may not modify these
visual classes, create controls based on them, or subclass
them.
OLE controls may be developed and distributed without charge
or licensing requirements. However, most are designed so that
they fail without a license. There are currently two types of
licenses for OLE controls, design-time and run-time. A
design-time license allows you to create new OLE controls. A
run-time license allows you to run a form that contains an OLE
control.
For more information about distributing applications with OLE
controls, please see the "Distributing OLE Applications" topic
in the Visual FoxPro Help file.
Step 7 - Finish
---------------
When you choose Finish, the Setup Wizard records the configuration for use the
next time you create distribution disks from the same distribution tree. It then
starts creating the application disk images.
The Setup Wizard creates and compresses several unique files the first time it
runs and saves them for subsequent runs. Therefore, the first run of the Setup
Wizard takes longer than subsequent runs.
After the Setup Wizard creates the disk images you specified, copy the images to
master disks. Then copy and combine the disks with the rest of your distribution
package.
After you create a set of master disks, you can delete the disk image
subdirectories. However, you should retain the COMPRESS subdirectory, so the
next time you use the Setup Wizard, it only needs to compress files that have
changed since creating the previous set of disks.
The COMPRESS directory contains the same files that are in the source directory.
The only difference is that they are compressed. If one of the files in the
source directory has been changed, then the Setup Wizard will recompress it.
Additional query words:
======================================================================
Keywords : kbsetup kbnokeyword kbvfp300 kbvfp500
Technology : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper
Version : :
Issue type : kbhowto
=============================================================================
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.
Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1986-2002.