Pause 03-11-2012

[LarryMc]

I've reached a point where I need to stop work on the IDE code directly.

I need to turn my attention to the installer for the IWB3 as it relates to the new IDE.

The installer for the current version of IWB (as well as all its predecessors) relied heavily on registry entries.

IWB3 will not make any registry entries; all information needed from session to session is stored in *.ini files.

The only significant thing (that I can see) in this approach is that when the user attempts to reinstall and/or update their installation there will be no registry entry that can be checked to predetermine the suggested location for the update.  i.e. the user will have to find the folder where they installed it when prompted for the installation destination.

My inital approach for the installer is to make the user choose between 2 install options.
One option will be to a pc and the other will be to a memory stick.

The user will be given a page to select what will be installed. In addition to the minimum the following will be optional:
either none, all, one or more of the help files - pdf,chm, ebook
the examples
the template files

If the user opts for the examples and/or templates they will be presented with a path selection page to select the destination folder.
These settings will be stored in the ini file.
These entries will enable the number of clicks to open one of these two types of files to br kept to a minimum and seperate from the normal opening of source files.

When I get a working version of the installer and a little testing on my part I will start posting an alpha of the IDE as I finish each part.
Hopefully there will be a few people with enough interest to install and play with the new IDE and give me some feedback.
I will be able to do this until I get to the point that I'm working on the code that actually does the compiling.

The ultimate goal will be to have an installer that will allow a user to have multiple installations on the same computer without any interference between the two (except maybe for examples and templates..I'll have to see there.)
That's beside the ability to put the install on a stick for those who are using network pc's that they don't have admin rights on.

LarryMc

[LarryMc]

Made some good progress today.  Inno Setup is even more powerful than what I was aware of.

You can do just about anything you want to if you know a little Pascal.

I'm learning as I go.

Shouldn't take me as long as I initially thought.


LarryMc