Windows installer (.msi) files shared by programs

Hi All,

This may be more of a Windows question than a Smalltalk question but since I want to do it with Smalltalk, I'm asking here.

I have more than one program that shares the distributed DLLs and time zone files.  I use Advanced Installer, it's like Install Shield but less expensive.  They make .msi files and can tell Windows that a files is shared between programs so the files isn't removed until the last program that uses it is uninstalled.  My problem is that with Advanced Installer I have to indicate a file is shared one at a time and there are a lot of time zone files.

Does anyone know how to tell Windows a file is shared in this way?  Hopefully it is with some kind of Windows call passing the file name and path.

Lou

Hi Lou,

The engineer that builds our product installers knows how to do that in InstallShield, but has no idea how to make that happen in Advanced Installer.

As you probably know Advanced Installer generates the msi files, but you have to specify each file as being shared in the tool (same as in Installshield).

You *probably* need to tell the installer via some other mechanism (i.e. write a program script) to mark a bunch of files as shared.  

But that would be specific to the tool, so not sure we can help.

- Seth

On Friday, March 19, 2021 at 11:11:15 AM UTC-4 [hidden email] wrote:

Hi All,

This may be more of a Windows question than a Smalltalk question but since I want to do it with Smalltalk, I'm asking here.

I have more than one program that shares the distributed DLLs and time zone files.  I use Advanced Installer, it's like Install Shield but less expensive.  They make .msi files and can tell Windows that a files is shared between programs so the files isn't removed until the last program that uses it is uninstalled.  My problem is that with Advanced Installer I have to indicate a file is shared one at a time and there are a lot of time zone files.

Does anyone know how to tell Windows a file is shared in this way?  Hopefully it is with some kind of Windows call passing the file name and path.

Lou

Hi Lou,

While the VAST installers do not use the shared files feature of Installshield, I did just take a look to see if more than just individual files can be shared.  It looks like a folder can be shared as well, as long as you specify one of the enclosed files as being the 'key' file.  The notes indicate that any file in the folder (component) would also have its reference count incremented during installation.  Maybe Advanced Installer has the capability to designate folders with a component code as shared and also select the 'key' file?

Bob

On Friday, March 19, 2021 at 11:38:49 AM UTC-4 Seth Berman wrote:

Hi Lou,

The engineer that builds our product installers knows how to do that in InstallShield, but has no idea how to make that happen in Advanced Installer.

As you probably know Advanced Installer generates the msi files, but you have to specify each file as being shared in the tool (same as in Installshield).

You *probably* need to tell the installer via some other mechanism (i.e. write a program script) to mark a bunch of files as shared.  

But that would be specific to the tool, so not sure we can help.

- Seth

On Friday, March 19, 2021 at 11:11:15 AM UTC-4 [hidden email] wrote:

Hi All,

This may be more of a Windows question than a Smalltalk question but since I want to do it with Smalltalk, I'm asking here.

I have more than one program that shares the distributed DLLs and time zone files.  I use Advanced Installer, it's like Install Shield but less expensive.  They make .msi files and can tell Windows that a files is shared between programs so the files isn't removed until the last program that uses it is uninstalled.  My problem is that with Advanced Installer I have to indicate a file is shared one at a time and there are a lot of time zone files.

Does anyone know how to tell Windows a file is shared in this way?  Hopefully it is with some kind of Windows call passing the file name and path.

Lou

Hi Guys,

I know how to do it with both.  I no longer use Install Shield and use Advanced Installer now.  If I remember correctly Install Shield did allow you to set the indicator for multiple selected files at once.  Advanced Installer doesn't.  I want to avoid setting the indicator for each and every file.

What I am thinking is the first time the program is run, tell Windows all the files that are "shared".  This has to be something the Windows installer does.  Install Shield and Advanced Installer build .msi installs with the files to install and the share indicator.  The windows installer must take the indicator and tell windows about it somehow.  I just don't know how that's done.  If I can reproduce that, I can avoid the problem with Advanced Installer.

Lou

On Friday, March 19, 2021 at 11:54:09 AM UTC-4 Bob Brodd wrote:

Hi Lou,

While the VAST installers do not use the shared files feature of Installshield, I did just take a look to see if more than just individual files can be shared.  It looks like a folder can be shared as well, as long as you specify one of the enclosed files as being the 'key' file.  The notes indicate that any file in the folder (component) would also have its reference count incremented during installation.  Maybe Advanced Installer has the capability to designate folders with a component code as shared and also select the 'key' file?

Bob

On Friday, March 19, 2021 at 11:38:49 AM UTC-4 Seth Berman wrote:

Hi Lou,

The engineer that builds our product installers knows how to do that in InstallShield, but has no idea how to make that happen in Advanced Installer.

As you probably know Advanced Installer generates the msi files, but you have to specify each file as being shared in the tool (same as in Installshield).

You *probably* need to tell the installer via some other mechanism (i.e. write a program script) to mark a bunch of files as shared.  

But that would be specific to the tool, so not sure we can help.

- Seth

On Friday, March 19, 2021 at 11:11:15 AM UTC-4 [hidden email] wrote:

Hi All,

This may be more of a Windows question than a Smalltalk question but since I want to do it with Smalltalk, I'm asking here.

I have more than one program that shares the distributed DLLs and time zone files.  I use Advanced Installer, it's like Install Shield but less expensive.  They make .msi files and can tell Windows that a files is shared between programs so the files isn't removed until the last program that uses it is uninstalled.  My problem is that with Advanced Installer I have to indicate a file is shared one at a time and there are a lot of time zone files.

Does anyone know how to tell Windows a file is shared in this way?  Hopefully it is with some kind of Windows call passing the file name and path.

Lou