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The Shareware Installer v2.0 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (C) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations. All Rights Reserved. ┌───────────────────────────────┐ │ @@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ │ │ @@@ @@@ @@@@ @@@ │ │ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ │ │ @@@ @@@ @@@ │ │ @@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ │ │ @@@ @@@ @@@ │ │ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ │ │ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ │ │ @@@@@ @@@@@ @@@@@@@@ │ │ @@@@@@@ │ │ @@@ │ │ @@@ │ │ @@@ │ │ @@@ │ │ @@@ │ │ @@@ │ │ @@@ │ │ @@@@@@@ │ └───────────────────────────────┘ Relative Software Innovations 1515 N. Town East Blvd., Suite #138 Mesquite, Texas 75150 Phone/Fax: (214) 681-8131 See SUPPORT.DOC for Compuserve, BBS, and Internet addresses and phone numbers. The Shareware Installer v2.0 Table of Contents ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S Warranty ......................................................... 1 The Shareware Concept ............................................ 1 About The Shareware Installer .................................... 1 Introduction ..................................................... 2 Set-up ........................................................... 2 INSTALL.INF ...................................................... 3 System Variables ................................................. 3 Screen and Window Variables ...................................... 4 Border Options ................................................... 5 Main Files and Sub Files ......................................... 5 Copying Files in a List File ..................................... 6 Copying and Installing Files to and from Multiple Disks .......... 7 Modify AUTOEXEC.BAT and/or CONFIG.SYS ............................ 7 RunCommand ....................................................... 8 Intro, Install, and Exit Text Screens ............................ 8 Colored Text .................................................... 10 Foreground and Background Color Chart ........................... 10 Video Card and Monitor Chart .................................... 11 Comments, Suggestions, Etc. ..................................... 11 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (c) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations The Shareware Installer v2.0 1 of 11 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── WARRANTY Relative Software Innovations specifically disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Your sole and exclusive remedy in the event of a defective diskette is expressly limited to replacement of the diskette. If the diskette should fail, return it to RSI with a brief statement describing the defect. Relative Software Innovations shall not be liable for indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages resulting from the use of this product. THE SHAREWARE CONCEPT The Shareware Installer is distributed as shareware. Shareware is com- mercial software distributed in an unconventional manner. Microcomputers copy information very easily. Instead of trying to frustrate this through copy protection, shareware takes advantage of it to reach as many users as possible at the lowest cost. Anyone may copy a shareware program and distribute it to whomever they desire, provided they do not charge a fee for the program or alter it. Shareware isn't free. Serious shareware is as polished as any conventional commercial product, and represents just as much program- ming effort. If you use it regularly, the authors expect compensation. However, unlike conventional distribution, shareware allows you to evaluate the product before you decide to purchase it. The price is often lower, as well, because there are no advertising, packaging, or distribution costs. It can only work with your support. If you are still using a share- ware product after a couple of weeks, then it is obviously worth some- thing to you, and you should register it. ABOUT THE SHAREWARE INSTALLER The Shareware Installer is a small, fast, and easy to use installation program for software developers, programmers, and anyone who distributes software files. Although the name says shareware, it is excellent for all types of software installation, including commercial and custom software as well as for distributing data, graphics, and other files. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (c) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations The Shareware Installer v2.0 2 of 11 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── INTRODUCTION Thank you for evaluating The Shareware Installer! It is quite simple to use and is easily customizable. The main files you should have are: SHINST.EXE - The file you copy to the first disk to install the software programs to your users disk media. You may rename this file anything you wish (INSTALL.EXE, GO.EXE, RUN.EXE, etc.). INSTALL.INF - The script file that SHINST.EXE reads. DO NOT RENAME THIS FILE. The EXE file looks for this file and will not run if it cannot find it. The Shareware Installer will install your programs by copying the files, extracting self-extracting EXE files, extracting ZIP archive files using an unzip utility, or any combination thereof. You need to make sure that you have a license to distribute self-extracting EXE files for the utility you are using. PKWare requires you to have a license to distribute self-extracting EXE files since it includes an unzipping program in the EXE header. PKWare also requires a license to distribute PKUNZIP.EXE. WARNING: If you will be distributing self-extracting archives with your installation disks, you may want to set the BACKGROUND switch to 0 (off). If the user tries to reinstall files that include a self-extracting EXE file, the archive will prompt to overwrite the existing files. If the BACKGROUND switch is set to 1 (meaning the files are installed in the background, unseen by the user) the prompt will not be seen and the user will think the program is locked up. To make sure that files installed from ZIP files are overwritten, you can add the /o command line switch. SET-UP To create a disk or disk set for distribution, copy the SHINST.EXE and INSTALL.INF to Disk #1. You can rename SHINST.EXE (INSTALL.EXE, GO.EXE, etc.) as long as you don't rename INSTALL.INF. Next, copy the ZIP and/or EXE archive files to the disks. Copy the files to make the best use of the disk space on each disk. Then, list the disk numbers and file names in the INSTALL.INF file on Disk #1 along with the file description and total bytes needed for installation. Then copy PKUNZIP.EXE to each disk in the set that contains zip files. You can include up to 5 subprograms along with the main program files. The main program and each subprogram can include up to 10 archive files ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (c) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations The Shareware Installer v2.0 3 of 11 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── for a maximum of 60 archive files per installation. See the sample INSTALL.INF file included with The Shareware Installer for an example of the MyGraphics Program installation script. INSTALL.INF The data in the INSTALL.INF file is read by the SHINST.EXE file while the program is loading. You can set the foreground and background colors and a fill character value for the background screen. You can also set foreground, background, text, and title colors for the text windows. Set the BACKGROUND switch to 0 (off) to show the installing of the archive files on the display screen. NOTE: During testing it is best to run with BACKGROUND = 0 so you can see the files being installed and make sure everything is being installed correctly. This is ONLY for ZIP and EXE files, not when files are copied. SYSTEM VARIABLES In version 1.5, the UnZipFileName and FailOn variables were added. These have been included with the other variables in the new SYSTEM group. The Background variable has been changed to accept a 0 or 1 instead of Off or On. The syntax for the first set of variables is: [SYSTEM] BackGround = 1 CPURequired = 286 DosVerRequired = 320 VideoRequired = 4 ConvMemRequired = 400 ExtMemRequired = 0 FailOnCPU = 1 FailOnDOSVer = 1 FailOnVideo = 1 FailOnConvMem = 1 FailOnExtMem = 0 UnZipFileName = PKUNZIP.EXE [END] Variable Value ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Background 1 = On, files are installed in the background. 0 = Off, filenames are displayed as they are being installed. CPURequired 86, 88, 286, 386, or 486. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (c) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations The Shareware Installer v2.0 4 of 11 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── DosVerRequired 320 is for version 3.20, 622 is version 6.22, etc. DO NOT use a decimal. The program will format and display the DOS version correctly after it checks it against the installed value. VideoRequired 0 - 11. See VIDEO CARD AND MONITOR CHART on page 8. ConvMemRequired Number K bytes required to run the program. 400 is 400,000 bytes of memory. ExtMemRequired Number K bytes of extended memory required. 1000 is 1 mb. FailOnCPU If set to 1 and the system does not have the mini- FailOnDOSVer mum requirement installed, the program will display FailOnVideo a warning message and then the install will fail. FailOnConvMem If set to 0 and the system does not have the mini- FailOnExtMem mum requirement installed, the program will still display the messagebox but will continue with the installation. UnZipFileName Set the filename for the utility to extract ZIP files. A freeware unzip utility is included with the registered version. SCREEN AND WINDOW VARIABLES The next set of variables are enclosed into either the SCREEN or WINDOW groups of the script file so that both the foreground and background colors for each can be set. The color values were changed in v1.5 to numbers so the program doesn't have to convert them internally. This reduces the size of the program and increases the speed at start up. See FOREGROUND AND BACKGROUND COLOR CHART on page 7. The fill characters are listed in the FILLCHAR.EXE file. Also new are the Border, TextColor, and TitleColor variables. TextColor sets the color for the window text and TitleColor sets the color for titles on the install screen. The Border variable options are listed below. [SCREEN] Foreground = 8 Background = 7 FillCharacter = 176 [END] [WINDOW] Foreground = 7 Background = 1 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (c) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations The Shareware Installer v2.0 5 of 11 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Border = 0 TextColor = 7 TitleColor = 11 [END] NOTE: All the section headers listed in brackets ([]) must be entered exactly as shown so the SHINST.EXE file reads in the variables correctly. BORDER OPTIONS # Description --------------------- 0 No border 1 Single line border 2 Double line border MAIN FILES AND SUB FILES The main files section lists the program information for the main part of the program. If you do not have any sub or optional files to install, then this section will be the only one you need to fill in. The sub files section is identical to the main files section in syntax. The first line is for the program name and description (up to 50 char- acters) and the disk space required of all the files in the main program after they have been installed. The information on each line is separated by an asterisk (*). The program reads in the first line and reads the program name, description, and the total bytes needed. The second line tells the program the disk number, file name, and command line switches (optional) of each of the archive or list files needed to install the main program. You can list up to 10 files for the main files group and 10 for each sub file group. The third line is the default drive and directory to install the files to. The syntax is: [MAINFILES] MyGraphics Program - Includes Fonts, Clipart, & MORE * 550000 1 * mygraph1.exe * 2 * mygraph2.lst * 2 * mygraph3.zip /o c:\mygraph [END] The syntax for the sub files is identical to the main files. You can list up to 5 sub file groups, each with up to 10 files. That's a maximum of 60 archive and/or list files for each program you want to distribute. The sub files default path can be the same as the main files or it can be a subdirectory of the main files directory. If the default path is ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (c) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations The Shareware Installer v2.0 6 of 11 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── changed by the user then the subfiles path will be changed also. For example, if the default path was C:\MYGRAPHICS and the font package default path was C:\MYGRAPH\FONTS and the user changed the path to be D:\MG then the fonts path would be changed to D:\MG\FONTS. The syntax for the sub files section is: [SUBFILES] MyGraphics Font Package * 350000 2 * mgfonts.zip c:\mygraph\fonts MyGraphics Clipart Package * 1200000 2 * mgclart1.zip * 3 * mgclart2.zip c:\mygraph\clipart MyGraphics Printer Drivers * 90000 2 * mgprtdrv.zip * 3 * mgprtdr2.lst c:\mygraph [END] The blank line between each group is for clarity only. They can be re- moved before distributing the file. COPYING FILES IN A LIST FILE Also new is the ability to copy files directly from the install disks to the destination drive/directory. Normally this would be for uncom- pressed files and not archive files. This will allow you to distribute your programs for installation without the need for an archive program if you choose. You can include any type of file in the list you want but the program will only copy them to the destination drive/directory. In order for the program to copy files, the file names must be listed in a .LST file (see the MGPRTDR2.LST in the Printer Drivers subfiles section above). Each disk with files to be copied must include a .LST file on the disk with only those file names listed that are on that disk. If another disk has files to be copied, they must be listed in a separate LST file on the disk where they reside. Using the example above, the MGPRTDR2.LST is on disk 3. If the printer drivers group was selected to be installed, when the installation program gets ready to install disk 3, it sees the LST file name, opens and reads the file names, and copies them from disk 3 to the destination directory of the printer drivers. A sample list file is included with the program files (SAMPLE.LST). ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (c) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations The Shareware Installer v2.0 7 of 11 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── COPYING AND INSTALLING FILES TO AND FROM MULTIPLE DISKS New to v2.0 is the SICOPY.EXE utility program. This utility enables you to copy files to multiple disks if there is not enough disk space on a disk or it is too large for one disk. If there is room for the file on a disk, a regular copy of the file will be made. If there is not enough space on the disk, the first section of the file will be copied and then you will be prompted for more disks until the copy is completed. The first part of the file will be renamed with an extension of 001 and each file will be numbered in sequence. The first file holds the information for recreating the original file upon installation using The Shareware Installer v2.0 and later. To install a multiple-disk file, add the first file name (the one with the 001 extension) in the in the INSTALL.INF file like: [MAINFILES] MyGraphics Program - Includes Fonts, Clipart, & MORE * 550000 1 * mygraph.exe * 1 * largepcx.001 * 3 * largebmp.001 c:\mygraph [END] The LARGEPCX.PCX and LARGEBMP.BMP files will be reconstructed, in the destination specified in the file, exactly like the original. The 001 file holds the original file name and size for rebuilding the file. SI normally loops through the file names selected to be installed and installs them in disk number sequence. When installing a file split over several disks, it is taken out of it's normal loop until the entire file has been copied to it's destination. When a file name with the extension 001 is set to be installed, it installs that portion of the file and then asks for the next disk number until the total bytes of the original file have been copied. It then exits the loop and returns to the regular in- stall loop. A problem could exist if you had other files on the disk with the 001 file that had not been installed yet. The program would ask for a disk number that had already been inserted and replaced with another disk. The solution would be to save the files that will need to be split until last or place the files on the disk in the order they are listed in the INSTALL.INF file. MODIFY AUTOEXEC.BAT AND/OR CONFIG.SYS You can include up to 5 lines that may need to be added or increased in each of the files. They will be presented to the user and they will have (c) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations The Shareware Installer v2.0 8 of 11 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── an opportunity to modify the files. If you do not have anything that needs to be added, you can remove the section from the file or place the [END] on the next line as shown in the first section below. The syntax is: [AUTOEXEC.BAT] [END] [CONFIG.SYS] FILES = 15 BUFFERS = 20 [END] RUNCOMMAND The RUNCOMMAND section allows you to place up to 10 lines of commands that will be placed in a batch file called RUNME.BAT. This file will be run upon exiting the installation program. Usage examples include running a file list program (or use DOS' TYPE command) to display an information text file, running a program file, or a combination of these. Two commands are automatically inserted at the beginning of the bat file. These are: @ECHO OFF <-- Keeps the commands from being displayed on the screen CLS <-- Clears the screen The syntax for the RUNCOMMAND section is: [RUNCOMMAND] type welcome.txt <-- Displays the WELCOME.TXT file pause <-- Prints "Press any key..." and waits mygraph.exe <-- Runs the MYGRAPH.EXE file type thankyou.txt <-- Displays the THANKYOU.TXT file [END] INTRO, INSTALL, AND EXIT TEXT SCREENS The Intro, Install, and Exit text screens are for listing text to be displayed in those windows. Up to 20 lines can be entered in each window. Blank lines can be inserted anywhere in the text but only the first 20 lines will be read. The syntax for the message sections are: [INTROTEXT] The Shareware Installer - Software Distribution Made Easy! ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (c) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations The Shareware Installer v2.0 9 of 11 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Thank you for evaluating this program. Although the name is The Shareware Installer, it's perfect for shareware, commercial, and custom software installation as well as the installation of data, graphics, and other files. Software developers, programmers, and anyone distributing files can edit the sample INSTALL.INF file and create a distribution disk (or set) quickly and easily. FEATURES: Personalized Intro, Install, and Exit messages; edit screen/window colors; user selectable file groups for partial installation, upgrades, etc.; disk space check; conventional and extended memory check; DOS version check; CPU check; video card and monitor check; supports multiple disks and files; optionally modify AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files; installs self-extract- ing EXE files or ZIP files using PKUNZIP; and MUCH, MUCH, MORE! [END] [INSTALLTEXT] You can display up to 20 lines of information in each of the text message screens. The Shareware Installer prompts for each disk required for the selected files and displays the file name and destination directory on the bottom of the screen as it is being installed If you selected BACKGROUND = OFF, the installation will run in the foreground and the user will see the files listed on the screen as they are being unzipped. If you included lines in the CONFIG.SYS and/or AUTOEXEC.BAT sections, the user will have an option to edit those files. [END] [EXITTEXT] The Shareware Installer will exit to the default path. If you entered commands to be included in the RunCommand section, the batch file will be run upon exiting the installation program. Thanks again for evaluating The Shareware Installer! You can contact us at the address listed below: Relative Software Innovations 1515 N. Town East Blvd., Suite #138 Mesquite, Texas 75150-4149 Phone/Fax: (214) 681-8131 CIS ID: 73611,127 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (c) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations The Shareware Installer v2.0 10 of 11 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Contact: Steve Moore [END] COLORED TEXT Setting the TextColor variable tells the program what color to display the text in. But, you can also select words or phrases to highlight or, print different screens in different colors. To do this, you must place a marker at the beginning and end of the word or phrase. To change the foreground color of a sentence, place the cursor under the first letter and type ~F and the color number. To change back to the default foreground color, type ~f at the end of the sentence. For example, to change the foreground color of: Thank you for evaluating The Shareware Installer to yellow, change it to: ~F14Thank you for evaluating The Shareware Installer~f To change the background to black, use the ~B command: ~F14~B0Thank you for evaluating The Shareware Installer~f~b Notice the ~b at the end of the sentence to change back to the default background color. To change the color of a word or two, change it to: ~F14~B0Thank you~f~b for evaluating The Shareware Installer You can change from one color to the next without changing back to the default, as in: ~F14Thank ~F15You~f for evaluating The Shareware Installer Thank will print in yellow, You in bright white. The rest of the sentence will print in the default foreground color. You can set the TitleColor variable in the INSTALL.INF file for displaying titles on the install screen. You can also set your titles, or any other text, to the same color by using ~T. A color variable is not needed since the program uses the value of TitleColor. The previous example would look like this: ~TThank You for evaluating The Shareware Installer~t The program will strip off the formatting codes inserted in the text and will only display your text in the designated colors. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (c) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations The Shareware Installer v2.0 11 of 11 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── NOTE: The program reads 2 digits for the foreground color. When changing the foreground color, place a 0 in front of colors 0-9 (i.e. 00, 01, .., 09). FOREGROUND AND BACKGROUND COLOR CHART Below is a list that show the valid color numbers for the foreground and background. Foreground Colors: Background Colors: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0 Black 8 Gray 0 Black 1 Blue 9 Bright Blue 1 Blue 2 Green 10 Bright Green 2 Green 3 Cyan 11 Bright Cyan 3 Cyan 4 Red 12 Bright Red 4 Red 5 Magenta 13 Bright Magenta 5 Magenta 6 Brown 14 Yellow 6 Brown 7 White 15 Bright White 7 White VIDEO CARD AND MONITOR CHART The VideoRequired switch accepts a number of 0 through 11 to set the required video adapter and monitor. Below are the values and corresponding meanings. For example, VideoRequired = 7 means that a VGA w/Color Monitor is the minimum required for this particular program. # Description # Description ----------------------------------------------------------- 0 Any Video Adapter 6 VGA w/Mono Monitor 1 Monochrome Adapter 7 VGA w/Color Monitor 2 Hercules Monochrome 8 MCGA w/Mono Monitor 3 CGA Adapter 9 MCGA w/Color Monitor 4 EGA w/Mono Monitor 10 EGA w/CGA Monitor 5 EGA w/Color Monitor 11 IBM 8514/A COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, ETC. If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to write or call us. Also, if you have any problems with The Shareware Installer, let us know so we may be able to correct any problems for future updates. Thank You. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (c) Copyright 1995 Relative Software Innovations