Hi,

Following a request and a bit of ear bashing from Benny here's a quick write up on how to create an installer using freely available software. The software is called Inno Setup and is available from :-

http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php

To make life easier I would recommend downloading the Quick Start Pack which is currently at version 5.1.6

The program has a wizard which does a decent job at putting the basics together but then it's a matter of selecting various functions to customize the install.

Once a script has been created it's easy to modify to reuse. The attached script is an example of an installer script in use with the MachPink screenset and should be a good start for people to use and with a few edits your up and running.

In summary I have a folder called BACKUP on my c: drive

Inside this folder is a folder called MACHTESTSCREENS

You can of course modify the script to look at other locations for the files.

Copy the .SET file you want to package up into C:\BACKUP and then put the graphic files into C:\MACHTESTSCREENS

For the text files that appear during the install you need to create three text files. I used .RTF format files. copy these into :-

LicenseFile=C:\backup\license.rtf
InfoBeforeFile=C:\backup\infobefore.rtf
InfoAfterFile=C:\backup\infoafter.rtf

Finally two .BMP graphics files for logo's are used. A large and small graphic.

WizardImageFile=C:\Backup\logo-lrg.BMP
WizardSmallImageFile=C:\Backup\logo-sml.BMP

Then a quick look at the Project / Setup Options / Appearance will let you select an icon for the installer and a few other tweaks.

To Install a font which we didn't do. Select Project / Install fonts and select a font. This will add a line to the script.


The script below shows it complete and simply reading through should show the areas to customise. i.e Web addresses, Set titles and names etc.



I hope this is useful for everyone who wants to distribute screensets etc.....

Cheers and good luck.

Feel free to ask any questions and I'll answer the ones I know the answer too


-------------

; Script generated by the Inno Setup Script Wizard.
; SEE THE DOCUMENTATION FOR DETAILS ON CREATING INNO SETUP SCRIPT FILES!

[Setup]
AppName=Mach3 Pink Screenset
AppVerName=Pink Screenset v1.0
AppPublisher=The InsomniaX
AppPublisherURL=www.cnc-builder.co.uk\insomniax
AppSupportURL=www.cnc-builder.co.uk\insomniax
AppUpdatesURL=www.cnc-builder.co.uk\insomniax
DefaultDirName=C:\Mach3\
DefaultGroupName=Mach3 Pink Screenset
LicenseFile=C:\backup\license.rtf
InfoBeforeFile=C:\backup\infobefore.rtf
InfoAfterFile=C:\backup\infoafter.rtf
OutputDir=C:\Output
OutputBaseFilename=setup
SetupIconFile=C:\Documents and Settings\Shaun\Desktop\logo\moon.ico
Compression=lzma
SolidCompression=true
ShowLanguageDialog=yes
WizardImageFile=C:\Backup\logo-lrg.BMP
WizardSmallImageFile=C:\Backup\logo-sml.BMP
WizardImageStretch=false
DirExistsWarning=no
UserInfoPage=false
InternalCompressLevel=ultra

[Languages]
Name: english; MessagesFile: compiler:Default.isl

[Files]
Source: ..\..\..\Backup\Machpink.set; DestDir: {app}; Flags: ignoreversion; Languages:
Source: ..\..\..\Backup\MachTestScreens\*; DestDir: {app}\bitmaps\MachTestScreens; Flags: ignoreversion recursesubdirs

createallsubdirs
; NOTE: Don't use "Flags: ignoreversion" on any shared system files

[INI]
Filename: {app}\Internet shortcut.url; Section: InternetShortcut; Key: URL; String: www.cnc-builder.co.uk\insomniax

[Icons]
Name: {group}\{cm:ProgramOnTheWeb,Mach Pink Screenset}; Filename: {app}\Internet shortcut.url
Name: {group}\{cm:UninstallProgram,Mach Pink Screenset}; Filename: {uninstallexe}

[UninstallDelete]
Type: files; Name: {app}\Internet shortcut.url

Thanks Shaun for posting this tutorial. It all adds up into building a great learning resource for us and others.