I would if we can add some files(text or executable) to a NSIS installer with a tool(or not) after the package is done.
Thank you for your help
You cannot really append extra files after the compiler has finished. You can however append a small text string if you need to embed some sort of id/hash/serial number. This data can be read with the ReadCustomerData function from the NSIS wiki.
You can compile installers on Windows and POSIX based systems so you can build installers anywhere if you absolutely need to add a file that does not exist on your system...
Related
I have seen this was asked in the bask back in 2008 and can't find anything newer on the subject so I am bring it up again.
Is there a way to prevent a user from extracting the files from the installer and reading the nsi file.
I read something the opcode needs to be changed in the exe of nsis. Has NSIS come up with a plugin or something so users do not have to modify the exe?
If there an easy way or is it still messing with the exe. and if so can you point me in the right direction on how to do this or if someone has already posted a version
Thank!
NSIS is open source so it is not unsurprising that people are able to write decompilers.
There is no easy way to prevent it and the recommended method is still the same; change the order of the opcodes in \Source\exehead\fileform.h and compile NSIS.
To prevent most people from getting access to your files you can use one of the zip/7z/rar plug-ins from the NSIS Wiki that accepts a password and include a password protected archive in your installer. Keep in mind that a sophisticated user can run the installer in a debugger and find your password when you call the plug-in to extract the files.
I want to be able to display the release notes to the end user before the installation has started (e.g. if there are any code changes they should be aware of before upgrading to a newer version).
I've read the documentation regarding the Pascal code BeforeInstall and AfterInstall Parameters, but my problem is how can I make a reference to my release notes file as it is packed inside the setup executable? I realise the simplest answer would be to simply package the installer with a copy of the text file sitting alongside it so it could reference it in this way, but then if the user only copies the executable for example, this would presumably cause a reference error.
What is the best way to go about implementing this?
You are looking for the InfoBeforeFile directive:
[Setup]
InfoBeforeFile=infobefore.txt
I am a first time user of this group and so pardon me for any mistakes and unclear statements.
What I am trying to do is to create single setup.exe (not msi) using installshield. But when I build the project what I get is other files along with the .exe file for e.g. .cab, .hdr, .inx and other such files.
I am using the options under Release -> Release Wizard -> General options-> Checked the "Create a single file executable" & "Compress compiled script" options but still I get the extra files along with the setup.exe file. I want a setup.exe file to be created independent of the other local files.
So could anyone suggest me how to achieve that.
Any help will be appriciated.
Thanks.
As Michael Urman wrote, you will find the one file in adjacent folder.
The folder name is "Package".
Those files are always created for InstallScript projects. When you build a single file executable, the single file version that packages it all together is available in an adjacent folder.
I'm trying to get my website to talk to a friend's program. Think ITunes - one main program with hundreds of thousands of little things installed into it. We don't want to have to create an InstallShield install program for each of those hundreds of thousands of little things.
We have the files grouped into the folder sub-structure.
We have a .REG file for what registry entry needs to be added to see the new folder group.
But is there a way to do a self extracting zip file that reads a registry entry so we know where they installed the original program to be able to dump the new files there as well? I want them to double-click the EXE and click Finish and for everything to work.
(I've been looking into INF and CAB files through IExpress.exe, but haven't found the answer. I remember Package for the Web didn't have an option to read a registry entry, but did let you modify the suggested install path.)
Thanks so much.
Best wishes,
Andrea
But is there a way to do a self extracting zip file that reads a registry entry so we know where they installed the original program to be able to dump the new files there as well? I want them to double-click the EXE and click Finish and for everything to work
Well, yes and no. There are self-extractors that can run a program after extracting all files. DotNetZip, for example, can produce an SFX which can do this.
Just an aside: a normal SFX is just a zip file, with a "stub" executable merged with it. The stub exe can do anything it wants to do, but the most basic thing it does is extract the files in the zip. When you use DotNetZip to produce an SFX, it embeds its particular stub into the zip. That stub knows how to extract files, and also knows how to invoke a program after extracting. You can also produce your own stub that can do other more exotic things.
So you could use an SFX for your purpose. When run, it would extract, then invoke it's extra program. The program could look in the registry, then move or relocate the extracted files to the appropriate place. Then terminate.
For a different twist, the SFX might have just two files: the program-to-run (the one that reads the registry, and another embedded zip. Then when the SFX runs it generates 2 files. Then it invokes the program-to-run, which reads the registry, then unpacks the contained zip and puts the files into the desired place.
Ok, so you could do it.
Should you?
mmm, maybe. This really is an installer, so, you should decide whether you want to use a zip as an installer. Don't forget, if you use an SFX as an installer, there's no good way to uninstall.
Have you tried Inno Setup toolchain? It's a bit better than a bare Self-Extracting ZIP file, it's a setup creation utility. I'm convinced it has got something to put some entry in the Registry, look also at the plugins.
Basically, a self-extracting executable that alters the registry, it's a setup program. So why don't you go for a proper one?
Website: http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php
I wanted to write an NSIS script, let's call it for now setup.nsi, and check
if several required dll files already exists in $SYSDIR
Let me emphasize on the word "several"
What I understand from nsis IfFileExists documentation is that if I type in:
IfFileExists $SYSDIR\blabla.dll +2 +1
then it checks if blabla.dll is in $SYSDIR .. but what if I want to know if *.dll from where setup.nsi copies the file (i.e. the *.dll's that I am interested in installing in.. and they are a lot of them.. so I can't just go around checking for all the names) exists in $SYSDIR
During uninstallation I want to then be able to delete them from $SYSDIR (using some uninstall.log to see if I really copied them in $SYSDIR.. and again the wildcard question).
Please be patient with me as I am really new to NSIS scripts.
Is it REALLY necessary to write and delete in $SYSDIR ? Unless yours is a system file, there's no reason for it to be in $__SYS__DIR. If you need to use a specific version of a library, consider DLL redirection (put your DLL in your app dir and use the .local feature) - see the MSDN article on DLL redirection and Side-by-side assemblies.
Plus, you are one typo away from wrecking the user's computer ("Deleted: C:\Windows\System32\user32.dll").
As Piskvor mentions, I don't think you should be worrying about deleting system DLLs in the uninstaller. In case you want to overwrite system DLLs with an updated version, you may want to look at the SetOverwrite command. It lets you overwrite files if what you've got is newer.
Windows XP (SP2?) and up has file protection for system32, so you can't overwrite system critical files in there.
Do try to stay away from that.
Also, to check for your file specifically, see if there's a plugin for NSIS that can calculate checksums and compare that on uninstall. That's probably the safest, IF you really need to do it.
I'd suggest install files somewhere else and add that to PATH.