Find out which process prevents to modify application data files - inno-setup

Sometimes it happens, that some files of my application are used by some processes. For example, user opens application log, or something like that, and forgets to close it. This causes some errors while installing/upgrading/uninstalling. In such cases, I'd like to find out, what process is using file, and show user a message, indicating, that files are used.
Is it possible in Inno Setup to find out, what process prevents script from modifying file? At least, when I'm trying to do this in Code section.

The Inno Setup can automatically check, if the installed files are locked by some processes, and offer a user to close (and restart later) the applications automatically (since 5.5.0).
Make sure the CloseApplications directive is set to its default value yes.
Though by default, only *.exe,*.dll,*.chm files are checked. If you want to check also other or all other files, modify the CloseApplicationsFilter directive:
[Setup]
; default
CloseApplications=yes
; check all files
CloseApplicationsFilter=*.*
If you are installing some files by a code, use the RegisterExtraCloseApplicationsResources event function:
procedure RegisterExtraCloseApplicationsResources;
begin
RegisterExtraCloseApplicationsResource(
False, ExpandConstant('{userappdata}\My Program.log'));
end;

Related

Inno Setup - How to replace UserName with string

first attempt at posting this question was with severe jet lag. This re-edit of the question I only have the associated sleep deprivation...
I want to know the best way to use the installer to capture path information and then remove any reference to the user profile.
My program is designed to run from a central network location. To reduce network traffic some files are copied to a local drive, eg. AppData\MyProg\
I use a file browse dialogue so the person installing can specify the location:
pg_LocalPaths := CreateInputDirPage(pg_CentralPaths.id,
'Confirm File Locations For User Settings', 'To improve user experience these locations should be off the network.',
'Default Locations are:', False, 'New Folder');
// Add file browswer item (with an empty caption)
pg_LocalPaths.Add('Supporting files will be copied here by the application:');
pg_LocalPaths.Add('User settings (for a single user) will be saved here:');
// Set initial value
pg_LocalPaths.Values[0] := GetPreviousData('pg_LocalPaths0', ExpandConstant('{userappdata}\{#pFolder}'));
pg_LocalPaths.Values[1] := GetPreviousData('pg_LocalPaths1', ExpandConstant('{userappdata}\{#pFolder}'));
During install the local drive location is specified and stored in a config file.
An issue that I failed to predict is that when the program is installed, the path in the config file is defined for a single user, namely the user performing the install. In practice any user should be able to run the program...
To get the correct path for any given user, my software looks for a string "{UserName}" and replaces it with: Environ(UserName)
MyPath = Replace(MyPath, "{UserName}", Environ(UserName))
So, for example, in the installer I need to replace:
C:\Users\My Name\My Program OR C:\Users\My Admin\My Program
with something like:
C:\Users\\{UserName}\My Program
I alreay have this working in My Program but I am not sure of the best way to get it working in Inno... My inital thought was to write the config file like this:
StringChangeEx(MyPath, "My Name", "{UserName}", True)
Would like some perspective on this, not sure how to get it working for all situations.
Cheers,
You're doing it the wrong way.
Don't store the complete path in the config file; merely store a value that indicates that the user wishes to store data in the usual per-user location. (Or don't store any value, since that should be the default anyway.)
Then in your application, on every run of your application, use the Shell API to fetch the current AppData path for the current user and append your app's unique subfolder to this.
Note that it is perfectly valid for the user's AppData path to not contain their username, and not even be on C:. Don't make assumptions; use the Shell API. That's what it's for.
(Exactly which one to use and how to call it varies depending on target OS and your programming language of choice, which you haven't specified.)

Calling consecutive DLL's from {tmp} in Inno Setup

I want to use a DLL (lets say 'A.dll'), that I created in Delphi, within my Inno Setup script that uses a bunch of other DLLs ('B.dll', 'C.dll', ...). All these dll-files are included in the Files-section as follows:
[Files]
Source:"libs\*.dll"; Flags: dontcopy
In the code section I declare methods of the used DLL as described in the Online help and add the loadwithalteredsearchpath flag:
procedure MyMethod; external 'MyMethod#files:A.dll,B.dll,C.dll stdcall loadwithalteredsearchpath';
When the installer starts, all needed files are copied into the temporary directory the constant {#tmp} is pointing to. However, MyMethod starts its execution just fine (checked it with some Showmessages), but the whole thing breaks, when the method tries to use the other DLLs.
Next to the temporary folder from {#tmp} two other temporary directories are created during the setup (all with the 'IS-xxxxx.tmp' pattern), which contain 'setup.tmp' (which is not occurent in {#tmp}). When I now manually copy all the DLL's (besides A.dll) into both these other directories at the beginning of the setup, then everything works fine. But when I let it run only as defined in my script, then A.dll doesn't seem to find the other libraries.
Does anybody know, why this is happening and how I can fix this? This seems to be a problem with the PATH, but I thought that Inno Setup adds the tmp-dir into the PATH, so that the setup can find the DLL's (which it does, but strangely only for A.dll).
Thanks in advance for your help! :)
EDIT: The actual error I get, when I use one of the 'foreign' DLL's (B.dll, C.dll, ...) by calling one of their methods inside of A.dll during the Inno Setup:
Access violation at address 00408CC7 in module 'setup.tmp'. Read of adress 00000000.
EDIT 2: I think I realized why my problem is happening: With ExtractFilePath (first link) in my own A.dll I discovered, that the setup.exe is not executed within {tmp} but one of the other two temporary dirs that are creating at the beginning of the setup. It also appears, that not {tmp} but the current working dir (thus the dir, where inno is executed) is added to the library search path (second link). This would explain, why the other libraries (B.dll, C.dll, ...) can only be accessed when manually copying to this other temp dir. I suppose that A.dll is extracted and called from {tmp} without a problem, because it is referred as the "main-library" in the external command. I thought that with loadwithalteredsearchpath the other libraries could remain in the same directory, but that doesn't seem to work.
But how can I fix this now in an nifty way? I think I could copy the DLLs manually to the setup-path (by using ExtractFilePath(ParamStr(0)), after they have been extracted to {tmp} to solve the problem. But this seems to be a dirty workaround as using DLLs in Inno Setup is supposed to work differently.
How to get path where is temporary Inno setup file is located
External function calls with multiple dependent DLLs
Well I'm not sure if you only load the DLLs without registering them in the system registry. However your first EDIT shows an error triggered by attempts to access some stack of the registry, so I assume you are. In that case, I simply use a batch file (which fires commands in the CMD console) to register my DLLs as I would one by one:
#echo off
echo Registering DevExpress DLLs
%~dp0gacutil.exe /i %~dp0DevExpress.BonusSkins.v12.1.dll
%~dp0gacutil.exe /i %~dp0DevExpress.Charts.v12.1.Core.dll
So, I place this in the RUN section of the iss script:
[Run]
Filename:C:\myFolder\RegisterDevExpress.bat"
Hope this helps.

Inno-Setup checking file location prior to installation, then using it during installation

I need to check for the location of a file during program installation utilizing inno setup. I then need inno setup to use the location of that file in the "Filename" line to create a desktop ICON for program initialization. I have the code for the "Icons" option working fine with the exception of how to do the above.
Here is the line of code I am currently using;
Name: "{commondesktop}\SA - NH Bricscad V12"; Filename:"**c:\program files\septic assistant\new hampshire\support\**SA - NH Bricscad V12.exe"; IconFilename: "C:\Program Files\Septic Assistant\New Hampshire\Support\Bricscadlogo.ico"; Comment: "Septic Assistant the only Septic Design Program"
Hi-Lited section would be the path to the exe file that I need inno setup to search for.
Any assistance with this would be very much appreciated.
Bruce
Just use a {code:...} constant and corresponding [Code] function that returns the appropriate path for your [Icons] entry. You will probably also want to use a Check function to avoid installing the icon in the case that you cannot find the correct location.
Another option is to use a {reg:...} constant, assuming that the path you are trying to locate is specified somewhere in the registry (which is usually the case).
If the path is not already specified somewhere well-defined in the Registry when the other app is installed, and you don't have some other means to quickly identify where the other app is located (note that doing a global search of the user's HD is not a valid option), then you should add a page that prompts the user to enter the location themselves (which you can then verify that they have chosen the correct location). You can see examples of prompting the user for information and then doing something with that info in the CodeDlg.iss example included with Inno, and in the ISXKB wiki.

Return value of c# exe with exec

i have a problem using inno setup. I'm installing an update with inno, and with the update.exe the user get a txtfile with a licencenumber. On his Unit this licencenumber readable by a dll function.
Before the installingprocess i have to compare these numbers. Only if this numbers are identical the user is trying to installing the update on the right machine with the right licence.
If i would put this check into an seperate exe, it would be easy to crack it by change the exe with one just doing nothing (no errorcode). So i want to split the checking into the seperated exe (where i check some other things like installed version number etc.) and the update.exe
In update exe, i want to read the txtfile inside the updatepackage - this is easy.
In check.exe i want to call the internal dll and get the licencenumber of the machine. I have to return this number as an int. C# allows me to do that.
But how can i get this number in innosetup?
I tried to take the errorcode for this (0=error - not right version etc, XXXXXXXXX = licencenumber of machine). But the errorcode is just 2 chars in inno. I get only 2 chars...
Saving the number in another file would'nt be a solution cause the user can crack it this way... Is it possible to get the number into inno without giving the user the chance to manilpulate??
If you move the code into a DLL (either COM or a plain stdcall DLL) then it can be used by Inno and pass extra data between them including full strings, etc.

VC++ - Asynchronous Thread

I am working on VC++ project, in that my application process a file from input path and generates 3 output "*.DAT" files in the destination path. I will FTP these DAT file to the destination server. After FTP, I need to delete only two output .DAT files the folder. I am able to delete those files, because there one Asynchronous thread running behind the process. Since the thread is running, while deleting it says, "Cannot delete, the file is used by another person".
I need to stop that thread and delete the files. Multiple files can also be taken from the input path to process.
Please help me in resolving this issue. Its very high priority issue for me. Please help me ASAP.
I don't think this is a threading issue. Instead I think your problem is that Windows won't let you delete a file that still has open handles referencing it. Make sure that you call CloseHandle on handles to the file that you want to delete first. Also ensure that whatever mechanism you are using to perform the FTP transfer doesn't have any handles open to the file you want to delete.
I don't think that forcing the background thread down will solve your problem. You can't delete the files because you're holding an open handle to those files. You must close the handle first. Create an event object and share it between your main thread and the background thread. When the background thread is done sending the files through FTP, it should set this event. Have your main thread wait on the event before deleting the files.
Background Thread:
SendFiles();
ReleaseResources(); // (might be necessary, depending on your design)
SetEvent( hFilesSentEvent );
Main Thread:
WaitForSingleObject( hFilesSentEvent );
DeleteFiles();

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