WiseGuy Software Universal Installer v1.0 Copyright (C) 1999, Marvin G Wise Jr. DISCLAIMER: This package is provided AS-IS and without warranty. WiseGuy Software and Marvin G Wise Jr shall not be held liable for any damage resulting from the use of this software. Any use of this software denotes acceptance of these terms. This is the file README.TXT for the WiseGuy Software Universal Installer. The WiseGuy Software Universal Installer is a program designed to make the process of creating an installation program for software virtually painless. Updates, documentation, and frequently asked questions can be found at the WiseGuy Software World Wide Web page: http://boozers.fortunecity.com/tequila/48/ ================ THE DISTRIBUTION ================ The distribution should contain the following files: COPYING - This file contains the GNU Public License. COPYING.LIB - This file contains the GNU Library Public License. README.TXT - This file. GRABBER.TXT - Information about the grabber program. DATAFILE.TXT - Explains the required datafile attributes for the installer. WGC.TXT - Documentation for the WGC archive utility. MAKEINST.TXT - Documentation for the MAKEINST utility. CONFIG.TXT - This file walks through each line of the setup.cfg file used by the installer, explaining every possible option. MAKEINST.EXE - Utility program which automates the process of making a custom setup.cfg file. WGRABBER.EXE - A modified version of the Grabber program released with Allegro v3.11. This version has been modified to handle both GIF and JPEG images. For mor information see the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS section of this file. WGC.EXE - Utility program for creating WGC archive files. See the file wgc.txt for mor information. SETUP.EXE - This is the actual installation program which will be distributed with your projects. If any of these files are missing, you can find the newest, complete distribution at the WiseGuy Software WWW page listed at the top of this file. =============== GETTING STARTED =============== Quick Start: 1. Read the file MAKEINST.TXT 2. Run MAKEINST.EXE in the directory in which you wish to create your setup.cfg file. It's a good idea to make this the directory in which all of your distribution files are located. 3. Include the following files in your distribution: SETUP.EXE SETUP.CFG - This is the newly created file. If you chose to use a datafile include your datafile, otherwise, include the four image files you specified in the MAKEINST.EXE program. Include any/all of the WGC files you need. 4. That's it! The Long Route: 1. Read the file WGC.TXT 2. Using the WGC.EXE utility create any/all necessary WGC archives. 3. If you wish to use a datafile: a. Read the file DATAFILE.TXT b. Run the WGRABBER.EXE utility to create the necessary datafile If you aren't using a datafile: a. Create/Choose an image to use for the buttons. b. Create/Choose an image to use for the window backgrounds. c. Create/Choose an image to use for the wallpaper. d. Create/Choose an image to use for the logo. 4. Read the file CONFIG.TXT 5. Create a file called setup.cfg based upon the information in this file. 6. Include the following files in your distribution: SETUP.EXE SETUP.CFG - This is the newly created file. If you chose to use a datafile include your datafile, otherwise, include the four image files you chose/created in step 3. Include any/all of the WGC files you need. 7. That's it! ============ INSTALLATION ============ Unzip the archive into any old directory. In order to use the tools effectively, you'll need to figure out a way to put this directory in your path. You could do it one of a couple of ways: 1. Add the directory to your PATH statement in autoexec.bat and reboot. 2. Under Win95 (and 98?) Create a batch file somewhere called makeinst.bat In this file put the line: PATH=%PATH%;x:\path where x is the drive and path is the path where you unzipped the files. Now create a new shortcut. Under Cmd Line, type in the path to command.com (eg. C:\COMMAND.COM) Under Working, type in a starting directory to work in. Under Batch file, type in the name/path of the batch file you just created. Now whenever you need to use the utilites to create a setup distribution, simply run this shortcut and you're all set. ====================== DOCUMENTATION AND FAQS ====================== I hope to be able to provide a complete list of documentation and FAQs in the future. You can always find the most up to date information at the website listed in the beginning of this file. ===================== COPYRIGHT INFORMATION ===================== The WiseGuy Software Universal Installer was created using the free DOS C/C++ compiler, DJGPP, written by DJ Delorie (and others). If you'd like more information or would like to obtain a copy of this wonderful compiler for yourself, check out http://www.delorie.com/djgpp/ The Installer was also created using the wonderful graphics library Allegro, written by Shawn Hargreaves (and others). For more information or to download your own copy, visit the Allegro WWW page at http://www.talula.demon.co.uk/allegro/ This package is distributed freely, but it is not public domain. You may use this program free of charge, and you may distribute it freely, provided it is not modified in any way, and none of the files included in this package are removed. =================== CONTACT INFORMATION =================== You can contact me at the following email addresses: mgwise@seidata.com wiseguy@yahoo.com sirwiseguy@geocities.com sirwiseguy@fortunecity.com More up to date information can be found at the WiseGuy Software Website http://boozers.fortunecity.com/tequila/48/