On the way of making an app installable

[tomy]

Hi, and thanks for your guidance.

I went for creating a package directory on my Desktop with two subdirectories data and meta.

Then using a Notepad I created a package.xml like this and put into meta subdirectory:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
-<Package>
<DisplayName>Qt Calculator</DisplayName>
<Description>A Calculator Written in Qt by Purely C++ Code</Description>
<Version>1.1</Version>
<ReleaseDate>2017-03-23</ReleaseDate>
<Name>com.vendor.root.component2</Name>
<Dependencies>com.vendor.root.component1</Dependencies>
<Virtual>false</Virtual>
<Default>false</Default>
<ForcedInstallation>false</ForcedInstallation>
<Essential>false</Essential>
<Replaces>com.vendor.root.component2old</Replaces>
</Package>

My app is very simple I think. I just need a window that installs the app including the .dll files and puts a shortcut on the desktop on the target machine.
I then went for this page section Predefined Installer Pages for going on the process.

Have I done the work correctly up to now?

A question:
For the data subdirectory, the link says "The data directory contains the content that the installer extracts during the installation."
What content does it mean? I have the Release folder plus qt-installer-framework-opensource-2.0.1-x86.run only.
Should I package these as a 7zip archive and put into data subdirectory?

Thanks so much.

[SGaist]

They mean whatever is needed to run your application. So basically, you usually copy the binary of your exec in an empty folder, run windeployt, check that everything is working, and then you package that.

[tomy]

@SGaist

Thanks.

What I have now:
A packaeg_directory with a meta folder and a data.7z file in it.
The meta folder contains a package.xml file.
The data.7z archive file contains: the .exe file and related files and folders that were added to it after running windeployt, plus qt-installer-framework-opensource-2.0.1-x86.

Then I continued to the Control Scpripting page.
There I think I should write one or mor Control Scripts. There are a few versions there that each one adds some functionality and wizards to the installation process.
The examples of codes are available there but the question is where and how to write them and then add them to the package_directoy?

[SGaist]

Why are you adding qt-installer-framework-opensource-2.0.1-x86 to your installer ?

[tomy]

@SGaist
I hadn't used it until now and thought it should be probably added to there. I just guessed. :(

OK, I will remove it from there.

And what then please?

[SGaist]

Are you following the tutorial here ?

[tomy]

@SGaist

Summary:

I have a package_directory folder on my Windows Desktop with these sub-folders. The config.xml file contains this. The data subfolder contains the data.7z file. The meta subfolder contains a package.xml file with this content.

following the link, I got to the Creating the Installer Binary where it says:
On Windows:
....\bin\binarycreator.exe -c config\config.xml -p packages YourInstaller.exe

Whatever I searched I didn't find a .exe file named binarycreator. After searching the Web, I downloaded QtInstallerFramework-win-x86.exe from here and installed it and finally could find that .exe file in path: C:\Qt\QtIFW2.0.3\bin\binarycreator.exe

Now everything is ready to implement the command above. So by a command like I went to the path of package_directory on my Desktop and typed C:\Qt\QtIFW2.0.3\bin\binarycreator.exe -c config\config.xml -p packages YourInstaller.exe and hit Enter.

The message of the command line, as stated in the following, is seemingly all about the package.xml file.

And no installer is created on my package_directory folder unfortunately. :(

Would you please tell me how to solve this?

[tomy]

My last works:

1- I changed the file config.xml to this.
2- Created a licens.txt file on my Desktop and changed the file package.xml to this.

3- Created a folder named Result on my Desktop and pasted the Cal.exe file from the Release folder onto it.
4- Ran this command.

Now what is the problem please?

[SGaist]

Put the license in the same folder as your script.

On a side note, you are using single backslashes in your path which mean you are escaping characters.

[tomy]

@SGaist

@SGaist said in On the way of making an app installable:

Put the license in the same folder as your script.

Do you mean into the meta folder?

On a side note, you are using single backslashes in your path which mean you are escaping characters.

Do you mean that I should use double-backslashes for my paths, like below?

C:\Qt\QtIFW2.0.3\bin\binarycreator.exe -c C:\Users\CS\Desktop\package_directory\config\config.xml -p C:\Users\CS\Desktop\package_directory\packages C:\Users\CS\Desktop\Result\Cal.exe

It seems rather odd! (Each single backslash to be changed to a double-backslashes)

[SGaist]

In the same folder as package.xml

I mean again in package.xml. Don't mix command line and text file content.

[tomy]

@SGaist
OK, I copied the license.txt onto the mate folder (where the package.xml exists).
And changed package.xml license section to this:

<Licenses>
        <License name="Beer Public License Agreement" file="C:\\Users\\CS\\Desktop\\license.txt" />
    </Licenses>

And then ran the command.
Again the same result.
http://uploads.im/d2bNT.jpg

[SGaist]

If it's in the same folder then there's no need to put any path, just the file name

[tomy]

Thank you, it worked. :)

But one question and one issue!

The question: I'd changed the config.xml to this and package.xml to this.

When I ran the command line, I got an issue about the Name tag as follows:

[1] Warning: The <Name> tag in the 'C:/Users/CS/Desktop/package_directory/packag
es/com.vendor.product/meta/package.xml' is ignored - the installer uses the path
element right before the 'meta' ('com.vendor.product').
C:\Qt\QtIFW2.0.3\bin>

Should I ignore it? If not how to solve it, too, please?

The issue: The installer file exists in the Result folder on Desktop. When I install it and select a folder on Start Menu (say Accessories or Start Up) to have the shortcut of the program, no shortcut will be created or saved there!! :(

What is the reason for that problem and how should I solve it please?

[SGaist]

Fix the Name entry in your package.xml. It should be a domain-like identification.

[tomy]

I used com.vendor.product and it worked. Thank you. :)

Through helping I was said that I need a Script file called installscript.qs to be added to the same folder as package.xml (in meta folder) with these contents. And package.xml should also be changed to have the name of that Script.

I did these and ran the command again.
It created an unknown shortcut, with this error message.

If it's what the program needs to create a shortcut, so please tell that how to fix this one too?
I think it is the last step probably.

[SGaist]

Is the file really where the link is pointing to ?

By the way there's also an example here for the start menu.

[tomy]

@SGaist said in On the way of making an app installable:

Is the file really where the link is pointing to ?

Yes, the file installscript.qs is in the meta folder with these contents.

By the way there's also an example here for the start menu.

Does it mean I should again read the Docs!? :( :( :(
They are not that clear and I will have to again ask 100 questions. :( :(

[SGaist]

I mean, is Calc.exe really where the link is pointing to ?
Can you start it without using the link ?

[tomy]

I tried to understand that .qs file and only figured out that it tries to create a shortcut on both Start Menu and Desktop (Windows) and couldn't find any flaw in it.

If the problem is of the paths as the error message says, so why that unknown shortcut is even created? If paths are not compatible, so no shortcut should be created, I assume.

As another attempt to solve the problem, I copied the Cal.exe file (from Release folder) and pasted it on Desktop (to eliminate any incompatible paths ) and re-ran this command:

C:\Qt\QtIFW2.0.3\bin\binarycreator.exe -c C:\Users\CS\Desktop\package_directory\config\config.xml -p C:\Users\CS\Desktop\package_directory\packages C:\Users\CS\Desktop\Cal.exe

Again, the same result, an "unknown" shortcut!!

I also read this link and tried to find a clue to solve the issue, but didn't see any differences with my .qs file. :( :(