Hi all!
As all you saw, I posted a tree of things that must be done by a
complete installer.
Eugene Wong recommended me to have a kickstart, as Red Hat, that is, a
script that guide the installer through that tree of things.
Eric Auer said about using a mixture of a text description file and a
standard zip for packages, at least for a starting point.
I suggest using ncurses for designing the installer interface...
Owen Rudge is making an installer for SEAL with TUI and its own package
formate (attached SPI.TXT)
Maybe here are some people making also an installer or for an entire
FreeDOS distro, or for some packages (such as FreeGEM, OpenGEM, SEAL,
etc, etc)... I think that all these people must contribute in making an
only and official installer joining all of our efforts
If any of you have an idea or want to contribute coding (this is the
most needed, because ideas without coders are NOTHING), please reply to
these message.
Regards,
Natasha Portillo
----------
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==^================================================================
SPI File Format
Version 1.0
Copyright (c) Owen Rudge 2002. All Rights Reserved.
---------------------------------------------------
This file refers to version 1.0 of the SPI file format. THIS IS A PRELIMENTARY
DOCUMENT. THE
FILE FORMAT MAY CHANGE BETWEEN NOW AND THE OFFICIAL RELEASE OF SPI 1.0.
The SPI (SEAL Package Installation) file format is detailed in the following document.
Please note that in this document, a char is one byte long, a short is two bytes long,
and
both an int and a long are four bytes long. A long long uses eight bytes. All numbers
are
written using Intel byte order, ie, little-endian. All strings should use the Latin-1
codepage.
SPI supports long filenames, but you should be careful in using them as many SEAL
installations
would not be running under Windows and would not have a long filename driver loaded.
This document was last updated on 2nd June 2002.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
1. Main Header
2. Directories and Files
3. Registry Entries
4. INI File Modifications
5. Shortcut Creation (for Programs menu)
6. Conclusion
Main Header
-----------
At the start of a SPI file, you have the main header. This is as follows:
char compress_magic[4]; // Allegro packfile compression header
typedef struct
{
char hdr[3]; // Header: "SPI"
unsigned char major; // Major version of SPI required
unsigned char minor; // Minor version of SPI required
unsigned char revision; // Revision of SPI required
} SPI_MAINHEADER;
If compress_magic is set to 0x736C6821L ("!hls"), the file is packed using Allegro's
compression
routines. This means that every file operation uses the pack_* functions. Even
zlib-compressed
data is written using the Allegro packing routines. The use of the Allegro compression
routines
can significantly reduce the size of SPI files that contains many files, registry
entries,
directories and so on, as the various structures are then compressed too.
If compress_magic is set to 0x736C682EL (".hls"), the file is not packed, and the usual
fopen, fread, fwrite, etc, functions can be used to read the file.
Directories and Files
---------------------
After the main header, you will find the Directory Header. This consists of an
unsigned integer
value specifying how many directories will need to be created by the installation, and
then a
number of SPI_DIRECTORYHEADER structures:
typedef struct
{
char dirname[200]; // Directory name, up to 200 chars in length (8.3 if
no LFNs)
char path[200]; // Directory that dirname should be created in,
relative to base
unsigned short path_base; // Path 'base' - see below
} SPI_DIRECTORYHEADER;
This is followed by an unsigned integer value specifying how many files there are in
the SPI
package. This is then followed by a File Header for each file:
typedef struct
{
char filename[200]; // Filename, up to 200 characters in length (8.3 if no
LFNs)
char path[200]; // Path file should be extracted to, relative to
path_base
unsigned short path_base; // Path 'base' - see below
unsigned char day; // Day to set file date to
unsigned char month; // Month to set file date to
unsigned short year; // Year to set file date to
unsigned char hour; // Hour to set file date to
unsigned char minute; // Minute to set file date to
unsigned char second; // Second to set file date to
unsigned char attributes; // File attributes - see below
unsigned long filesize; // Size of uncompressed file
unsigned long filesize_comp; // Size of compressed data
} SPI_FILEHEADER;
The File Header is followed by the compressed data. The data is compressed using the
zlib
compress() function, and should be decompressed with the zlib uncompress() function.
path_base should be set to one of the following constants:
#define SPI_ROOT 0 // Root directory (/)
#define SPI_SEAL_DIR 1 // SEAL base directory (/system/ in VFS)
#define SPI_SEAL_DOCS_DIR 2 // Documents directory (/documents/ in VFS, or
/system/docs/)
#define SPI_SEAL_FONTS_DIR 3 // Fonts directory (/system/fonts/)
#define SPI_SEAL_APPS_DIR 4 // Applications directory (/programs/ in VFS, or
/system/apps/)
#define SPI_SEAL_LIBS_DIR 5 // Libraries directory (/system/libs/)
#define SPI_SEAL_SKIN_DIR 6 // Skin directory (/system/skin/)
#define SPI_SEAL_HELP_DIR 7 // Help directory (/system/help/)
#define SPI_APPLICATION_DIR 8 // Application directory specified by user
#define SPI_DRIVE_C 100 // C:\ (or /c/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_D 101 // D:\ (or /d/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_E 102 // E:\ (or /e/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_F 103 // F:\ (or /f/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_G 104 // G:\ (or /g/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_H 105 // H:\ (or /h/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_I 106 // I:\ (or /i/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_J 107 // J:\ (or /j/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_K 108 // K:\ (or /k/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_L 109 // L:\ (or /l/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_M 110 // M:\ (or /m/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_N 111 // N:\ (or /n/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_O 112 // O:\ (or /o/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_P 113 // P:\ (or /p/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_Q 114 // Q:\ (or /q/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_R 115 // R:\ (or /r/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_S 116 // S:\ (or /s/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_T 117 // T:\ (or /t/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_U 118 // U:\ (or /u/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_V 119 // V:\ (or /v/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_W 120 // W:\ (or /w/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_X 121 // X:\ (or /x/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_Y 122 // Y:\ (or /y/ in VFS)
#define SPI_DRIVE_Z 123 // Z:\ (or /z/ in VFS)
At the moment, no other constants are defined. You are not limited to installing in
the above
directories however - you can install into sub-directories of them by setting the path
value in
the SPI_FILEHEADER structure. It is not recommended to directly install into drives
C-Z - you
should ask the user for a directory or use the SEAL system directories.
The file attributes is a variable made up of the following bits, which are included in
IO.H in
DJGPP:
#define FA_NORMAL 0x00 // Normal file, no attributes
#define FA_RDONLY 0x01 // Read only attribute
#define FA_HIDDEN 0x02 // Hidden file
#define FA_SYSTEM 0x04 // System file
#define FA_LABEL 0x08 // Volume label
#define FA_DIREC 0x10 // Directory
#define FA_ARCH 0x20 // Archive
You should not use the FA_LABEL or FA_DIREC constants with files.
Registry Entries
----------------
Next in the SPI file comes an unsigned integer specifying the number of registry
entries to be
created as part of the Setup process. Following this are a number of SPI_REGISTRYENTRY
structures, as follows:
typedef struct
{
char keyname[200]; // The name of the key to create
char parentkey[200]; // The "path" to the parent key
unsigned char link; // 1 if key is a link, 0 otherwise
char linkkey[200]; // The key that the created key should link to, if
applicable
unsigned char datatype; // The type of the data - see below
char keydata[200]; // The data of the key, if text
union
{
unsigned char keydata_byte; // Data of key if byte
short keydata_small; // Data of key if small
long keydata_integer; // Data of key if integer
long long keydata_big; // Data of key if big
float keydata_float; // Data of key if float
};
} SPI_REGISTRYENTRY;
The SPI installer looks for the following items in the keydata variable and if found,
replaces
them with other strings:
Value Replacement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
%APPDIR% Application directory, including trailing slash (eg,
/programs/myapp/)
%SEALDIR% SEAL system directory (usually, if not always, /system/)
%LIBSDIR% SEAL libraries directory (usually /system/libs/)
%HELPDIR% SEAL help directory (usually /system/help/)
%SKINDIR% SEAL skin directory (usually /system/skin/)
%FONTDIR% SEAL fonts directory (usually /system/fonts/)
The datatype variable is one of the following constants:
#define SPI_REGKEY_BYTE 1 // Key data is in the form of a byte
#define SPI_REGKEY_SMALL 2 // Key data is in the form of a short integer
#define SPI_REGKEY_INTEGER 3 // Key data is in the form of an integer
#define SPI_REGKEY_BIG 4 // Key data is in the form of a 64-bit integer
#define SPI_REGKEY_FLOAT 5 // Key data is in the form of a floating-point number
#define SPI_REGKEY_TEXT 6 // Key data is text
The appropriate item in the union is used depending on the value of datatype.
INI File Modifications
----------------------
After the registry entries, you will find an unsigned integer specifying the number of
INI file
modifications that should be made as part of the Setup process. Following this are a
number of
SPI_INIMODIFICATION structures, as follows:
typedef struct
{
char filename[200]; // The filename of the INI file
char path[200]; // The path to the INI file, relative to the base
unsigned short path_base; // Path 'base' - see "Directories and Files" above
char section[200]; // The section of the INI to update
char entry[200]; // The name of the entry to update
char value[200]; // The value to set the entry to
} SPI_INIMODIFICATION;
Shortcut Creation (for Programs menu)
-------------------------------------
SPI can automatically create shortcuts. Version 1.0 of the SPI installer supports both
the
Desktop V and Bad Desktop 0.55 systems of links. As Bad Desktop 0.55 supports the
Desktop V
system, the Desktop V system is what's used, with the exception of folder descriptions
and
icons - DESKTOP.INF is still used for this.
After the SPI_INIMODIFICATION structures, you will find an unsigned integer specifying
the
number of shortcut folders to create. Following this value you will find an
SPI_SHORTCUTITEM
structure for each folder:
typedef struct
{
char itemname[200]; // The name of the folder/shortcut item
char friendlyname[200]; // The friendly name written to DESKTOP.INF for
Bad Desktop
// and/or the shortcut file
char destpath[200]; // The path to the program/item to be executed (if
applic.)
char icon32[200]; // The path to the 32x32 icon (if applicable)
char icon16[200]; // The path to the 16x16 icon (if applicable)
} SPI_SHORTCUTITEM;
destpath should be set to NULL for shortcut folders - they will be ignored anyway. If
you don't
want a custom icon, fill icon32 and icon16 with NULL values.
After these structures, you will find another unsigned integer. This specifies the
number of
shortcut icons to create. After this you will find an SPI_SHORTCUTITEM structure for
each icon.
The destpath, icon32 and icon16 values support the replaceable variables mentioned
above in
"Registry Entries".
Conclusion
----------
I hope you find this document useful. Keep an eye on future SPI developments at the
official
SEAL web site: http://sealsystem.sourceforge.net/.
If you have any queries or problems, please e-mail me at the address below.
Owen Rudge
30th April 2002
Web site: http://www.owenrudge.co.uk/
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
