FWIW, I only muck directly with files and the registry on down-and-dirty
INHOUSE UTILITIES!!! I wouldn't want anyone to get the idea that I
think it is a good idea to use undocumented stuff on distributed
software. (Our any software, unless you know the potential limitations
and pitfalls)
However, since you lectured... <grin>
Ironically, the reason that I wrote a down and dirty app was that new
desktop tools from PALM broke our existing conduit (not written by me).
At the time, there was a hassle getting the latest CDK and the previous
conduit wouldn't build and link cleanly on the latest MSVC (lots of
dubious casts).
Our info flow is one way (palm->host), editing is one ended (only on
palm device). Our use is internal only. It was causing a lot of lost
time and revenue... I just winged it... half a day later a new
acquisition tool was on the network and we've all been using it ever
since.
The morals, if any:
If you want developers to follow the rules, the payoff has to be two way
(ie, breaking lots of existing conduits with new software is bad)
If the info is not readily available, rules will be broken (in all
fairness, the SDKs and CDKs seem to be generally free and available, but
your multi-week thick agreement thing to get debug ROMs seems like a
good way to encourage buggy apps with resource leaks)
There! I'm done soap-boxing. Actually, I'm really transferring and
venting. I'm still steaming about CodeWarrior Release 6. It boggles my
mind how a resource editor which can't edit icons got pressed on a CD
and shipped (I know, s4%$ happens and response from Mworks was quick,
but it cost me quite a bit of time).
Best Regards,
-jjf
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2000 9:01 AM
To: Palm Developer Forum
Subject: RE: Installers for Palm applications?
> you can get the version 3.xx hotsync manager to
> install a PRC file by just copying the file to the <pilot
> base>\<user>\install folder. The file is installed at the next
hotsync.
It's not quite as simple as this. There are some more steps than this.
To make
things easier for you and to give us more flexibility to change
installation
methods without breaking everyone's installers, we provide the Install
Aide
library with the Conduit Developers Kit. Please use the function
PltInstallFile() for installing applications to the handheld.
> You can get the <pilot base> path from the registry (under Windows).
(I
> think it is something like HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\U.S.
> Robotics\Pilot Desktop\Core)
Once again, there is an API for you to get this information. We would be
very
happy if you use the PltGetPath() function in the Install Aide API. This
way,
the the location and format of where this information is stored can be
changed
without breaking everyone's installer.
> Getting the name of a user's folder is a little trickier. For an
> inhouse util, I look at the file <pilot base>\users.dat to get the
> default user name. I don't know if the format of this file is
> documented or not. There might even be a conduit API to access the
data
> in it (I've never done a conduit).
There is a UserData API supplied with the CDK that is intended for these
functions. The format of the users.dat file is not a fixed format.
-Geoff Richmond
Palm Developer Support
"Fitzpatrick, Joe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> on 01/26/2000 07:38:37 PM
Please respond to "Palm Developer Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent by: "Fitzpatrick, Joe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Palm Developer Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
cc: (Geoff Richmond/HQ/3Com)
Subject: RE: Installers for Palm applications?
Unless I am mistaken, you can get the version 3.xx hotsync manager to
install a PRC file by just copying the file to the <pilot
base>\<user>\install folder. The file is installed at the next hotsync.
You can get the <pilot base> path from the registry (under Windows). (I
think it is something like HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\U.S.
Robotics\Pilot Desktop\Core)
Getting the name of a user's folder is a little trickier. For an
inhouse util, I look at the file <pilot base>\users.dat to get the
default user name. I don't know if the format of this file is
documented or not. There might even be a conduit API to access the data
in it (I've never done a conduit).
Either way, conduit SDK or looking at the file directly, it would be
pretty easy to put this in a simple DLL to include with Installshield.
It is very easy to call a custom DLL during both install and uninstall.
Good Luck
-jjf
-----Original Message-----
From: B. Flaumenhaft [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2000 4:19 PM
To: Palm Developer Forum
Subject: Installers for Palm applications?
Hello -
Has anyone used any installers for installing both .prc files and
conduits?
I'm wondering how I could put together something InstallShield-like that
would run the Palm Install Tool (allow me to HotSync .prc on to the
device)
as well as register conduits for me.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
Ben Flaumenhaft
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