I'm trying to update PokerTH Portable and came up with a really crappy installer.
I don't know how to create a "PokerTH Portable.exe file. I thought all I had to do was make a shortcut and rename it. So all I did was copy and paste pokerth (that didn't work). I created an installer though for it that has no splash but does work if you go directly to the folder with the data.
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Creating an .exe file
June 4, 2009 - 8:52pm
#1
Creating an .exe file
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Don't worry, it's coming.
And soon you won't need to create launchers for each app either.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
What do you mean by that? Is it supposed to be a surprise or something?
I think I know what John is talking about. check this out https://portableapps.com/node/19188
"It's just an online installer. It's not going to mug you.", JTH
"The shell is the key to unlock Linux's greatest advantages."
Not sure I understand. I know almost nothing about the technicalities of a PA.
It's a generic launcher where you just install it, place the app's files where they need to go, and configure a .ini file. I'm at the lowest level when it comes to portable apps and programming and all that, and I was able to figure it out for a game I have. The game was already portable, but the launcher made it show up on my menu, so that's cool. It's probably not 100% as efficient as a launcher coded from scratch (though it well could be for all I know) but it does make things easier.
Do you still have to declare registry entries and other files like that to clean up? Or does it so that for you? Is it sorta like the "portable app creator" app? Does it make any app portable?
Yeah, it's all handled in the .ini file. There's a section where you list registry entries for it to clean up when it closes, and another where you can specify folders in the app's folder that can be copied to local folders, e.g. %APPDATA. I worked with Beta 2 or 3; it's up to Beta 5 now, so it could be a heck of a lot smarter by now.
What, Thinst.. uh... <_ a="" quarter="" in="" the="" swear="" jar="" ...no="" it="" not="" portable="" app="" per="" se="" just="" generic="" launcher="" you="" can="" customize="" to="" fit="" your="" needs.="">SilentWalkerDoes it make any app portable?
Any app? Probably not. I think it's just for most apps which have simple needs. More complex things, like dependencies (e.g. on .NET, Java, etc.) might be too much for it. Best to ask Chris Morgan about it, as it's his project.
I like the way lots of people advertise it for me
Working with John, this is part of the development process for the launcher which will be being used for all apps, meaning that they won't need lots of NSIS coding.
I think he was talking about Portable App Creator, not Thinstall. I never looked much at PAC, and haven't looked at it for ages, it's been fairly dead, can't even remember what it did.
Support for Java is in. .NET won't be in ever most likely.
The best way for people to see what it does is to download it and read its help.html - fairly comprehensive documentation.
I am a Christian and a developer and moderator here.
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1
Yea I was talkin bout PAC. Phbbt....Thinstall.....I'd rather wipe my a** with that!
So, Chris, that sounds really good. No compilation of launchers and stuff. So I guess that's gonna be it for NSIS soon?
Just drop in all the reg entries and clean up areas in an ini file and you're set. Can't wait, I may finally be able to make my very first PA!
NSIS might still be needed for more advanced apps which require more than the generic launcher is capable of. For example, I don't see how the generic launcher will help with an app that has three separate executables in its directory, e.g. something like OpenOffice, but more specifically in my mind the game Deus Ex - two mods for it place a separate .exe in the system folder. The generic launcher is great for the game itself, but now that the game is under one launcher, what do I do for the other two? I could copy the launcher and ini to files with different names, but will they all work out of the same folder? Maybe they will, I don't know. Also NSIS might be quicker, I'm not sure, but Chris's generic launcher certainly lowers the bar for the level of skill required to get started. Some bonehead like me can start a project and post it, and someone with a bit more PA smarts can take it and fix up what I've done incorrectly; maybe that second person wouldn't have picked up the project on their own, but would be more likely to fix a broken project. It's less effort than starting from scratch.
The idea with the PortableApps.com Launcher is that there will never be an application which it can't cope with - if we come across something new it needs, we extend it and release a new version. We'll have to see how well this'll scale (a 10MB launcher for every app wouldn't wash well) but so far it seems to be scaling fine - it's still under 100KB with almost everything that any of our current launchers do. OpenOffice.org Portable has the most complex launcher, I believe, and there's still quite a bit that my launcher can't do for it.
Multiple launchers can be handled just fine since Test 2, as instead of using App\Launcher\launcher.ini (Test 1), it uses App\ChrisLauncher\AppNamePortable.ini, where AppNamePortable is from AppNamePortable.exe. Thus, you can have 17 copies of ChrisPortableApps.comLauncherTest.exe, rename them all to different things, and they'll all use different INI files for configuration and splash screen files (currently; I'm thinking of adding another INI option to centralise the splash image if desired).
As for moving an executable into the folder, that's easy if the file is in %DATADIR%: in the FilesMove section, just move it back and forth in %APPDIR%.
By the way, the idea of the PortableApps.com Launcher is not to make it easier for "boneheads" but to make bugs less likely, and to help speed it up for developers, and much simpler to maintain. Making it easier for "boneheads" to make apps is just one of the unfortunate side-effects...
As a side-note, normally I prefer to start from scratch, even if I'm taking up an existing app. It can be useful to know before hand where an app stores things, but normally I don't even look at the old launcher. If they were all INI-based, as will soon be, that could be a different matter.
I am a Christian and a developer and moderator here.
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1
Not sure if you're joking with the "unfortunate side effects" but if not, consider that your launcher is a very good alternative to Th... <_ ...at="" portablizer="" we="" don="" like.="" sure="" it="" a="" little="" bit="" more="" work="" but="" legal="" unlike="" the="" alternative="" so="" worth="" it.="" i="" wasn="" entirely="" multiple="multiple" apps="" were="" impossible="" and="" glad="" to="" hear="" they="" aren="">
NSIS is still alive and kicking: it's used in the PortableApps.com Installer, and the PortableApps.com AppCompactor, and the PortableApps.com Launcher will continue to use it (CPALT is written in NSIS).
I am a Christian and a developer and moderator here.
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1
answering everyone else's question? Can someone give me an answer (please)?
Uggh...
https://portableapps.com/node/14868
https://portableapps.com/node/19567
READ IT ALL! NO CHEATING!!!