Hey guys,
I have a few apps that require multiple launchers quite like has been done in open office and am wondering if the same is possible with the PAL?
I am aware that the launchers in OO.org are done straight from the NSIS code, but its worth a try asking isn't it?
Also, if it isn't possible, will it be implemented in future versions of the PAL?
Many thanks,
Shane Thompson
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Currently it's possible, just not well supported yet. If it's separate launchers, that is, launching separate executable with separate directory moving, et cetera. If the launchers overlap in what they do, however, it won't work properly: and when it comes to an structure like with OpenOffice.org Portable, where the other launchers just launch the main one with a certain parameter, that's not supported.
I've thought about ways that it can be done more neatly, using $AppID instead of $BaseName in most places upon [Launch]:MultipleLaunchersInPackage=true or some such value, then it would just be a matter of duplicating all the shared launcher.ini code between all the launchers. However, this still has issues with setup and cleanup if they have different "feature sets" of things that they move. I haven't yet come up with a solution that will work universally. Sometimes an extra command line argument may be enough, sometimes it may need another config value (or values) in a file, sometimes it may need to run a different executable - so just supporting the OpenOffice.org way isn't sufficient. It really needs something like a "mini duplicate launcher" version of the launcher executable, with a reduced feature set and which is designed to just wrap another PAL executable. So far that's about the most practical concept I've come up with.
In any such situations, please also consider very carefully whether you actually need multiple icons - remembering also that the user can have that option turned off and so only one may appear anyway (they may never realise that there's more than one available).
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
How about if you did it as follows:
Launcher.ini
Shane Thompson
shanet[at]people[dot]net[dot]au
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut ali
That just won't cut it. As I said, sometimes it may be just a different executable, sometimes it may be an added command line argument, sometimes it may be config options - just adding a new section isn't enough.
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
As a general rule, we try to stick to a single icon per app. We make exceptions very rarely (OpenOffice.org is the only current one) and it's easy to handle because they all actually use the same launcher but with different command line options passed through, which is why just the single actual launcher (OpenOfficePortable.exe) can handle all the multiple instances properly.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
OK. thanks for the explanation.
I am doing something the same as OO.org, but its not going to be an official release app so its not really that important. It has been sitting dormant on my thumbdrive for months, and i guess its not gonna happen for a while. But thats OK because it was just a bit of an experiment I was doing.
Thanks guys
Shane Thompson
Shane Thompson
shanet[at]people[dot]net[dot]au
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut ali
If it's similar to OO.o, then you can use one main launcher (PAL) and then do stub launchers (ala OO.o Portable) to pass in the different commandline options.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I ran into that same problem with TheWorld Portable...
There are 2 programs with the app: theworld.exe and WebApp.exe (which is just a window without buttons or toolbars, really). So I just made a launcher first for WebApp.exe and then I changed AppInfo.ini and wrote the TheWorldPortable.ini, compiled, and done. I think it took me longer to figure out how to make the menu have both icons show up.
So basically, just treat EXE as its own portable app, and as long as one app can't launch the other, your should be able to make your app without a problem.
"something the same as OO.org"
You mean like a portable app with all the icons like OOo or an office program? I would love another office app!
yes its an office app... Microsoft Office 2010, to be exact. But if I get it working, if anyone wants it I will upload the launchers
Shane Thompson
shanet[at]people[dot]net[dot]au
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut ali
but you can't make office 2010 fully portable. Its dependent on so much stuff that it installs onto your PC. You would have to have a fresh copy of the installer and then you would have to monitor the changes made to your system by the installer, including files and registry entries. Then, you would have to make a launcher that would not only add the files to the computer, but also back them up if they exist on the host. And if they do, and the pc crashes or something happens that shouldn't, you may also break office on the host PC, and, with so many files to back up, it would take forever to go through and rename files. And office is a pricy application. If that were to happen, I don't think they would be very happy
I tried that with office 2007 enterprise. I was going to distribute them here too, but I'd call it "Experimental Launcher for Microsoft Office" or ELMO
. Then I thought it would be cool if it would copy office from the host onto your drive, detect what version it is, and generate a launcher from there. Great idea--if only it were possible.
But by all means, go for it. You learn more from your failures than your successes (not that I'm saying you'll fail
).