Introductory Tutorial – Building an Installer

The introductory tutorial builds an installer using the Project Wizard, which does not allow configuring Pre-Install or Post-Install Actions. It is possible to build a basic installer with the Project Wizard in six steps and about five minutes. The following tutorial teaches how to build an installer for a sample Java application, called “Office Suite for Java,” which is included in the InstallAnywhere folder.

Create New Project

To create a new project:
1. Launch InstallAnywhere.
2. On the first screen, the Create New Project option should already be selected.
3. Click Save As to save and name the project. The Save New Project As dialog box
appears. By default the project is named My_Product, but any name could be
used.
4. Click Save to confirm the name and close this dialog box.
5. Click Next to move to the next step of the Project Wizard. Set Info defines basic
information about the installer, such as the product name (as displayed on the
installer), the name of the installer to be produced, the name of the destination
folder, and the application name.
6. Type the information in the appropriate textboxes.
7. For this tutorial, use the following:
Product Name: OfficeSuite
Install Folder Name: OfficeSuite
Application Shortcut Name: OfficeSuite
8. Click Next to move to the next step in the Project Wizard.

Install Tasks

To install tasks:
1. Click Add Files. The Add Files to Project dialog box appears.
2. Browse through the list to find the OfficeSuiteSourceFiles folder. The
OfficeSuiteSourceFiles folder is within the InstallAnywhere installation folder.
3. Click Add All to add the ImagesAndDocs and OfficeSuite2000 folders, which are
inside the OfficeSuiteSourceFiles folder. These files should appear in the Files to
Add list.
4. Click Done. The selected files should appear in the File/Folder Hierarchy.
5. Click Next to move to the next step in the Project Wizard.
6. Choose Main Class.

Build Installer

The first several items on the Build Installer screen, from Mac OS X through Unix (All), represent installers that are double-clickable on their respective platforms. The final option, Other Java-Enabled Platforms, is a “pure” Java installer that can be invoked from the command line on any Java-enabled platform. Developers may also choose to build installers with an embedded Virtual Machine.

Installers that are built without VMs are smaller, and download faster than installers bundled with one. The InstallAnywhere Web Install process will allow end-users to choose the appropriate installer for their system. To build the installer, pick the appropriate destination platforms and click Build. The installer folder will be placed in the same location as the project file. This location cannot be changed.

Test
Now that an installer has been built, it can be tested.

To test an installer:
1. Click Try It.
2. After deploying the sample installer:
On Windows, go to the OfficeSuite program group and choose OfficeSuite.
On Unix, “cd” to the directory where the program was installed and type OfficeSuite.
On Mac OS X, double-click the OfficeSuite icon on the desktop.

3. After launching Office Suite for Java, quit by selecting Exit from its File menu.
4. Run the completed installer.

When building for a platform other than that on which the installer is being developed, transfer that installer, and run it manually. By default, installers will be located in the Build_Output directories found in the same folder as the .iap_xml project file. Within the Build_Output folder, will be Web_Installers, and or CDROM_installers. From within each of these directories, choose the platform to test. For the CDROM installer, transfer the entire contents of the CDROM_Installers folder.

Rajesh Kumar

I’m Rajesh Kumar, a DevOps, SRE, DevSecOps, Cloud, and Platform Engineering expert passionate about sharing practical knowledge, real-world experiences, and industry best practices. I have worked at Cotocus and regularly write about technology, travel, investing, health, product reviews, and digital marketing through my various platforms.

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