I have multiple features and I would like each of them to use a specific steps file. So I was wondering if there is a way to specify the name of the steps file either in the feature file itself or using a flag with the command.
Thanks.
Related
MSI database contains set of tables, and I can successfully enumerate File table, which has all deployable file' meta-deta. What I need to extract is the actual contents of those files. msiexec, lessmsi, 7-zip all can do it, but I couldn't find any source/API to do it.
What I've discovered it that all other (resource) files are in Binary table, and Data field can be used to get content of those files (like icons, custom DLL etc).
Further, I found and know that Media table contains information about the .CAB file (MSI has all content embedded with <MediaTemplate EmbedCab="yes"/>. This simply means the CAB file contains the actual content. I probably need to read contents from "Structured Storage" of the .msi file.
How to extract the contents of CAB/MSI file, using native C Msi* functions?
Phil has given you the easy/simple answer but I thought I might give you a little more information since you've done some research. Checkout:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa372919(v=vs.85).aspx
This is where the structured storage is. You'll see something like Disk1.cab as the Name (PK) and binary data. The data is a CAB file with the file entry in the cab matching the File.File column. From there you can use the File.FileName column to get the short name and long name (you'll want the long name no doubt) and do a joint to the Component table to get the directory table ID.
You'll also need to recurse the directory table to build the tree of directories and know where to put the files.
Fun stuff. There's some libraries in C# that make this WAY simpler. Or just call msiexec /a as Phil says. :)
The most straightforward to extract all the files to some location is to install the product in "advertised" mode. If you do a:
msiexec /a [path to msi] TARGETDIR=[some folder]
you'll see what happens.
In C++ call MsiInstallProduct () with that command line.
You have gotten many good answers already, including the use of dark.exe from the WiX toolkit. By downloading the WiX source code you should be able to get the code you need ready-made from there. I assume you may already have done this.
Chris has already linked to the DTF code you can check, but here is a link directly to dark.exe as well: https://github.com/wixtoolset/wix3/tree/develop/src/tools/dark. I would try both. This is C#, you seem to want native.
UPDATE: Before I get to the Win32 features you can use, check out this little summary of the C# DTF features: How to programmatically read the properties inside an MSI file?
Native Win32 functions: The database functions to deal with an MSI file can be found on MSDN (this is to deal with the MSI file as a database). There are also MSI Installer Functions (used to deal with the MSI file as an actual installer).
You can certainly find good examples of native code for this with a good Google search. Have fun!
BTW: It would help with a description of the actual problem you are trying to solve as well as what you need technically. There could - as always - be less involved ways to achieve what you need. Unless you are writing a security software or malware scanner or something super-involved.
And so it is clear: WiX's dark.exe fully decompiles MSI files into WiX source files and the resource files used to build them - you can then text and binary compare the various types of content (text compare for tables, binary compare for binaries, etc...). The process to do so via command line is described in the following answer: How can I compare the content of two (or more) MSI files? (this is about comparing MSI files, but one option to do so is to decompile them - see section on dark.exe - just for reference for others who find your question).
I like to link things together so we can find content easily at a later point in time. Strictly speaking it doesn't seem necessary here, you have what you need I think but others could perhaps benefit from some further links. Here are some related links:
Extract MSI from EXE.
What is the purpose of administrative installation initiated using msiexec /a?
How do I extract files from an MSI package? (explains why you should not use 7-Zip to extract).
I'm making a library, and creating a nuget package using the nuget spec and nuget pack commands. However, every time I run nuget spec, I get a load of rubbish in the .nuspec file that I don't want (like 'SampleDependency') I was wondering if it's possible to add these values (Id, URL, etc.) via command line switches. From what I can see on the documentation, it's not possible, but I don't know if it's been left out or something similar. Also, if it isn't possible, how would I edit the .nuspec file in a batch to give it the values I want?
To your question around command-line switches. There are no commands to pass in the values you want. If you are packing a csproj instead of an assembly, you do get replacement token support and automatic dependency generation.
If you want to pack assemblies, you should be able write your own batch/powershell scripts to make the changes you need. Easiest thing would be a generate a nuspec, create replacement tokens (E.g $id$ for ID) for the fields you want to change and a do a replace before pack.This way you can create the nuspec file once, set it up and then substitute the values on each pack.
When using the maven assembly plugin, can I specify a descriptor in the configuration node (or similar) inside the pom file, instead of having to create an assembly.xml file?
All I need it to include jar files in a directory (and its subdirectories) which I can specify in one line with something like <include>**/*.jar</include>
Also, I need to ask developers in other projects to do this, and that's why I'd prefer to not have a separate file, and just ask them to include this when they configure the plugin.
The short answer - you can't. However you can put your assembly plugin configuration and this descriptor into the parent pom used by all projects in your team, so other developers won't have to do that again.
I am working with a MATLAB project, and would like to be able to configure variables and paths without re-creating the executable (currently done by using MATLAB's built-in deploytool). I realize I can create a simple text file, listing key=value pairs, and read that in during run-time. There doesn't seem to be any built-in support in MATLAB for creating configuration files that follow a standard format.
Are there any standard existing ways to use configuration files for MATLAB-generated executables?
1) Add your resource to the package in DeployTool in the shared resources part
2) Read by using:
fullfile(ctfroot(),'config.txt');
Edit : That is suitable if your configuration is "private", that is the user should not edit it. In this case it is deployed together with your program as a resource. If you want a "public" config for the users, I know of no better way than to do what you offered.
I can't find a way to use the source server tools from the Debugging Tools for Windows on a static library project,
which is built separately from the solutions actually using that library:
The output of "ssindex.cmd" always displays "zero source files found" for the PDB file generated for the library
(using compiler options /ZI and /Fd).
Running "srctool.exe -r" on this PDB displays nothing, which probably means that the PDB file does not contain any source file information.
Running the same command on the PDB file of a test application which is also build as part of the the same solution
yields a list of all expected source files.
Is there a way to use source indexing for a static library project when it should be built seperately from the solutions using it?
Thanks for any suggestions!
You can use the "/Save" and "/Load" options to store and load source information for a static library, respectively. Using these options allows you to store information for your library and then later import it when indexing a project that links against your library.
When indexing your library solution, you specify the "/Save" flag with a directory in which to store index information about the library's source files. For example (assuming you are using Subversion for source control),
ssindex.cmd /System=SVN /Save=c:\source\libproj\srcinfo /Source=c:\source\libproj /Symbols=c:\source\libproj\Release\*.pdb
When later indexing your project that includes your library, you specify the "/Load" flag with the directory containing the library's source file information. For example,
ssindex.cmd /System=SVN /Load=c:\source\libproj\srcinfo /Source=c:\source\binproj /Symbols=c:\source\binproj\Release\*.pdb
There are two potential issues that may affect your ability to use this technique. First, it appears that some source control providers may not support saving and loading source control information. I know that the Subversion provider does and it looks like the SourceSafe provider does, but I haven't checked any others.
Second, this technique appears to only work for one external static library out-of-the-box. There does not seem to be a way to load information from multiple directories and the scripts currently overwrite the contents of the directory each time you use the "/Save" option. You could probably edit the source control provider module to append to the files in the save directory rather than overwrite them, but I have not tried it.
Also, note as you mentioned above that you only need to do this if your library is being built as part of a separate solution. If the static library is part of the solution you are indexing, its source files will be included if they are in the path specified by the "/Source" option.
It probably means you haven't inputed the correct directories when running "ssindex" so for ssindex you need to have: /source=C:/SourceCode/ /symbols=C:/SourceCode/bin/Debug I'm not sure if the "source" has an upper case S or not but that should be it!
when run svnindex.cmd, it always tell you "zero source files found"
after a painful diggin into svn.pm (the perl module to deal with svn), i found that:
first, svn.pm invokes "svn info -R $SourceRoot" to get all version info of files in $SourceRoot (passed by /source option),
then svn.pm stores all files in a dictionary which using the local file path as key
svnindex.cmd call srctool -r to get all source files info in *.pdb, and use the source file name as a key to query info saved in step2
the problem is:
svn.pm uses relative path, but *.pdb uses absolute path, so you will never find a svn log info for any file, then "zero source files found"
fixup:
change svn.pm line 162:
$LocalFile = lc $1;
to
$LocalFile = $SourceRoot . "\" . lc $1; #make path absolute