Install a dynamic folder (ni-installer 8.2.1) how?

[Michael Aivaliotis]

This is somehow related to this post:

Autosync a project folder with a folder on disk

I'm trying to build an installer. I want to add a Help folder using my installer. I would really like to use NI's installer but, yet again, I have found a limitation which causes me to look for other solutions (when will NI "get it"?). In any case, perhaps I'm being too quick to judge .

I would like to specify a folder in my installer that will be copied to my destination. It seems the only way to do this is to create it first in your project file then specify to copy this folder in the installer. This is an acceptable option. There is a limitation however. My Help folder contents change dynamically. Anyone who's generated an html help understands this. This means I would have to do an add folder contents, remove folder contents, over and over again (or before the install build). This is very tedious and prone to me forgetting to do this.

This is just one example of dynamic folders. Does anyone have a solution or workaround?

[ragglefrock]

QUOTE(Michael_Aivaliotis @ May 15 2007, 01:44 PM)

This is somehow related to this post:

Autosync a project folder with a folder on disk

I'm trying to build an installer. I want to add a Help folder using my installer. I would really like to use NI's installer but, yet again, I have found a limitation which causes me to look for other solutions (when will NI "get it"?). In any case, perhaps I'm being too quick to judge .

I would like to specify a folder in my installer that will be copied to my destination. It seems the only way to do this is to create it first in your project file then specify to copy this folder in the installer. This is an acceptable option. There is a limitation however. My Help folder contents change dynamically. Anyone who's generated an html help understands this. This means I would have to do an add folder contents, remove folder contents, over and over again (or before the install build). This is very tedious and prone to me forgetting to do this.

This is just one example of dynamic folders. Does anyone have a solution or workaround?

It seems to me your best option would be to put the tedious work into a utility VI that you keep in your project. It could flush out the folder in the project, scan the folder on disk, and then add all those items (recursively if necessary) into the project. I'm not sure what to tell you about forgetting to do this. Can you programmatically trigger the Application Builder to build a build spec such as your installer? I can't remember. If so, you can have your utility VI do the syncing and the building all at once. This could be your one source for building the installer.

Ton mentioned in the other thread using .NET events to synchronize everything, but that seems to me to require having some service running 24/7 that might even keep your project open forever. Seems like overkill, and .NET events for folder changes have a finite buffer that might overflow if you add a large number of files at once.

[Ton Plomp]

Michael,

what is in your 'help' folder, probably not a one-single file .chm?

If so you could just add the .chm to your installer.

Else you could use some project-scripting that adds all your files to a .lvlib and make a build of the .lvlib and include that build into your installer.

The lvlib functions as a container to your help folder and the linker info on a lvlib will force the builder to include it's files.

The other option would be editing programmatically your build setup but that is something I looked at but ran away from.

When I think of it I think you can include an additional installer in the same way.

Ton