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sl23 Posts: 285
21/08/2015
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I have already emailed Gian about this, but thought it best to post here to get info posted in a place where others may derive help from the solutions. Anyway, here's the apps from email I sent:
RadioSure:
- Unknown Author and Licence, do I need these?
- How to perform Silent Install? Is it simply /S in Installation Arguments for ALL apps? Tried '{0} /S' but gave error saying RadioSure,exe not found? Then tried just '/S' but again error saying I haven't supplied arguments?
- How do you tell SyMenu to install as Portable instead of local install?
Disk Digger:
ReNamer Lite:
- error - On using Test SPS Online, I get this message: The file is classified as a 7z package but unpacking has returned an error. Do I need to add Installation arguments? What are they?
Rocket Dock:
- Again, silent install required
Calibre:
- Silent installation for portable version
Ooo Player:
- Installs ok but unpacks app from 7zip to Ooo_Player_2.1.2/oooplayer/OooPlayer.exe, giving the error that the exe can't be found, why? Can I stop this? I managed to install using this path, but why add a subfolder unnecesarily?
- 1. Download the self-extracting "portable" EXE and extract to a folder of your choice.
2. Within this folder, create a text file called settings.ini.
3. Open the text file and paste the following content:
[settings]
update=0
4. Launch OooPlayer.exe
How do I add these settings to the Settings.ini once created? can that only be done manually? Or is there an argument that can do this?
TEbookConverter 32/64:
- Similar to Ooo Player, Installs into sub folder.
Paint.NET 64 Portable:
- Here I used the existing SPS file for the 32bit version and adapted it to download the 64bit version. It installs and works fine but it also leaves behind a directory that it shouldn't - $PLUGINSDIR, why and how to stop this?
GlaryUtilities:
- Is it possible to make this portable on installation? It can be done within the app via a menu option but wondered if a command line argument could be used?
- Problems downloading/installing?
ImgBurn:
- Requires a text file be created with this info:
[Settings]
PortableMode=1
FILELOCATIONS_GraphDataFiles=.\Graph Data Files\
FILELOCATIONS_ImageFiles=.\Image Files\
FILELOCATIONS_LogFiles=.\Log Files\
FILELOCATIONS_ProjectFiles=.\Project Files\
FILELOCATIONS_QueueFiles=.\Queue Files\ - Won't install because it is... well don't know as the rest of the info is cut off on the SPS installation test window!
- When installing AVGfree is flagging this as malware?! Pretty sure it's not, unless it's installing something dodgy alongside it!
SynWrite, SynWrite - beta, DiskDigger and XdN Tweaker are ok but just need icons.
Hopefully all these will get fixed and released at some point.
More will be added...
edited by sl23 on 21/08/2015
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Gianluca Administrator Posts: 1274
24/08/2015
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Hello sl23.
Here's your replies.
Unknown Author
In my opinion your solution is OK: writing Unknown in place of an unknown value, reports that you haven't forgotten to fill the field but that those detail was unavailable. Maybe in the future the author will appear to take his credit.
Unknown License
This is a little more complex. How can we know that the software distribution is allowed without a license? If, and only if, the software is clearly a free one (I don't know how it is possible to understand that without a license but in certain cases it is possible) we can publish it. In this case the license field can be filled with the Unknown word.
How to perform silent Install
This problem is not in charge of SyMenu. The silent install for an executable installer is an optional feature. If natively the installer can't offer a silent mode there is no chance to convince it to stay quiet. The only exceptions are the SyMenu/SPS Builder built-in unpacker features that precisely are: Inno Setup installer, PAF installer, solid archive installer.
SPS Builder fails to unpack
This is an interesting topic.
Let's take your example with the program ReNamer Lite. Are you really sure you are downloading the right package? I tried to download the 7z package with the URL you set in your SPS but the SPS Builder downloads a file of 7Kb... too small for a program, so stay alert. Try to use the option "Download package" and open the resulting file with Notepad, and you'll see that the SPS Builder downloaded an HTML file instead your package. It means that the author bans the automatic downloads. To solve the problem choose one of the mirror that allows the automatic downloads and use those URL instead the original one. BTW it seems to me that snapfile allows automatic downloads.
Add a custom file during first installation
Some portable programs need an empty file called in a certain way in the root folder to understand that they have to work in a portable mode.
You can use the SPS Builder feature "First Install Create Files" for this.
If you need to create a not empty file during the SPS installation, unfortunately SPS format can't help you.
Instead create a custom package and deploy it into a cloud repository service (Dropbox, Box, Drive). Then link those package instead the original one from your SPS.
However the license must allow the redistribution and alteration of the original package.
$PLUGINSDIR
You are right the folder is useless. I'll take care of this in one of the next SyMenu/SPS Builder version.
Installation into a subfolder
Don't worry about that. SPS Builder respects the original package structure and your SPS must follow that structure when it maps the various resources.
SyMenu instead hates empty folders so it removes a root folder if no other file is located at the same level. The only alone root folder allowed in SyMenu is the folder that SyMenu creates by itself.
Where to find icon for an SPS
When you try to "install" your SPS, anyway remember that SPS installation is not a proper install, press Add Icon button on the SPS Builder and go to the target folder. Select the program main executable and SPS Builder will do the work for you extracting the icon directly from the executable. Do it during the SPS editing to save time!
Calibre
It's an impossible mission. Read here.
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=262613
Can SPS convert a not portable program in a portable one
Not a all.
SPS is not a portabilizer tool but a descriptor tool.
IMHO a program that is not originally portable should be excluded from SPS. So don't try to fold something that is not foldable, you'll risk to break it.
Wow, what an effort!!!! 
edited by Gianluca on 24/08/2015
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sl23 Posts: 285
24/08/2015
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Thanks for that explanation. Couple of things spring to mind...
1. SPS Builder fails to unpack
Is there a way you could use UniversalExtractor as part of SyMenu's setup? I see it may not be beneficial and may be difficult to implement in some cases, but could prove invaluable in many cases. In Packer Format you could add the UniExtract as an option. Then when extracted to maybe the system temp folder, or a SyMenu temp folder, the extracted directories could be transferred to the SyMenu app folder. Obviously certain folders should not be copied, so two other fields in SPSBuilder could be added to say Copy These Files/Folders and Don't Copy These Files/Folders. I have extracted many apps that have just an 'app' folder which simply needs renaming and moving to be made 'portable'.
2. Add a custom file during first installation
Adding a config.ini file or similar is easily done, but if an app requires this file to be populated with the settings before first start, perhaps another SPSBuilder field could be adde that includes any and all settings that are required by that file?
3. Can SPS convert a not portable program in a portable one
Understood. However, I was talking about a program that is optionally portable. Rainmeter has the option to install locally or portably. Yet the SPSBuilder can indeed install it silently and portably with either 32 or 64bit versions. As you can see from the SPS files I have submitted. So surely GlaryUtilities should have the same function? But as you said, it is dependant on the developer having granted the ability to do so. I will try again with GUPortable.
edited by sl23 on 24/08/2015
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Gianluca Administrator Posts: 1274
25/08/2015
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SyMenu will implement UniversalExtractor?
UE is build as a simple script that launches several unpackers.
SyMenu works in a similar way. Go on the SyMenu root folder and you'll see Innounp.exe that is the unpacker for Inno Setup installer, and 7z.exe/7z.dll that is useful to unpack compressed archive including PAF.
Surely in the future I will implement more unpacker but not as UE does. You have certainly experienced that in some conditions UE requires the user attendance. SyMenu must remain completely unattended during the installation phase.
Furthermore always remember that SPS is thought for portable programs while UE is thought for all programs so they have really different needs. For example it is highly unlikely that an .msi installer could contain a portable program therefore SyMenu will never implement a tool to unpack .msi installer.
Add custom file during first installation
This is a possible future implementation but I'm not so convinced that it is an urgent one. Usually portable programs doesn't need a configuration file with certain content. Just in case the portable version with the special file is already offered by the program author.
For now if you have this need, simply create a custom package with the configuration file already set and deploy it in a cloud hosting service. Then link the SPS to this package instead of the original one.
Can SPS convert a not portable program in a portable one
If you don't find the silent install ability in a custom install, try to contact the program author. Maybe he haven't thought to this scenario and the implementation is trivial.
Usually the freeware program authors are very helpful
Last thing. If the program is using a standard installer try to search for silent install options among the installer documentation and not among the program one.
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sl23 Posts: 285
25/08/2015
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I see what you mean about UE, also about custom files. Though I disagree that msi's are highly unlikely to contain portable apps. I have had many apps over the years that used this format. I couldn't tell what they were mind, so can't be that important!
These apps are ready to be added and have been saved to UGM:
MemPad
Rainmeter 32/64 + Rainmeter 32/64 - beta (the beta's might be best left out as the developer preferred they not be included in apps like these. The stable version he has no problem with.)
SynWrite + SynWrite - Beta
XdN Tweaker
RadioSure
Disk Digger
Ooo Player
TEbookConverter 32/64
Paint.NET 64 Portable
GlaryUtilities
WSCCportable
These apps were saved to UGM, which I can't seem to delete from SPSBuilder, but am having issues with so aren't ready and may never be able to be added:
Rocket Dock - can't figure out how to silently install
ReNamer Lite - Can't download
These apps are ones in progress that have stalled due to problems:
Registrar Registry Manager - Silent Install unable to do
Registry Commander - Unable to download
ImgBurn - Requires a text file be created with this info:
[Settings]
PortableMode=1
FILELOCATIONS_GraphDataFiles=.\Graph Data Files\
FILELOCATIONS_ImageFiles=.\Image Files\
FILELOCATIONS_LogFiles=.\Log Files\
FILELOCATIONS_ProjectFiles=.\Project Files\
FILELOCATIONS_QueueFiles=.\Queue Files\
Won't install because it is... well don't know as the rest of the info is cut off on the SPS installation test window!
edited by sl23 on 25/08/2015
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Gianluca Administrator Posts: 1274
26/08/2015
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This thread has been extremely useful to explain in deep how SPS works from the editor point of view and thanks to your last post I can complete the explanation.
Since you are not a trusted editor, and not because I don't trust you but because you are not so experienced , the publication of your SPS requires a manual operation.
Usually the new/updated SPS files from trusted editors are published automatically once a day without my supervision.
In the next days, please be patient , I'll check your SPS one by one, eventually correct them, and then publish them all.
If I find any error I'll contact you privately because probably the topic will no longer be of public interest.
App saved to UGM through SPS Builder
When an SPS is ready for publication SPS Builder offers the option to save it to UGM. To activate this button you need to be a UGM user (registration through the forum) and the SPS has to be formally correct but the most important thing is that the SPS must be complete and working!!!
The Save in UGM option is the right way to insert your SPS files into the SyMenu suite. Don't send an SPS file directly to me otherwise my only chance to publish it is to take ownership and publish it as it was mine.
App can't be deleted from UGM through SPS Builder
This is a desired behavior. If you need to delete something please directly ask to me.
I can't download a file
It is a common problem for several web sites that don't allow automatic download. But a tons of alternative exists.
I take your SPS as an example:
Registry commander
The web site refuse the download unless you ask for it directly from the web site download page (probably a check on the requesting browser)
You can surely use this URL instead http://files.snapfiles.com/directdl/RegCmd_15.02.13.zip
Renamer Lite
Same problem, same solution http://files.snapfiles.com/directdl/renamer.zip
edited by Gianluca on 27/08/2015
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sl23 Posts: 285
26/08/2015
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Since you are not a trusted editor,
That's ok, I understood that, that's why I posted here to let you know. However long it takes, it's fine.
I can't download a file
I tried snapfiles but had the same problem. I'll retry when I get time.
Thanks Gian
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