Last month (issue 8) I discussed some of the requirements necessary to become a developer.  In this article I will describe one very useful method for sending new apps and updates to customers.

I use a product called Wise InstallMaker (this is the same program that Alpha uses for their installations) for both the initial installation and the subsequent updates.  Plus I have developed a protocol for saving my apps that seems to work pretty well.  Let's talk about that first.

Every time I create a new app for a customer, I create a new folder on my hard drive.  I usually name it A5 plus an abbreviation for the customer's name; A5WEAVER.  Then I create sub-folders within this folder.  The first and most important is DATA.  This is where I store all the application files; *.DD* *.SE* *.AL*, etc.

Then I create another folder within A5WEAVER called INSTALL.  This is where I keep the original installation file (which is created by Wise as a self-extracting EXE file).  I like to have this separate from the updates, in case the customer crashes their computer and needs to install the program again.  More on this later.

Next, I create a folder called UPDATE.  This is where I store each file created by Wise for each update.  I also create a folder called ZIP, where I store zipped copies of previous updates, plus other backup files (for example, if I'm going to make a major change in the app, I'll zip the entire app first, so if the major changes don't work out, I can restore the original app). Finally, I create a folder called UPD_FILE, where I store the app files for the update.  Each time I do an update, I zip the existing files from the last update in this folder, move the newly-created zip file to ZIP, delete the files in UPDATE, and then copy the new files to this folder.  It's worth noting here that I determine which files to include in the update by sorting the files in DATA by date, and copy all files whose dates are later than the last update.  Also, I give the zip file a name that identifies it; JNS0610.ZIP would be an update from June 10th.¹

(You might also want additional folders in the main folder for correspondence or other items.  It makes sense to keep everything for one customer together.)

Now that I have my folder structure in place, I create the app.  Once I'm done, I create the installation program (which I copy to a CD, or send via e-mail) using Wise.  At this point I use another protocol that has served me well; I always install the Runtime program files (*.EXE *.DLL etc.) on the customer's computer in C:\COMPUNIQ, and the app in C:\COMPUNIQ\DATA.  There are several reasons for this:

•	Since the destination is always the same, I can use basically the same Wise file for each one without having to make a lot of changes (other than the content, of course).
•	Since I put the app in the same sub-folder (DATA) on my computer and the customer's, I have very few problems with path statements.2
•	Since the app is in the same place for all my customers, I can provide program upgrades (such as converting to V5) to many of them with one routine, rather than worrying about where each customer's program is.

Using Wise to create an installation file works really well.³  To create the file, you tell the program what and where the files are on your computer, where you would like them installed on the customer's computer, what to use as an icon (along with the command line for the icon).  You can specify different conditions, such as requiring a specific screen resolution or number of colors (256, true color, etc). You can have the installation put files in Windows or some of it's folders.⁴  You can even include a window during installation that has a text file to give the customer more info about the process or program.

Here's where I make a change.  During installation, the customer is prompted about the destination of the app, and is given the opportunity to change it.  I edited the program⁵ to tell the customer not to change the destination folder, and disabled the button that would allow them to do so.

There is also a place in Wise where you can put a title that the customer will see during installation.  For the installation of the new app, I usually put Weaver Program (or something equally as creative).  However, I change the title for the updates.  In addition to indicating that it is an update, I put the date in the title; Weaver 06/10 Update.  I also save the installation file with the same date as part of the file name; WVR0610.EXE.  Then, I edit the Wise file so that, during the installation, the customer sees,"This is the Weaver 06/10 update.  If this date is not current, DO NOT PROCEED."  This helps to avoid having a customer mistakenly use an old update.

Finally, I put the date of the update on the Main Menu screen as part of the version number; 266.02.06.10.  This way, I can call the customer and have them read the version number to me, so I can tell if they have installed the latest update.⁶

Keep in mind, these suggestions are not meant to be hard and fast rules, but guidelines that I have found to work well for me.  I'm sure there are other variations that could work well too.