How to make Popup Message on CAB Files?

[Bander]

I received a CAB file from my friend, and when I tried to install it, I found that it has a popup message from my friend telling me a joke...
how he do that?
and how can I change that message?

[Bander]

Please Help!

[OdeeanRDeathshead]

I asume you know how to make a cab to start with????

As you know there are exported functions in the dll that the cab uses (you make the dll). For example this is the normal look of whats exportd. Bellow is whats in the def file.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

; TestSetup.def : Declares the module parameters for the DLL.

LIBRARY "TESTSETUP"
;DESCRIPTION 'TESTSETUP Windows CE Dynamic Link Library'

EXPORTS
Install_Init
Install_Exit
Uninstall_Init
Uninstall_Exit


now in the code for one of those you just make a dialog like normal.
The code below is cut out of one of my working cabs. Because its in Install_Init it is the first thing to happen. Changing the method to Install_Exit would give the message after the instalation.


#include "stdafx.h"
#include "TestSetup.h"
#include "ce_setup.h"
#ifdef _DEBUG
#define new DEBUG_NEW
#undef THIS_FILE
static char THIS_FILE[] = __FILE__;
#endif

#include "MyAboutDialog.h"

BOOL CALLBACK gAboutDialogProc(HWND h_dlg, UINT my_message, WPARAM wpAram, LPARAM lpAram);


static CMyAboutDialog* myAbout= new CMyAboutDialog();


BOOL CALLBACK gAboutDialogProc(HWND hWnd, UINT uMsg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam)
{
return myAbout->AboutProc(hWnd,uMsg,wParam,lParam);
}


/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// CTestSetupApp

BEGIN_MESSAGE_MAP(CTestSetupApp, CWinApp)
//{{AFX_MSG_MAP(CTestSetupApp)
// NOTE - the ClassWizard will add and remove mapping macros here.
// DO NOT EDIT what you see in these blocks of generated code!
//}}AFX_MSG_MAP
END_MESSAGE_MAP()

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// CTestSetupApp construction

CTestSetupApp::CTestSetupApp()
{

}

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// The one and only CTestSetupApp object

CTestSetupApp theApp;

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
codeINSTALL_INIT
Install_Init( HWND hwndParent,
BOOL fFirstCall,
BOOL fPreviouslyInstalled,
LPCTSTR pszInstallDir )
{
AFX_MANAGE_STATE(AfxGetStaticModuleState());

DialogBox(::AfxGetInstanceHandle(),
MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDD_AboutDIALOG),
hwndParent,
(DLGPROC)gAboutDialogProc);

return codeINSTALL_INIT_CONTINUE;
}
//------------------------------------------------------------------



Of course the detail of the dialog is in the MyAboutDialog. You just make your own to do what you want.

You can do just about anything from the code you put in the cab's dll, but a lot of the instalation should be left up to cabwiz to generate. What ever you do put in the dll will permanently reside in the windows folder until the user removes the program, so don't make it too big.

[Bander]

Thanks Dear OdeeanRDeathshead...
your reply is more than an informative article.
however, I hope if you can answer my second part of the question...
how can I remove the message from a CAB file that i have?

[OdeeanRDeathshead]

I you want to remove the message on an existing cab then that is more complicated. If you know everything that the cab dose when it gets tapped (eg registry changes etc) then you could gather all the file that the cab installs and use them to re-write them into a new cab that has no messages. This is more trouble than its worth. Unless your friend is willing to give you detailed info on what his cab dose you would be bound to miss something.

Also many messages are as a result of the os, and these vary depending on the version of os. You can't stop some of those (on every platform).

Most people would not want their instalation packages tampered with.

[t0flus]

Try to extract the .cab file with Win CE Cab manager. Remove the Setup.dll, hopefully it does not do anything else then showing the joke :) Then build your own version of it.

[OdeeanRDeathshead]

for any complex instalation I doubt that doing that would leave you with a working instalation. Still its worth a go if it saves time. What I would like to know (not having vis studio 2005 yet) is why dose the wm2005 device always ask where you want to put the software even when you have turned this feature off? When one's coding gets a bit lazy it can all fall appart when put in a location other than that you expect.

[levenum]

OdeeanRDeathshead, I assume you are referring to whether to install to main memory or to SD question (this dialog pups up on WM5 device with SD inserted or built in storage).
To avoid it remove the InstDir string from your inf file (or change the string name to something else). This will force the software installation to the directory you specify in the cab.

[OdeeanRDeathshead]

I did not want to hard code the directory, so I used

InstallDir="%CE2%"

That should get the location of the windows folder for the install. Are you saying that if I just put

InstallDir="\windows\"

it will force it there. Dose this mean that there is a new table of Windows CE Directory Identifiers or that installs just always ask if you use them?

[levenum]

No, what I meant was you don’t want a string call 'InstallDir' in your inf file.

The 'InstallDir' is just a string definition you may or may not use later in the inf (like #define in C).

What determines where the files are installed is what's in the [DestinationDirs] section.

For example:
Files.Windows = 0,%CE2%

You should delete the line InstallDir = completely from your inf file, or if this string appears else where (except [CEStrings] section) just change it to something like MyDir= (be sure to change it every ware it appears in the file)