Installing Files

One of the basic tasks of any Setup package is to install files on the customer's computer. In most cases, these files must be removed again when the customer uninstalls the application.

How to add installation files to your project

To specify files for installation and removal in Tarma Installer, act as follows.

1. Open or create the project that contains the information for your application. See Overview of Tarma Installer in the online help if you don't know how to do this, or if you don't know what projects are for.
2. Select the Project - Files page by clicking on its bullet in the Navigation area.

3. Decide which installation folders your application requires. They are shown with project variables (for example, <AppFolder>) in the Installation folders tree. Do not use hard-coded paths such as C:\Program Files\MyApp, but use names like:

   • <AppFolder> for the majority of your application's files. This name represents the main installation folder for your application. Its default location is set on the Installation page; if you allow this, the customer may select a different location at installation time.
   • <WinDir> for (shared) files that must be installed in the Windows folder.
   • <WinSysDir> for (shared) files that must be installed in the System folder. Usually, this is where you would install ActiveX controls and other files that might be shared among applications.
   • Any of more than fifty other symbolic folder names.
4. If necessary, create the required folders by right-clicking on Installation Files, then choosing Insert Special Folder to add special folder variables.

5. Add your application files to the appropriate installation folders using one of the following methods:

   • Right-click on the installation folder of your choice, then choose Insert Files from Disk... This opens the Add Files to Project dialog that allows you to browse for your application files and add them individually or in groups by using file name filters.
   • Open Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder that contains your application files, then select the desired files and folders. Next, drag them to the Tarma Installer Project - Files page and drop them onto the desired installation folder. Refer to Installation folders tree online help topic for some further tips.
6. Repeat step 5 until all your application files are added to the appropriate installation folders. If you accidentally add files to the wrong folder, you can use drag & drop to move them to a different one. Refer to Installation folders tree online help for information about these drag & drop operations.

To specify installation and uninstallation options for your application files, select the files in the Installation files list, then adjust their settings in the Installation file settings pane. When you add files, Tarma Installer sets default options for each file that are suitable for that particular file, so in many cases there is little or nothing that you need to set manually.