Installing Third-Party Software

If your application depends on third-party software (for example, a database library or a system update), you might want to install it along with the rest of your application. In many cases, the vendor provides instructions about which files you should redistribute and how to install them. If that is the case, you can add them to your Tarma Installer project just like any other files.

However, sometimes all you can or are allowed to do is to redistribute a self-contained, self-installing package. This gives you less control over the overall installation process, but you can still use Tarma Installer's Setup program to co-ordinate the installation of the external package along with the rest of your application.

Tip - It is possible to use Tarma Installer to create shortcuts to files installed by a third-party installer. See Installing Shortcuts to External Files for details about the steps involved. If you do so, be sure to run the external package's action before the Install: Shortcut installation built-in action; see step 6 below.

How to install an external package with Tarma Installer

To install one or more self-installing external packages along with your regular Tarma Installer Setup package, act as follows for each external package.

1. Decide where to put the external package's distribution file with respect to your own distribution package. In most cases, it is most convenient to put the external package on the same media and in the same folder (or a subfolder or sibling folder thereof) as your distribution package proper. Alternatively, simply add the external package as another installation file to the Tarma Installer project, possibly in a special Temp folder that you create off the main <AppFolder> installation folder.
2. In your Tarma Installer project, select the Advanced - Actions page by clicking on its bullet in the Navigation area.
3. Right-click anywhere in the Actions list to open its context menu.
4. On the context menu that appears, choose Insert Blank Action. Alternatively, if you installed the external package as another file in step 1, choose Insert File Action... and use the Select Installation File dialog that appears to select the external package file.

5. Tarma Installer creates a new action at the bottom of the list. In the Action settings pane, set the following options:

   • Action title - Enter any descriptive title. Tarma Installer's Setup program displays this title on the Installation Progress setup page while the action is being run.
   • Target path - Enter the path to the self-installing external package. In most cases, this will be a path relative to the main Setup package; use the <SetupDir> variable for the root, then add the relative path and the file name. For example, you might use <SetupDir>\DAO36.exe to install DAO 3.6 if it's being distributed in the same folder as the distribution package of the main Setup package. If you used Insert File Action... to create the action, then this path will already be filled in for you.
   • Start in - Enter the initial working folder for the package, or leave blank for the folder that contains the external package.
   • Arguments - Enter any command line arguments that the external package requires. Note that you should quote each argument that contains spaces, including arguments with project variables such as <ProgramFiles> that contain spaces after expansion.
   • Prompt - Check this box and enter an appropriate prompt text if you want Tarma Installer to query the customer for permission before running the external program. Clear the box if you always want to run the external program.
   • ShellExecute() - Clear this box for executable programs.
   • Reboot - As desired. Note that Tarma Installer will intercept reboot requests while the external package is running and reschedule them to the end of the installation process, so this option might be redundant.
   • Wait for finish (sec) - Check this box to suspend the main installation process until the external package has finished; clear it to run the external package in the background. If the external package requires user interaction, you should check this box; Tarma Installer will then hide itself so the customer only has to deal with one package at a time. Set a generous time out period, particularly if you know that the external package takes some time to complete. If the external package hasn't finished by the end of the time out period, Tarma Installer resumes its own business regardless of the external package's result.
   • Run program - Should usually be set to Normal.
   • Platforms - As appropriate.
6. Move the newly created action to its proper position in the list of actions, using the and toolbar buttons, or by pressing Ctrl+Down and Ctrl+Up. See Guidelines for custom actions in the online help for a detailed discussion of the relation between custom actions and the built-in installation actions. Generally speaking, you probably want to place it immediately after the Install: File installation built-in action.