If you have used Tarma Setup 1.x in the past and created your own Setup.ini installation scripts, you will be glad to hear that Tarma QuickInstall 2.x can read these scripts and will convert them automatically to the new TIN project format. Furthermore, Tarma QuickInstall 2.x has many new features that make life easier for the developer.
The most important change is probably the integration of file compression in the TIN software. In contrast to version Tarma Setup 1.x, you no longer need a separate external compression and archiving utility such as WinZip or WinRAR.
Further changes include the addition of a development environment for setup applications, various new file formats (TIN, TIZ, and self-extracting TIZ), and changes to the existing INI file format. The Setup programs have also been reworked extensively. Despite all changes, the Setup programs are still only 70 KB in size!
In Tarma Setup 1.x, the entire installation script was contained in a single INI file, which had to be created and edited by hand. Upon installation, a similar file called Install.log was produced, which served to record the installed configuration and was used during the uninstallation process.
As of version 2, the INI file is no longer the pivotal file as far as setup script development is concerned. Instead, all development information is stored in a TIN file and maintained by a separate development environment, TIN Builder. Only when the distribution archive is created, will TIN Builder produce the corresponding INI file for use by the Setup program. Also, the version 2 Setup program no longer produces a separate Install.log file upon installation; instead, it updates the INI file that was used for installation and stores that in the installation directory.
The INI files created by TIN Builder differ in some important respects from the 1.x INI files and are neither forward nor backward compatible. However, TIN Builder is able to read 1.x INI files and will convert them automatically to version 2 TIN files. Eventually, when you build the distribution package, another INI file will be created that represents the setup script originally contained in the 1.x INI file, albeit in a format that is understood (only) by the version 2 Setup program.
In Tarma Setup 1.x, it was necessary to copy all required installation files manually to "the vicinity of" the Setup.ini installation script, in order for them to be properly distributed and installed.
As of version 2, this is no longer necessary. The TIN project file contains references to the files that you want to install, and the project build process will automatically retrieve the required files and add them to the distribution package.
The recommended procedure for Tarma QuickInstall 2.x is therefore to refer to your original development files without explicitly copying them to the Setup.ini directory. This allows Tarma QuickInstall to pick up the most recent version of each installation file when it builds the distribution package. Likewise, you no longer have to include (or mark for installation) the Setup program that you want to use; TIN Builder will automatically add the correct version for you.
If your version 1.x INI file used REGEDIT4 files for registration of device drivers, you might have to perform some manual adjustments after the automatic conversion. Here is what you need to do:
However, in most cases Tarma QuickInstall has performed these conversions for you and you only need to verify that they were done correctly.
To convert Tarma Setup 1.x Setup.ini files, simply open them as you would open any Tarma QuickInstall project. All conversion to the new format takes place automatically. See TIN Assistant for more information about opening projects.
Tarma QuickInstall 2.x cannot save version 1.x Setup.ini files. Instead, it will prompt you for a new TIN project file name when it comes to saving a converted Setup.ini file, then save the converted project under the new name. This also means that your original Setup.ini remains intact.