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JavaWorld.com > Java Development Tools >

Tools of the trade, Part 3

Install your Java programs with InstallAnywhere

By Jeff Friesen, JavaWorld.com, 01/03/03

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Page 5 of 6

Tip
To observe debug output for Windows installers, hold down the Ctrl key while the installer starts running.


Build an installer with the Advanced Designer

The Project Wizard offers a quick and easy way to build one or more installers. However, that speed and simplicity comes at the expense of no advanced features, like displaying a license agreement, billboard advertising, and a splash screen. Fortunately, InstallAnywhere supports those and other advanced features in its Advanced Designer. Before we use the Advanced Designer to build an installer, let's familiarize ourselves with that tool.

Tip
Access the Advanced Designer from any Project Wizard window by clicking the Advanced Designer button at the bottom of that window.


The Advanced Designer presents a menu-driven and two-tiered tab-driven main window that offers access to advanced features. Figure 6 shows the organizational structure of the main window.

Figure 6. The Advanced Designer's main window is organized around a menu-driven and two-tiered tab-driven interface. Click on thumbnail to view full-size image.

The menu bar consists of File, Edit, Wizard, and Help menus. File menu commands create new installer projects, open existing installer projects, save the current installer project's settings, and terminate InstallAnywhere. Edit menu commands copy and paste actions and rules, and let you choose your own preferences. Wizard's solitary Start Wizard menu command returns you to the Project Wizard. Finally, Help provides access to the user guide.

The leftmost tab tier organizes the Advanced Designer's capabilities among six tabs: Project, Organization, Pre-Install, Install, Post-Install, and Build:

  • Project: groups capabilities of importance to an installer project. Examples include supplying project information (such as installer title and installer name) and identifying billboard images.
  • Organization: groups capabilities for managing components, features, and install sets.
  • Pre-Install: groups capabilities for choosing actions that execute at pre-install time. Some actions, like Introduction and Choose Install Folder, are added by default.
  • Install: groups capabilities for choosing files, folders, and actions that the installer creates or executes during installation.
  • Post-Install: groups capabilities for choosing actions that execute after installation completes. InstallAnywhere defaults to presenting Install Complete: Install Complete and Install Failed: Install Complete actions that display the appropriate panel when installation either succeeds or fails.
  • Build: groups capabilities for choosing which platforms to target, and whether resulting installers include virtual machines.


Now that we have some idea of the Advanced Designer's main window layout, let's use the Advanced Designer to create a Windows GLA.EXE installer with a custom splash screen. (This article's accompanying source code includes a splash screen via the Lines.gif file.) Complete the following steps to add the splash screen and create the installer:

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