MSI Install Anomaly

[NewsArchive]

Friedrich

I create an MSI Install and just realized that although I have a check box
to run a help file at the end of the install this does not happen with the
MSI install. It does work normally for the standard exe.

As the MSI installer is finishing off at this stage I suspect that is
interfering with something.

Can this be rectified at all?

TIA

John Fligg

[NewsArchive]

Hi John,

> I create an MSI Install and just realized that although I have a check box
> to run a help file at the end of the install this does not happen with the
> MSI install. It does work normally for the standard exe.
>
> As the MSI installer is finishing off at this stage I suspect that is
> interfering with something.
>
> Can this be rectified at all?

What do you do to "execute" the help file?

Friedrich

[NewsArchive]

Hi John,

I tested this and you are right. I fear there is absolutely nothing we can
do. The run command returns "success", but MSI internally "blocks" the help
file. I'll add a note to the documentation.

Friedrich

[NewsArchive]

BTW, very interesting. I created a Clarion and Visual Studio "run_chm.exe"
test application that launches .chm files via the ShellExecute API. It
works from outside a .msi. But when "run_chm.exe" is launched from a .msi
then you can't start .chm files any longer.

Seems to be a "hidden" Windows security feature.

Friedrich

[NewsArchive]

Thanks Friedrich

Sorry I did not spot it when testing.

Can work it round it. This is only for those silly IT professionals who must
have an MSI installer for their servers so a help file would be of no use to
them anyway <g>

BTW I will use this to beat them with when I next speak to them and say how
wonderful and MSI installer is!

Thanks

John

[NewsArchive]

Hi John,

> Sorry I did not spot it when testing.
>
> Can work it round it. This is only for those silly IT professionals who
> must have an MSI installer for their servers so a help file would be of no
> use to them anyway <g>

<BG>

> BTW I will use this to beat them with when I next speak to them and say
> how wonderful and MSI installer is!

I find this very interesting. There seems to be some "protection mechanism"
built-in to prevent the execution of the .chm. But you can launch .exe, so
this does not make sense at all to me <g>.

Friedrich

[NewsArchive]

> Hi John,
>
>> Sorry I did not spot it when testing.
>>
>> Can work it round it. This is only for those silly IT professionals who
>> must have an MSI installer for their servers so a help file would be of no
>> use to them anyway <g>
>
> <BG>
>
>> BTW I will use this to beat them with when I next speak to them and say
>> how wonderful and MSI installer is!
>
> I find this very interesting. There seems to be some "protection mechanism"
> built-in to prevent the execution of the .chm. But you can launch .exe, so
> this does not make sense at all to me <g>.

Friedrich,

Is that possibly related to Network Drives and display of CHMs?

http://www.helpandmanual.com/products_hhreg.html

One of the solutions is this approach:

"HHReg is a utility to register HTML Help (.chm) files on an individual
Windows computer to make them available for viewing. Registration for HTML
Help files is required since Microsoft issued a security patch for
Microsoft Internet Explorer, disabling in general all HTML Help files that
are viewed from a network drive.

HHReg removes this limitation by explicitly registering HTML Help CHM files
in the Windows registry, making them available for viewing even when opened
on network drives."

David

--
From David Troxell - Product Scope 7.9 - Encourager Software
Product Scope 7 Viewer - NO Registration Fee! Free to Use!
http://www.encouragersoftware.com/
Clarion Third Party Profile Exchange Online
http://encouragersoftware.com/profile/clarlinks.html
http://www.profileexchanges.com/blog/

[NewsArchive]

David,

>
> Is that possibly related to Network Drives and display of CHMs?
>

The strange thing is that the .chm is displayed without any problem if the
..exe (that launches the .chm) is started normally. But if the .exe is
executed from the .msi, then the .chm does not come up at all. The .msi
completely blocks it.

Let us assume, you create a start.exe (with Visual Studio, Clarion, etc.)
that launches a start.chm. This works fine until you execute start.exe from
an .msi. Starting the .exe from the .msi will "block" the .chm execution
process at all. You'll not even get the typical "Action canceled" error
page.

Friedrich