Question

Custom installer to distribute our software

Answer 1

The Inno Setup software is downloaded from www.jrsoftware.org/isdl.php , it is a software for Windows but it can be installed on Linux through Wine.

Once downloaded, it is installed as any Windows software.

We will create a script, a text file that will have defined the installation routes, the files to be installed and all the dependencies that our application needs to function.

We start Inno Setuop and it will show us two options to create it by means of a wizard (that the software guides us) or to do all of us. We start a new file, in the first screen we will ask to start with the script and then the data of the company or author.

Continuing to request indicate what directory the software will be installed, by default it will be Program Files or Program folder , I can also customize it to install it in an own directory that will be created at the time of installation.

Continuing to request to specify the executable file exe or jar if it were java or the extension of our executable and add all the necessary dependencies for our application such as file, images, databases if embedded or sql if we are going to create it in the installation.

We then configure the menus, shortcuts, uninstall icons as generally any Windows application.

Then you will ask us if we want to add text files where we will inform the person who installs our software aspects of license, help, or comments at the end of the installation.

Then the next screen will allow to select the installation languages, finally we will be asked to define the parameters of the Inno Setup itself, such as: where the setup file will be created, what name our installer will have, if we will put an icon, etc.

Finally, he will ask us to save our script and ask if we want to compile it, we accept it and the result will be the generated script and the result of the compilation.

Here we can see the setup.exe file that we have created and from Linux with Wine to see that it also works and executes the same in Linux, Misoftware will also be installed, that it will run depends on whether the programming has taken into account multiplatform aspect, but here we only see the installer.

After installation as a typical Windows program we can see how Misoftware is installed in its own directory c: \ MiSoftware

Remember that Inno Setup only generates a text file with the installation definitions has nothing to do with the programming of our software, therefore we can use it no matter what language we have programmed our application, in this example we created an installer from Linux for a software written in Delphi and that is not supported by Linux but the exe extension if through Wine.

We must know very well the dependencies and structure that our complete software will have to define well the routes and that there are not missing components that later can make the application fail.

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