June 2005 - Installer-dev - lists.apple.com

Binary Format plist
by Eric Zimmerman 28 Jun '05

28 Jun '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com User-agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0 (Windows/20041206) Stéphane Sudre wrote: Eric _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… This is certainly possible with a postflight script. I would not go with a full shell or applescript solution but use an additional binary. As this would allow to use the Open Directory API to get the list of users and their Home folder location and to use CoreFoundation or Foundation API to work with the Property List files that are probably being used (and since Apple is moving to Binary plist, I have some doubt it's possible to edit them from a shell script). The part about plist moving to binary is really sad. I use ANT to build all of my plists manually to automate my build process. Changing over to a binary format will make it much more difficult for me to support the Mac platform. I hope they maintain backwards compatibility or change their minds. This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Enabling an app in Simple Finder for users' after install
by Stéphane Sudre 28 Jun '05

28 Jun '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com On mardi, juin 28, 2005, at 04:07 AM, Murray Peters wrote: Hi Folks, The 2004 or 2005 one? :) _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… Just got back from WWDC. I got a chance to meet some of the installer team and posed a question I've been curious about for a while. They said that it's not supported in by the pkg/installer tools, but suggested I subscribe to this list and post the question - hopefully some of you may have tackled this already. In a nutshell, I need to create a package that when deployed through a deployment tool (such as ARD, but our software does this too) can have the applications run icon added to the Applications folder of all users of the machine set up with Simple Finder. This is kind of an extension to the need to be able to add an application to the dock (system or nominated user), but in this case it's a Simple Finder scenario. When chatting to the installer team we talked about writing post flight shell or applescripts to update dock plist files, but that seems to be susceptible to different versions of OS X. This is certainly possible with a postflight script. I would not go with a full shell or applescript solution but use an additional binary. As this would allow to use the Open Directory API to get the list of users and their Home folder location and to use CoreFoundation or Foundation API to work with the Property List files that are probably being used (and since Apple is moving to Binary plist, I have some doubt it's possible to edit them from a shell script). This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Enabling an app in Simple Finder for users' after install
by Murray Peters 28 Jun '05

28 Jun '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com Hi Folks, Just got back from WWDC. I got a chance to meet some of the installer team and posed a question I've been curious about for a while. They said that it's not supported in by the pkg/installer tools, but suggested I subscribe to this list and post the question - hopefully some of you may have tackled this already. In a nutshell, I need to create a package that when deployed through a deployment tool (such as ARD, but our software does this too) can have the applications run icon added to the Applications folder of all users of the machine set up with Simple Finder. This is kind of an extension to the need to be able to add an application to the dock (system or nominated user), but in this case it's a Simple Finder scenario. When chatting to the installer team we talked about writing post flight shell or applescripts to update dock plist files, but that seems to be susceptible to different versions of OS X. Any help would be much appreciated. regards, Murray. _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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PackageMaker 2.0 packages not working in Panther
by Andy Peterman 28 Jun '05

28 Jun '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com Thanks! -- Andy _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… I've been updating some of my packages to the new PackageMaker 2.0.1 under Tiger, but I'm finding that while these work fine in Tiger, if I try to install an update of an existing package that had been previously installed in Panther, the new package fails, saying that ".A newer version of the package is already installed." Looking at the receipt of the original install (done under Panther with a package created with PackageMaker 1.2), I discovered that its Info.plist contains the two keys IFMajorVersion and IFMinorVersion, both set to 0. The new plist from PackageMaker 2.0.1 doesn't create these two keys. I believe this is what's causing the problem because if I either remove these two keys from the receipt package or add them to the new package, the install works under Panther. It would seem that the Installer that runs under Panther looks at these values and if they're missing, gets confused. I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this problem and what sort workaround there might be (other than manually adding these two keys each time I build the package under Tiger). Is the new PackageMaker supposed to create packages that are backwards compatible to the Installer that runs under Panther? This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Failed Installation on OS X Tiger
by Stéphane Sudre 24 Jun '05

24 Jun '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com On vendredi, juin 24, 2005, at 10:49 PM, Christopher Ryan wrote: On vendredi, juin 24, 2005, at 08:43 PM, Eric Zimmerman wrote: [..] Some comments on the package itself: - the background picture is really nice _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… My first guess would be that if a user installs the package as a regular NON admin user, they will not be able to write SpinXpress.app into /Applications, although I don't really know why it errors out on Info.plist rather then one of the above directories. Possible hint: Because it's the first file in the list. As shown when you list the content of the package using Installer.app (which always omit to list files parent folder). - the first suggestion to be able to install your application would be to ask for admin authorization. I tend not to trust the admin authorization mode because of bugs in older version of Installer.app which have been fixed since. I would suggest asking for Root Authorization (I don't think anybody will really see a problem with that). - the owner and group on all the components are 501:501 when they should be root:admin. This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Failed Installation on OS X Tiger
by Eric Zimmerman 24 Jun '05

24 Jun '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com User-agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0 (Windows/20041206) Christopher Ryan wrote: Eric _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… My first guess would be that if a user installs the package as a regular NON admin user, they will not be able to write SpinXpress.app into /Applications, although I don't really know why it errors out on Info.plist rather then one of the above directories. The package uses no authorization. You are correct...but the interesting thing to note here is that OS 10.3 would not let the user select the drive for installation if they did not have the correct permissions. This is why I did not really understand the behavior. This definitely is a regression on the part of the Installer. It should never let a package attempt to install if no authorization is selected and the user does not have privilege. IMHO. This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Failed Installation on OS X Tiger
by Christopher Ryan 24 Jun '05

24 Jun '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com The package uses no authorization. A Normal install Log looks as follows: Thanks, Eric Zimmerman Software Engineer Outhink, Inc. _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/ryanc%40apple.com This email sent to ryanc(a)apple.com _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… My first guess would be that if a user installs the package as a regular NON admin user, they will not be able to write SpinXpress.app into /Applications, although I don't really know why it errors out on Info.plist rather then one of the above directories. Chris My installer seems to work on OS 10.2, 10.3, & 10.4 that I have tested, but I just had a user run into trouble with the install on their OS X 10.4 machine. They get the following error show up in their install Log: Jun 24 13:20:03 Computer : Extracting files Jun 24 13:20:03 Computer : BomFileError 13: Permission denied - / Applications/SpinXpress.app/Contents/Info.plist Jun 24 13:20:03 Computer : 4 files looked up in 0.00 seconds. 4 files written in 0.01 seconds. Jun 24 11:00:27 Computer : Extracting files Jun 24 11:00:29 Computer : 608 files looked up in 0.04 seconds. 608 files written in 1.71 seconds. Jun 24 11:00:29 Computer : 8841 kilobytes installed. I am pretty new to the PackageMaker installer process and am not really sure what steps to take to get further debug information or find out what is going on. I also could not find BOMFileError referenced in Google or on apples website. Any information or pointing me in the correct direction would be great. I am guessing this is not directly related to OS X 10.4 but I really don't know. It is a free application and the installer is publicly available at http://www.outhink.com/SpinXpressInstall.dmg if that helps. This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Failed Installation on OS X Tiger
by Eric Zimmerman 24 Jun '05

24 Jun '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com User-agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0 (Windows/20041206) Jun 24 13:20:03 Computer : Extracting files Jun 24 13:20:03 Computer : BomFileError 13: Permission denied - /Applications/SpinXpress.app/Contents/Info.plist Jun 24 13:20:03 Computer : 4 files looked up in 0.00 seconds. 4 files written in 0.01 seconds. A Normal install Log looks as follows: Jun 24 11:00:27 Computer : Extracting files Jun 24 11:00:29 Computer : 608 files looked up in 0.04 seconds. 608 files written in 1.71 seconds. Jun 24 11:00:29 Computer : 8841 kilobytes installed. I am pretty new to the PackageMaker installer process and am not really sure what steps to take to get further debug information or find out what is going on. I also could not find BOMFileError referenced in Google or on apples website. Any information or pointing me in the correct direction would be great. Thanks, Eric Zimmerman Software Engineer Outhink, Inc. _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… My installer seems to work on OS 10.2, 10.3, & 10.4 that I have tested, but I just had a user run into trouble with the install on their OS X 10.4 machine. They get the following error show up in their install Log: I am guessing this is not directly related to OS X 10.4 but I really don't know. It is a free application and the installer is publicly available at http://www.outhink.com/SpinXpressInstall.dmg if that helps. This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: using a disk image to install software
by Sanford Selznick 23 Jun '05

23 Jun '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com I have two questions: Good luck, Sanford _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… At 4:09 PM -0700 6/23/05, Chuck Soper wrote: For one of our products I use a disk image for users to install software. The user is supposed to drag the application to the Applications directory. Invariably, someone always double-clicks on the application on the disk image and becomes confused. Next, they send tech support emails, etc. 1. Does anyone know of a good generic description of how to install an application from a disk image? I have a customer that doesn't understand that they're running my application from the disk image. We've already gone back and forth quite a bit. I'm looking for something like this, but generic: http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omniweb/download/ 2. It would be great if the Finder could warn, not allow, or allow launching from a disk image. This could be a property added to the info.plist of an application. Has this been considered? Should I file a bug/request? Check out the disk image for the Shareware program "Fetch". (http://www.fetchsoftworks.com/) The programmers there came up with a superb and innovative solution. I've used this with my own software and have had zero support e-mails on it. Just make the link with ln -s and add it to your image. (I assume you're using FileStorm for that.) This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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using a disk image to install software
by Chuck Soper 23 Jun '05

23 Jun '05

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com I have two questions: Thanks, Chuck _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.… For one of our products I use a disk image for users to install software. The user is supposed to drag the application to the Applications directory. Invariably, someone always double-clicks on the application on the disk image and becomes confused. Next, they send tech support emails, etc. 1. Does anyone know of a good generic description of how to install an application from a disk image? I have a customer that doesn't understand that they're running my application from the disk image. We've already gone back and forth quite a bit. I'm looking for something like this, but generic: http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omniweb/download/ 2. It would be great if the Finder could warn, not allow, or allow launching from a disk image. This could be a property added to the info.plist of an application. Has this been considered? Should I file a bug/request? This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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