May 2010 - Installer-dev - lists.apple.com

Re: Install file only if it exists on target?
by Bill Coderre 31 May '10

31 May '10

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com On May 31, 2010, at 9:31 AM, Andrew Peckover wrote: > Thank you, Bill and Greg, for both of your tips > > I think the best option is to use the post-flight script method. This seems very simple. If you have a moment, can you just confirm if the following would be an acceptable way to do it: > > 1. Install all files to /Applications/MyProgram/TempFolder, then run a post-flight shell script. > 2. The script moves each file from the tempfolder to the destination folder, if a file with the same name already exists there. > 3. The TempFolder is deleted. That is an acceptable way to do it. I'd add a step to make sure that the location does not exist before you begin. If it does exist, tread carefully; it's a security risk. The reason: Suppose I'm a script kid. I know you will come along and update the app. So I put a symlink in that location. The installer runs as root. Therefore, the symlink could overwrite something useful, like the kernel, or worse. > This is sort of a moot point, but I'm confused about why you say my original package should have been a metapackage. I thought all packages created with PM are metapackages using PM version 3.0.3. I think it may have worked differently with earlier versions of PM, but I have never used an earlier version. In any case, there are a large number of collections of files, which aren't necessarily known at the time of making the initial program installer, so that method wouldn't work too well. They are, but in most cases, they are one package in one metapackage. By using several packages that are conditionally installed, you might not have to do all the work you are planning. _______________________________________________ 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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Re: Install file only if it exists on target?
by Andrew Peckover 31 May '10

31 May '10

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com Thanks Stephane. What is a diff? Andrew What about a payload that is a diff? PackageMaker supports this. The inconvenient is that it probably only works to update a specific version (contrary to what you could/can do with InstallerVISE) Hi, The only way I can think of doing it is to create hundreds of different choices. Which I can do with some time, but then hundreds of receipts get put on the user's system which seems a little "unprofessional" Does anyone know a better way? I would be very grateful for any tips... _______________________________________________ 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/apeckover%40pgmusic.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.… ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephane Sudre" <dev.iceberg(a)gmail.com> To: <installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com> Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2010 3:27 AM Subject: Re: Install file only if it exists on target? On Sat, May 29, 2010 at 12:05 AM, Andrew Peckover <apeckover(a)pgmusic.com> wrote: Is there a way that I can have a file only get installed if it is already present on the user's system? I know that I can set a requirement for a choice (only install if a particular file exists on target), however I need to do this for hundreds of files. This email sent to apeckover(a)pgmusic.com This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Install file only if it exists on target?
by Andrew Peckover 31 May '10

31 May '10

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com Thank you, Bill and Greg, for both of your tips --- Thanks, Andrew MyGreatAppBeginner.app MyGreatAppPro.app MyExtraPlugin1 MyExtraPlugin2 etc. BeginnerOnly Beginner&PL1 Beginner&PL2 Beginner&PL1&PL2 ProOnly etc. AppUpdate ProUpdate PL1Update PL2Update _______________________________________________ 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 think the best option is to use the post-flight script method. This seems very simple. If you have a moment, can you just confirm if the following would be an acceptable way to do it: 1. Install all files to /Applications/MyProgram/TempFolder, then run a post-flight shell script. 2. The script moves each file from the tempfolder to the destination folder, if a file with the same name already exists there. 3. The TempFolder is deleted. This is sort of a moot point, but I'm confused about why you say my original package should have been a metapackage. I thought all packages created with PM are metapackages using PM version 3.0.3. I think it may have worked differently with earlier versions of PM, but I have never used an earlier version. In any case, there are a large number of collections of files, which aren't necessarily known at the time of making the initial program installer, so that method wouldn't work too well. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Coderre" <bc(a)apple.com> To: "Andrew Peckover" <apeckover(a)pgmusic.com> Cc: <installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com> Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 5:45 PM Subject: Re: Install file only if it exists on target? On May 28, 2010, at 3:05 PM, Andrew Peckover wrote: Is there a way that I can have a file only get installed if it is already present on the user's system? I know that I can set a requirement for a choice (only install if a particular file exists on target), however I need to do this for hundreds of files. The only way I can think of doing it is to create hundreds of different choices. Which I can do with some time, but then hundreds of receipts get put on the user's system which seems a little "unprofessional" Does anyone know a better way? I would be very grateful for any tips... To answer your questions in reverse order: 2) "Hundreds of receipts" is not a great idea, but if you end up having (say) a dozen, then don't worry. Almost no users go looking through /Library/Receipts, and if you use "flat" packaging, the receipts are stored in a database, not a folder full of files. Users will not complain about this. Don't worry. 1) Mac OS X installer does not provide "update only if existing" functionality. Original Mac OS had that, but it also required that EVERY SINGLE FILE in an installer had three separate entries in a pseudo-database. On Mac OS X, where a typical app might have 10,000 files, a simpler model was necessary. The way I like to think of Mac OS X installation is this: Installation is like an enhanced Unix "tar" wrapped with preflight and postflight scripts, for cleaning up. Note that "enhanced" includes a number of details, but most importantly: a) in SOME cases, files might not be installed even if they are in the archive. To a first approximation, Installer will often attempt not to "downgrade" bundles, based on bundle version information. b) owner/group/permissions are stored in the archive, and almost always imposed on the target c) There are enhancements to the archives to allow installation of, for instance, symlinks, which technically aren't files. Here's what many would say is the "best" option: Let's assume for the moment that although there are hundreds of individual files that need to be updated only if existing, they group into a small number of logical collections, for example: Now you make an installer package for each of these, have each package install only if the existing stuff is there, and then put a metapackage around it that allows the install if ANY of the subpackages is needed. Note that you would NOT have packages like this: You would have this: A Second Option: Install everything into a "holding tank" and then run a postflight script to do the appropriate updating. Or write your own "app" to do it. (You could write an "app" in AppleScript or even as some kind of shell script.) This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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automating Packager maker on 10.6
by Katherine Maguire 31 May '10

31 May '10

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com Thread-index: AcsApwSFEX8NtmS4RPaSQssYOMJymg== Thread-topic: automating Packager maker on 10.6 _______________________________________________ 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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Re: Install file only if it exists on target?
by Stephane Sudre 30 May '10

30 May '10

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com Dkim-signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:received:in-reply-to :references:date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type :content-transfer-encoding; bh=irZkonErdNUr5UBm9ku+RshWj1KEfgJhK7H8ziIU61g=; b=gKwjHQ1EvZPifG9COjK0FccbUVmMmR740sdj2rAkxnvGhmYPMb9rZWR3Eb7vjpCazF s0VsAtKGsCFnEs0fogC4eYAJpL2NvyEJOwJRg6+QcJfXm8hRUgvEPgCsd4fjCluqBH+l h25HrGKqtzrcP05Q/7PjPGNJpFZr3kVUwcOpc= Domainkey-signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :content-type:content-transfer-encoding; b=iw6NXIe5lo6hK1wCN4B66b8lrnv2dtaSL/+KvSNB9tWuy2PXDmgTSgMd0ogMcaCzFH gZFRdWlXItJAfusnZ2NVhF4+8IyP4GQEEn+y9sqUrVTSvUTsCS7tUXTwRPaqg8n4BtXW q5RUVeUF7CfvNWGtcq0D7B7/WL5sQ1/Suln94= What about a payload that is a diff? PackageMaker supports this. The inconvenient is that it probably only works to update a specific version (contrary to what you could/can do with InstallerVISE) On Sat, May 29, 2010 at 12:05 AM, Andrew Peckover <apeckover(a)pgmusic.com> wrote: > Hi, > > Is there a way that I can have a file only get installed if it is already > present on the user's system? I know that I can set a requirement for a > choice (only install if a particular file exists on target), however I need > to do this for hundreds of files. > > The only way I can think of doing it is to create hundreds of different > choices. Which I can do with some time, but then hundreds of receipts get > put on the user's system which seems a little "unprofessional" > Does anyone know a better way? I would be very grateful for any tips... _______________________________________________ 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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Re: Install file only if it exists on target?
by Bill Coderre 29 May '10

29 May '10

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.apple.com On May 28, 2010, at 3:05 PM, Andrew Peckover wrote: > Is there a way that I can have a file only get installed if it is already present on the user's system? I know that I can set a requirement for a choice (only install if a particular file exists on target), however I need to do this for hundreds of files. > > The only way I can think of doing it is to create hundreds of different choices. Which I can do with some time, but then hundreds of receipts get put on the user's system which seems a little "unprofessional" > Does anyone know a better way? I would be very grateful for any tips... To answer your questions in reverse order: 2) "Hundreds of receipts" is not a great idea, but if you end up having (say) a dozen, then don't worry. Almost no users go looking through /Library/Receipts, and if you use "flat" packaging, the receipts are stored in a database, not a folder full of files. Users will not complain about this. Don't worry. 1) Mac OS X installer does not provide "update only if existing" functionality. Original Mac OS had that, but it also required that EVERY SINGLE FILE in an installer had three separate entries in a pseudo-database. On Mac OS X, where a typical app might have 10,000 files, a simpler model was necessary. The way I like to think of Mac OS X installation is this: > Installation is like an enhanced Unix "tar" wrapped with preflight and postflight scripts, for cleaning up. Note that "enhanced" includes a number of details, but most importantly: a) in SOME cases, files might not be installed even if they are in the archive. To a first approximation, Installer will often attempt not to "downgrade" bundles, based on bundle version information. b) owner/group/permissions are stored in the archive, and almost always imposed on the target c) There are enhancements to the archives to allow installation of, for instance, symlinks, which technically aren't files. Here's what many would say is the "best" option: Let's assume for the moment that although there are hundreds of individual files that need to be updated only if existing, they group into a small number of logical collections, for example: > MyGreatAppBeginner.app > MyGreatAppPro.app > MyExtraPlugin1 > MyExtraPlugin2 etc. Now you make an installer package for each of these, have each package install only if the existing stuff is there, and then put a metapackage around it that allows the install if ANY of the subpackages is needed. Note that you would NOT have packages like this: > BeginnerOnly > Beginner&PL1 > Beginner&PL2 > Beginner&PL1&PL2 > ProOnly etc. You would have this: > AppUpdate > ProUpdate > PL1Update > PL2Update A Second Option: Install everything into a "holding tank" and then run a postflight script to do the appropriate updating. Or write your own "app" to do it. (You could write an "app" in AppleScript or even as some kind of shell script.) _______________________________________________ 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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Re: Install file only if it exists on target?
by Greg Neagle 28 May '10

28 May '10

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.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.… This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Install file only if it exists on target?
by Andrew Peckover 28 May '10

28 May '10

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.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.… This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Install file only if it exists on target?
by Greg Neagle 28 May '10

28 May '10

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.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.… This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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Re: Install file only if it exists on target?
by Andrew Peckover 28 May '10

28 May '10

site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev(a)lists.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.… This email sent to site_archiver(a)lists.apple.com

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