site_archiver@lists.apple.com Delivered-To: installer-dev@lists.apple.com User-agent: Internet Messaging Program (IMP) H3 (4.0.3) I apologize for the length of this! The short version is I need a way to pass information from plug-ins that get executed before the authorization step in the installer to a package later in the installer that does the actual writing. For more detail, read on: ------- I'm working on migrating our old installers from VISE to PackageMaker, and I'm running some issues regarding configuration. Most of our installers are repackaged vendor installers with added bits to streamline user configuration. For example, we used to repackage Eudora, and all the user had to do was provide their MIT user name and the installer would configure their account, get their mail server etc. In trying to move the essential functionality over into PackageMaker, it seems like Plug-ins are best option from a UI perspective. They have the added benefit of not running when the installer is pushed out via Apple Remote Desktop, which is the behavior we want. My current installer uses a plug-in to display the user's configuration info (server, username etc.) on an upgrade, or to display a default set of preferences if it's a new install. The user can make changes, and then click onward to begin the actual installation. The problem is that the app's preferences are stored in a folder under /Library/Preferences, and so the installing user can't create a folder there on a new install if they're not an Admin. Apparently, the authorization doesn't take effect until the actual files start getting laid down. This brings me to the main issue I'm having (sorry for all the description): I need a way to pass the information gathered in the plug-in phase to a package later in the installation process that does all the actual file-writing (this is a distribution package). I'm currently using /tmp as a well-known location to pass messages in text files, but I'm not sure that's the best solution here. Additionally, the package that does the writing at the end seems to have trouble installing files to /tmp (I get generic errors, and the installer quits with no other information). 1) Should I be using /private/tmp rather than /tmp? I'm not sure which is the more appropriate location. 2) Am I approaching this all wrong? What are other people doing? 3) why won't files install into /tmp from the package I'm using? Permissions on original files? Should it matter for /tmp? Any thoughts or experiences would be helpful. Thanks, and sorry again for the long message! Atticus Gifford _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev@lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/site_archiver%40lists.a... This email sent to site_archiver@lists.apple.com