× The internal search function is temporarily non-functional. The current search engine is no longer viable and we are researching alternatives.
As a stop gap measure, we are using Google's custom search engine service.
If you know of an easy to use, open source, search engine ... please contact support@midrange.com.


  • Subject: RE: Why not use VA/RPG
  • From: "Bob Crothers" <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 10:12:19 -0500
  • Importance: Normal

William,

If you call Install Shield, they will probably say no.  I would say yes, but
with the qualification that it would be work.  Express has several exit
points defined.  These exit points can call either an EXE or a DLL.  This
program could then build and issue the FTP script required to get the save
file up to the 400....perhaps even to do the restore & run a setup.  You
would have to be careful, and getting results back from the FTP is less than
straightforward (so I have heard), but I suspect, with some work, you could
do what you ask.

Note: The EXE or DLL should probably NOT be written in varpg as this
requires runtime support. Also, the exit pgm is stored uncompressed, so size
is an issue.  C/C++ on the other hand can be built with no runtime
requirements and a very small executable size (Our fax over email
mini-viewer is a fully self contained Windows C++ program, no dll's required
and is only 70k).

Bob

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com [mailto:owner-midrange-l@midrange.com]On
Behalf Of Reger, Bill
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2000 8:47 AM
To: 'MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com'
Subject: RE: Why not use VA/RPG

Bob,

Is it possible to use Install Shield to install Internet downloaded save
files to the AS/400?

William K. Reger
Senior Project Manager
Levitz Furniture Corporation
Phone:  (561) 994-5114
E-mail:  breger@levitz.com <mailto:breger@levitz.com>

                -----Original Message-----
                From:   Bob Crothers [mailto:bob@cstoneindy.com]
                Sent:   Wednesday, January 19, 2000 8:30 AM
                To:     MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
                Subject:        RE: Why not use VA/RPG

                Booth,

                I do not know anything about what VARPG does for installs.
However, I do
                know about installs in the PC world.  Check out Install
Shield Express
                (http://www.installshield.com/express/ ).  It is very easy
to use, no
                "coding" involved, just fill out some forms and you have a
"standard"
                install shield install (which most commercial packages use
these days) and
                even an un-install.  And it will generate the autorun for cd
based installs.

                For pure disk based or email based installs, we use a
combination of a
                WinZip generated self extracting zip file & Install Shield.
With the WinZip
                self extractor, you can tell it to automatically unzip when
executed and run
                a program (setup.exe).  Works pretty good.

                If you download our Fax Server/401 demo at
www.faxserver401.com/download.htm
                , you can see an example of how this all works.

                Bob

                -----Original Message-----
                From: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
[mailto:owner-midrange-l@midrange.com]On
                Behalf Of boothm@earth.Goddard.edu
                Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2000 5:59 PM
                To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
                Subject: Re: Why not use VA/RPG

                I burned a CD with the version as I wanted it installed and
circulated the
                CD.  It had autorun and all, but my experience is mid-range,
not PC so it
                was hard for me.  It worked but now I want to experiment
with an install
                on the LAN.  I think that'll work but of course those
working off the net
                or off dial-up can't use that choice.  Silent install is
supposed to work
                but I never could get it to actually work correctly.  My
feeling is that
                VARPG is good for RPG programmers wanting to produce some
snazzy stuff.
                But they have to know the PC world or have friends there in
order to get
                the packages properly installed.
                _______________________
                Booth Martin
                boothm@earth.goddard.edu
                http://www.spy.net/~booth
                _______________________




                "Scott P. Johnson" <sjohnson@highsmith.com>
                Sent by: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
                01/18/2000 08:29 AM
                Please respond to MIDRANGE-L


                        To:     MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
                        cc:
                        Subject:        Re: Why not use VA/RPG


                This is the way I am doing updates:

                You have the normal Install dirs for first time installs.
                Like normal software these can lag a 'point version' or so.
                So in other words they do not get updated all the time.
                Separately you have Update dirs.  These are where the real
                updates come from.  Basically you make your changes in
VARPG,
                test, and then copy what is in the RT_Win32 dir to the
Update
                dir.  The update is now available to the general public.

                Then there is the question of how to get the update to the
                user.  If you have done LAN installs, you can just copy the
                updated files into the LAN dirs of the app.  I do this on
                the big app we have.  On a smaller locally installed app,
                I am using a simple batch file that is manually kicked off.
                It checks time stamps on the files and only copies what has
                been updated.

                I am in the process of trying to figure out a way to
automate
                this whole procedure.  I have a couple of ideas, but nothing
                sound yet.

                As a side note, when a new version of VARPG comes out, I
                usually spend some time doing re-installs to get the latest
                version of the VARPG runtime.  I think this is something
that
                cannot really be gotten around.
                --
                ------------------------------------------------------
                Scott P. Johnson
                Microcomputer Development Specialist
                IBM Certified Specialist - AS/400 RPG Programmer
                Highsmith Inc.
                W5527 Hwy 106, PO BOX 800
                Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-0800
                TEL:  920-563-9571                FAX:  920-563-7395
                sjohnson@highsmith.com
                www.highsmith.com
                ------------------------------------------------------
                > Not sure I really understand. Why wouldn't you just put
some kind of
                > current version checker in the program (load current
version in a
                > dataarea on the AS/400 and check against a constant in the
program).
                >
                >  You know, I bet that would work.  A good idea.  Scott
Johnson did
                > something like that I think. I tried it but couldn't
figure out how to
                > upgrade to the next version all at once everywhere, on
every PC.
                +---
                | This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
                | To submit a new message, send your mail to
MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com.
                | To subscribe to this list send email to
MIDRANGE-L-SUB@midrange.com.
                | To unsubscribe from this list send email to
                MIDRANGE-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
                | Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator:
                david@midrange.com
                +---




                +---
                | This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
                | To submit a new message, send your mail to
MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com.
                | To subscribe to this list send email to
MIDRANGE-L-SUB@midrange.com.
                | To unsubscribe from this list send email to
MIDRANGE-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
                | Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator:
                david@midrange.com
                +---

                +---
                | This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
                | To submit a new message, send your mail to
MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com.
                | To subscribe to this list send email to
MIDRANGE-L-SUB@midrange.com.
                | To unsubscribe from this list send email to
MIDRANGE-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
                | Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator:
david@midrange.com
                +---
+---
| This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
| To submit a new message, send your mail to MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com.
| To subscribe to this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-SUB@midrange.com.
| To unsubscribe from this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator:
david@midrange.com
+---

+---
| This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
| To submit a new message, send your mail to MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com.
| To subscribe to this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-SUB@midrange.com.
| To unsubscribe from this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com
+---

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

This thread ...

Replies:

Follow On AppleNews
Return to Archive home page | Return to MIDRANGE.COM home page

This mailing list archive is Copyright 1997-2024 by midrange.com and David Gibbs as a compilation work. Use of the archive is restricted to research of a business or technical nature. Any other uses are prohibited. Full details are available on our policy page. If you have questions about this, please contact [javascript protected email address].

Operating expenses for this site are earned using the Amazon Associate program and Google Adsense.