FlashFXP 5.2.0 build 3883 Installaton Customization and Installer

[Ascii2]

I am trying to test a deployment for FlashFXP 5.2.0 build 3883.
I wish to perform an installation always adhering to the following:

• Never check for newer version
• Data and Setting should be installed per user (as opposed to global settings and data)
• Application should not be launched or restarted after installation

I tried running the from its wrapper and directly from the extracted installer's setup. I had examined the application's online help documentation and found some variables to use with the installer. I tried the following command lines, but neither of them resulted in the expected behaviors/settings being preselected:

FlashFXP52_3883_Setup.exe PERUSER=TRUE RESTARTAPP=FALSE

FlashFXP5_Setup.exe PERUSER=TRUE RESTARTAPP=FALSE

How should I proceed to install FlashFXP in the manner desired?

Also, can the installer be cached to another location other than "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\"? If so, how?

[MxxCon]

What's the use-case of not wanting to check for updates to run the latest version?

[bigstar]

Thank you for bringing this to my attention, there does appear to be an issue in the current installer that causes it to ignore the PERUSER=TRUE switch when passed via the command line.

Here's a link to an updated installer to address the issue, we'll update the website with this newer version in the next couple days
Download FlashFXP52_3885_Setup.exe

In addition, it appears the information in the help file is not correct, For the setup to use these variables via the command line you must use either the /S or /QUIET

FlashFXP5_Setup.exe /QUIET PERUSER=TRUE

When you use /S or /QUIET the update check is bypassed.

The installer does allow the cached folder to be changed via the command line though we have not tested this functionality, and whether or not this is preserved between program updates is not known.

FlashFXP5_Setup.exe /QUIET PERUSER=TRUE OVERRIDECACHE=C:\DATA\CACHE\

[Ascii2]

Originally Posted by MxxCon

What's the use-case of not wanting to check for updates to run the latest version?

There are various potential cases. Here are a few cases:

• The systems administrator or a user has specifically intended or qualified a particular version; it would be undesirable to install anything other than what has already been determined or qualified.
• The intended version is know and it is undesirable to consume resources the clients resources to determine current version from developer.
• The version check/installer's network access is untrusted.
• The latest version is not wanted.
• Different update methods or policies are used.

[Ascii2]

Than you bigstar (postt #3) for your comments and solution.

While on the topic of the correctness of the help file, I would guess that the description for the /S switch is incorrect.

Part of the current /S switch description is:

Perform a completely silent unintended operation

I would imagine that "unintended" should have been "unattended"; it would certainly never be desirable for for installation to be unintended.

[bigstar]

LOL.. yes you are correct. I missed that when proofing, thank you. I will correct that.

[Ascii2]

I tested the OVERRIDECACHE installer command line variable on Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3. The installer installs the installer cache to a new directory it provides, usually named to something in the form {XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX}. If OVERRIDECACHE is not explicitly specified, the "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data" path is used by default for the cache.

If FlashFXP is again installed or a different version is installed (such as an update) the FlashFXP installer cache is located where it was last specified by the installer (implicitly or explicitly); the cache at the location prior to the last install would be gone. EDIT: This is also true regardless as to whether or not NTFS compression is present on the older cache.

The OVERRIDECACHE installer command line variable may be used by itself or in combination with other variables or switches.

[Ascii2]

By default, if the FlashFXP installer cache is installed onto an NTFS partition, the cache's directories and files are compressed on the filesystem and given a compressed attribute.

Is there a way to forgo the installer cache's compression on an NTFS filesystem?

[bigstar]

you can try passing the following switch to the command line:

MYAH_COMPRESS_INSTALLER_CACHE=FALSE

[Ascii2]

Originally Posted by bigstar

you can try passing the following switch to the command line:

MYAH_COMPRESS_INSTALLER_CACHE=FALSE

I have performed installation trials using MYAH_COMPRESS_INSTALLER_CACHE, using different combination command line options such as with or without /QUIET and setting MYAH_COMPRESS_INSTALLER_CACHE to TRUE. The results in terms of the state of the cache were always the same as if the MYAH_COMPRESS_INSTALLER_CACHE variable were not used. The cache would remain compressed on NTFS partitions.

[bigstar]

I looked into this and it appears that the installer script is explicitly setting compressed cache to true and this causes the variable being passed via the CLI to be ignored.

As a work around I will add a simple check for "COMPRESS_INSTALLER_CACHE=FALSE" passed via CLI to turn it off in the next build.

[Ascii2]

Originally Posted by bigstar

As a work around I will add a simple check for "COMPRESS_INSTALLER_CACHE=FALSE" passed via CLI to turn it off in the next build.

Understood. I look forward to it.

[bigstar]

Below is a dev build with this change to the installer

Download FlashFXP52_3889_Setup.exe

[Ascii2]

Originally Posted by bigstar

Below is a dev build with this change to the installer

Download FlashFXP52_3889_Setup.exe

Thank you. I have tested the installer and have found it to work as expected with the COMPRESS_INSTALLER_CACHE command line variable; the installer cache is install uncompressed on NTFS file systems.