Multi Install consists of an
Editor and an Installer. The first step in creating a menu is to create a
layout/compilation using the Multi Install editor - MIEdit.exe.
A layout
consists of tree types of data groups: Global fields: These fields
determine global stuff for the whole menu - like which programs fields to show,
menu title etc. Category fields: Category name, description
etc. Program fields: All the fields with information about the current
program.
Getting ready
Default values
If are going to have many programs in your final
creation, it is a good idea to make some default values. Goto the menu Tools
-> Options -> Default values. I would like to open the installation
target folder after installation, so I have now entered the script Run
Filename: "Explorer.exe"; Parameters: "{destdir}"; Flags: "nowait" in
default program script. Default treeview icons for categories can also save
some time. Every time I add a new program or category to the menu, default
values will be used.
Globals
On the main screen in MIEdit I have entered the title of the
cd/dvd menu "Open Source CD". Information fields for programs are determined
here via the Fields to show/hide. I have renamed "Custom field 1" to "Type" and
"Custom field 2" to "Website".
Hint:
You can press F1 in any field to get help for current field!
Adding programs
Programs can be added to the menu without a category -
but if you have more than 10 programs you will surely need some categories. I
start with adding a category named "Applications". All programs should be in
the same folder as MIEdit.exe or a sub folder. So I start with moving my
applications to a subfolder called "Applications". All my archives are
compressed with Winrar to save
space.
To add actual programs the "New program" button can be used - but
faster methods are available:
Import programs from files
Drag'n'drop files into the treeview
Both of the last two methods
will bring up this window:
After
importing the files, the main screen looks like this:
Notice
that the default value for program script has been filled in
automatically.
Now the program names have to be adjusted and description,
screenshots and other information will have to be added
manually.
Subtitle Edit 1.7 is not available in a setup package with easy
installation and uninstallation - but MI can do that ;) First I choose the
installation Path "{pf}\Subtitle Edit", which will suggest "C:\Program
Files\Subtitle Edit" during installation if you use an English Windows. In
the program script window I add a shortcut to the Start Menu and one (optional)
to the desktop. Uninstallation is added easily by clicking on "Full
uninstallation". This is the script window:
The
"Set Uninstall: "Full" will make uninstall appear under "Control Panel" ->
"Add remove programs".
To test the layout in MI Skinnable you can click
on the preview coolbar icon:
Several
other skins are available from the MI skin
page.
When burning to disc the following files/folders should
be added:
If
you use a resource file, then the folders/files "Skin", "Pics", and "Icons",
"UNACEv2.DLL", "bass.dll", "unrar.dll" are not needed (as they will zipped into
the resource file).
Multi Install has lots of other features such
as build-in ZIP, RAR, and ACE extraction, password protection/encryption, screen
shots (gif, jpg, png, and bmp), NFO viewer, and MP3 play.
Multi Install
is Open Source and can be compiled with Delphi 7 (5 and 6 with minor
modifications). Open source means that you may redistribute, MODIFY, and use it
freely. Cool, eh?
