POINST complete failure

[frankie]

Poinst doesn't work at all even on the simplest configuration.
The installer is created without errors, using the verbose flag all operations are correctly showed.
When the freshly created installer is run it fails apparently without any error.
No file is copied.
No registry key is touched.
Opening the details window the message showed is: "Error creating: Uninstall.exe"
  The funny thing is that asks to run the executable that wasn't installed. 

[Pelle]

When there is only one Section .. SectionEnd, this mandatory section isn't "selected" unless things go through one of the selection pages. It looks like this was lost in early 2018 when SectionGroup and SectionGroupEnd was added (I guess the focus then was on selection things, not having nothing to select from).

(When nothing is installed, no (new) directory is created, and very little can be written to this non-existing directory - not even the uninstaller).

The easiest workaround for now is to add an empty section ...

Code: [Select]

Section "Dummy"
SectionEnd
... or, of course, fill it with something more useful...

[frankie]

Yes it works thanks.
I really got mad on the issue.
Maybe it could help adding a note in the help.

[Pelle]

It's a bug that should be fixed. I guess not many people are using POINST (either?) or it would have been found sooner.

[frankie]

Indeed it seems I'm the only one. 
It was me that posted the problem with multiple files (but there I was using more sections).
No other posts are present about POINST.

[Pelle]

Yeah, I remember.

I have used POINST professionally a few times in the past, so it got a fair bit of testing, but these days I only use POINST for the Pelles C installer ( with plenty of optional sections  ).

I retrospect it would have been better to start my own project, rather than cutting corners by adopting an early NSIS installer. After many attempts to clean it up, too much spaghetti code remains. Well, it's a bit late now...

[John Z]

Well it took a while before I even realized that it was possible to create an installer with Pelles C.  But in any case the programs I have written with Pelles C that have been, or are being, distributed have been 'portable' i.e. can run from a USB or any directory and are self contained within the directory.  Distribution has simply been through a zip or 7z file.  Unzip and run, to remove just delete the directory. Nothing in the registry.  I have made one game both as a zip install and also has an installer using the 'portable apps' installer software because I was trying to get it hosted on their web, but they said they are too busy.....

Anyway this did not add much value to the discussion, so I'll add I'm going to try POINST for a program installer.  I'll remove the registry feature though to maintain the idea of self contained and nothing left behind.

John Z

[frankie]

It seems also that the files of the first 'optional' section are installed even if not selected.

[Pelle]

I will have a look some day...