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SSE Setup v3.x Update Guide
This page will give you all the info you need to understand v3.x and how it differs from previous versions and how you can make your existing projects work with it.
Important Intro
The first thing you need to know about version 3.x is that you do NOT work with it in the same way you did with versions 1.x or 2.x.
In earlier versions basically you would download SSE Setup, unzip it, copy the SSE Setup files to a folder, edit SSEset.dat, put your files in the folder and then when done, manually .ZIP the folder up using a ZIP program or whatever.
While this approach was fine, it put a lot of the burden on the user (i.e. you) to keep track of your projects, copy the files, etc.
What SSE Setup needed was a methodology to manage projects to make it easy to get started and easy to package them up.
SSE Setup v3.x is actually installed on your computer. When you download, you will be downloading a self-extracting EXE that when run will automatically extract all files and run Setup.exe which will actually install SSE Setup onto your computer.
Once installed you will find an SSE Setup entry on your Programs menu and you should also have a link on your desktop. The link on your desktop runs the SSE Setup Launchpad.
The Launchpad is the new centralized program for working with SSE Setup. All of your projects are managed in the Launchpad. You can create a new project, edit an existing project (which will just open up the project's folder and the associated SSEset.dat file in a built-in editor [can be changed]), or package up the project for distribution. The first mindset that you will have to break out of is the old way of doing things. Trust me on this: You WANT to use the Launchpad program.
You still will edit the SSEset.dat file in a similar way. By default, the Launchpad uses its own highly simplified built-in text editor which is more than sufficient, but you can still use Notepad or any other text editor if you prefer. Basically you will now be using the Launchpad program to actually manage your projects. It is what you will use to open existing projects, start new projects, and package up a project for distribution.
The second major change you need to be aware of is this: SSE Setup is now geared so that the ONLY files required for distribution with your program is Setup.exe and SSEset.dat. There is no separate SSEUninstaller.exe or VB6STKIT.DLL you need to worry about. The SSEUpgrader.exe and SSEupg.dat files are gone. As is the need for MSCOMCT2.OCX (previously used for ensuring animation support in v2.2-2.5). Just for reference, the uninstaller (SSEUninstaller.exe) is packed inside of Setup.exe and is extracted from Setup.exe when the user installs your program. And even better then all of this: the new Launchpad program manages the packing of your project for distribution. Getting from start to finish using SSE Setup has been GREATLY simplified! This is good. :)
Step 1: Organizing Your Existing Projects
Note: Before you do any of this, I recommend that you back up all your existing projects.
The first thing you will want to do is organize your already existing projects (or at least the ones you are going to want to modify for v3.x/work with in the future) in such a way that the Launchpad can work with them. Here's how this works:
All projects must be stored in a central projects folder. The default folder with v3.0 is the \Projects folder located where SSE Setup was installed (usually C:\Program Files\SSE Setup 3.0\Projects). You can change the folder to store the projects using the Settings option in the Launchpad program. If you want to change the folder, you should do it BEFORE you get started...
Regardless of what folder is your Projects folder, the way it works is as follows:
The first level of folders under the Projects folder are for individual program names. For instance I have a TextMorph program and a Simple Data Backup program so I have 2 subfolders in my Projects folder: "TextMorph" and "SimpleDataBackup". Then in each of these folders there is another layer of folders for each distinguising version. For instance in my TextMorph folder, I've got a folder named "10", "20", etc. representing v1.0 and v2.0 respectively. In each of these folders exist the actual files for each version's install.
Do you understand? In other words, what you're going to do is take all of your existing projects (or at least the ones you are going to work with in the future/want to work with v3.x) and make these folders and subfolders for each program under your Projects folder. Then copy all of the files for each version of your program and put them in these folders. When done, restart up the Launchpad program and it should find them.
Step 2: Deleting Old SSE Setup Files
Steps 2-6 you will do for each project you want to make v3.x compatible.
Once your projects are in the Launchpad, simply pick the Program name and version for the program install you want to modify and click "Open". This will open Explorer directly to the folder where that project is located.
The following SSE Setup files are no longer needed for SSE Setup to work with your project, so delete them if they exist in your project's folder: SSEUninstaller.exe, SSEUpgrader.exe, VB6STKIT.dll, MSCOMCT2.OCX. If you have an Upgrade Settings "SSEupg.dat" file, leave it there for right now...later on you'll remove in Step 4. Leave your Setup.exe for right now.
Step 3: Moving <MISCELLANEOUS> Settings
Open up the "SSEset.dat" file in your project's folder.
You will need to move certain settings out of the <MISCELLANEOUS> section and put them in a new section called <GUI> (and end the section with a </GUI>. The following settings are the ones you will need to move:
USELANGUAGE
Step 4: Upgrade Support
This section only applies if your project uses Upgrade support (i.e. it used SSEUpgrader.exe). The upgrade support for v3.x is handled from within the Setup.exe program and all settings are specified within the SSEset.dat file. SSEUpgrader.exe and SSEupg.dat are NOT used any more.
You need to remove the line that ran SSEUpgrader.exe from your <RUNPROGRAMS> section.
Next, open up your current SSEupg.dat file and copy everything between the <UPGRADE> and </UPGRADE> tags. Paste that in your SSEset.dat file in a new section called <UPGRADEFILES> (ended with </UPGRADEFILES>).
Now, go back to the SSEupg.dat file and copy everything between the <PROGRAMINFO> and </PROGRAMINFO> tags. Paste that in your SSEset.dat file at the end of the <PROGRAMINFO> section (right before the </PROGRAMINFO>) Now with what you just pasted, you need to change the following. Remove the CURRENTNAMEVERSION line. Change any OLDNAMEVERSION statements to be UPGRADETHIS instead. So instead of OLDNAMEVERSION:My Program 1.0 it will be UPGDRADETHIS:My Program 1.0. Change FILEVERIFY to UPGRADEFILEVERIFY.
Go back to the SSEupg.dat file. If in the <MISCELLANEOUS> section you have the AUTOREMOVEOLDVERSION setting set to 0, then go back to the SSEset.dat file and add the following line to the <PROGRAMINFO> section:
UPGRADELEAVEOLD:1
Okay, now you can go delete the SSEupg.dat file.
Now, there is only one last thing you need to do and that is actually "turn on" the upgrade support. You do this with a TYPE statement in the <PROGRAMINFO> section. There are 2 different upgrade related settings for the TYPE statement. One of them is UPGRADEONLY and the other is APPWITHUPGRADE. The UPGRADEONLY setting means that the whole installation package is ONLY an upgrade package. If none of the names/versions specified in the UPGRADETHIS statements can be found, then nothing is upgraded AND the program ends! The APPWITHUPGRADE setting means that IF a name/version specified in the UPGRADETHIS statements can be found it will be upgraded and if not, then regular install occurs just like a new installation.
For more info on all of this as well as some additional settings and options see the Patch & Upgrade part in the documentation/help file.
Step 5: Updating in the Launchpad
Once you have done all of the preceding steps, from within the Launchpad, select the project in question. You should see a "Update" link option appear below the "Open" button. Click it. Agree to the dialog to update the project's Setup.exe. In the future, this should be the only step required for any future updating from version to version (for instance v3.0 to 3.1)
Step 6: Conclusion
Your project is now v3.x compatible! Upon running Setup.exe you will notice that it by default uses a new wizard interface. If for some reason you want the OLD look, add the following line in the project's <GUI> section:
GUITYPE:classic
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