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Distance Developers Guide

How to release a minor version of Distance for Windows

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Introduction

This section describes the process of making a setup package (or installer) for a new minor version of Distance (e.g. moving from 6.2 to 6.3) using the Wise InstallBuilder.

In what follows:

Prepare components

Prepare non-code components

Check database:

Update authors and sponsors:

Update known and resolved problems:

Create ReadMe:

Copy Distance icon:

Create splash screen:

Update user’s guide:

Build HTML Help and user guide:

Prepare code components

Build Fortran components:

Build R components:

Build Visual Basic components:

Private Const mstrDISTANCE_LOCAL_APP_FOLDER2 = "Distance 6.2"


Select Case strProjectVersion
    Case "6.2"
        'Nothing to do - that's the current version
    Case "6.1", "6.0"
    ....


'Set to true if this is a beta release
Global Const gblnIS_BETA = False * Update %BASE%\Database Engine\D6DbEng.vbp meta-data   - Major and minor version numbers. These are accessed in-code (in %BASE%\Database Engine\Classes\ProjectDatabase.cls) and determine the version of new Distance project (.dst) files. If you don't up these then Distance will pop up an Upgrade Distance OLDM.OLDN Project File dialog when you try and create a new project * Rebuild D6DBEng.vbp - see [Build single Visual Basic project](./BuildVisualBasid.html#build-single-visual-basic-project) * Update %BASE%\Interface\Distance.vbp meta-data:   - Major and minor version numbers. These are accessed in-code (in %BASE%\Interface\Project.cls) and are passed on to new projects   - Application, Title - update the version name and number   - Company Name - update the name if required   - File Description - update the version name and number   - Legal Copyright - update the current year   - Product Name - update the version name and number   - See [Update binary (dll, ocx, exe) meta-data](./BuildVisualBasic.html#update-binary-dll-ocx-exe-meta-data)   - Rebuild Distance.vbp - see [Build single Visual Basic project](./BuildVisualBasid.html#build-single-visual-basic-project)   - [View binary (dll, ocx, exe) meta-data](./BuildVisualBasic.html#view-binary-dll-ocx-exe-meta-data)) for Distance.exe * Update meta-data of all other projects:   - Optional   - [Build all Visual Basic projects](./BuildVisualBasic.html#build-all-visual-basic-projects)

Check Distance (optional)

Prepare projects

Update template and sample projects:

Build Wise installer

Set Variable APPTITLE to Distance 6.2
Create Shortcut from %MAINDIR%\Distance.exe to %GROUP%\Distance 6.2.lnk
Create Shortcut from %MAINDIR%\ReadMe.rtf to %GROUP%\Distance 6.2 ReadMe.lnk
Create Shortcut from %MAINDIR%\Help\distance.chm to %GROUP%\Distance 6.2 Help.lnk
Create Shortcut from %MAINDIR%\Help\distance.pdf to %GROUP%\Distance 6.2 User Guide.lnk
Add Icon "Distance 6.2 Users Guide" to Program Manager Group "%GROUP%"

Check setup package

Important! Do not check the setup package on the machine you are using for development. This results in the Distance executable and support components being in two places on the computer, which may get confusing! Test it on a vanilla machine (see below) upon which Distance has not been installed to more accurately mimic a new user’s experience.

Check the setup package using a VMWare virtual machine:

Check install:

Check Start Menu:

Check Distance M.N:

Check Distance M.N and R:

install.packages("dsm")  
packageVersion("dsm")
install.packages("mrds")
packageVersion("mrds")

Check installation folder:

Archive release

All the releases of Distance are stored in %BASE%Extras\Releases.

Archive a release: