MAKEMSI quickly and reliably creates MSI files in a non-programmatic way\Tips and TricksUser Interface TipsProgress Bar - Move Bar

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Progress Bar - Move Bar

This code demonstrates how you can move the progress bar during a lengthy custom action. While it demonstrates VBSCRIPT, the same details apply to all custom action types.

Some facts (if you want to end at 100%):

• Its too complex to be worth it for most custom actions (which in any case tend to be relatively quick).

  Windows Installer has made this way too hard with the need to first add and then consume a "fuzzy" tick. A CA simply indicating percentage completion would have done a much better, easier and accurate job.

• Only a deferred CA can move the progress bar.

• An immediate CA needs to call ProgressTicksAdd() to tell Windows Installer the total number of ticks (units) that the deferred CA processing will consume.

• The amount of ticks consumed by the all deferred custom actions must match the total of all immediate custom actions defining them.

• The same number of ticks that work perfectly when the CA is sequenced in one location may not work at all when suquenced elsewhere, I'm convinced this is another Windows Installer bug.

• There is an art to picking the correct number of ticks, see the generic Windows Installer documentation for more information (although it basically doesn't help much). You might have to play a bit to get "reasonable" movement.

• Your deferred CA also needs to call ProgressTicksAdd(), in this case to define to "ProgressTicksUse()" how much is available.

• ProgressTicksUse() will not use any more ticks than its told are available, it will do nothing if required.

• At the end of your deferred processing it is recommended that you pass "-1" (means consume any left over ticks) to ProgressTicksUse().

EXAMPLE.MM

The following demonstrates the basics of moving the progress bar.

<$VbsCa Binary="TestProgressBar.vbs">
    ;--- Progress Bar Initialization ----------------------------------------
    <$VbCaProgressTickFunctions>

    <$VbsCaEntry "DoDeferredInstallation">
        ;--- Define (to this script) the maximum that ProgressTicksUse() can consume ---
        #define TICKS_DoDeferredInstallation   10000000
        ProgressTicksAdd <$TICKS_DoDeferredInstallation>

        ;--- Now do some installation stuff ---------------------------------
        dim i
        for i = 1 to 10
            ;--- Do something that takes some time... -----------------------
            MsgBox "Doing installation stuff #" & i, vbInformation, "DEBUG"

            ;--- Indicate we have done something (in this case 10% of the work) ---
            ProgressTicksUse 1000000
        next

        ;--- Use any left over ----------------------------------------------
        ProgressTicksUse -1
    <$/VbsCaEntry>

    <$VbsCaEntry "AddTicksToWindowsInstaller">
        ;--- Need an IMMEDIATE CA to add to total tick count ----------------
        ProgressTicksAdd <$TICKS_DoDeferredInstallation>
    <$/VbsCaEntry>
<$/VbsCa>
<$VbsCaSetup Binary="TestProgressBar.vbs" Entry="AddTicksToWindowsInstaller" Seq="CreateShortcuts-" Condition="<$CONDITION_INSTALL_ONLY>" TYPE="IMMEDIATE">
<$VbsCaSetup Binary="TestProgressBar.vbs" Entry="DoDeferredInstallation"     Seq="CreateShortcuts-" Condition="<$CONDITION_INSTALL_ONLY>">

ProgressTicks Code

The following shows the supporting code that needs to be included ASAP after the "VbsCa command.

#define  VERSION_VbCaProgressTickFunctions  06.232
#define? PROGRESSTICKS_DEBUG_MAX_MSGBOX     0          ;;Set to max number of dialogs you want to see (or click on!)
#define? PROGRESSTICKS_DEBUG_LOG            Y          ;;In Verbose and any "text" log
#(  '<?NewLine>'
    #define VbCaProgressTickFunctions

    ;--- Set up global variables reuired by Progress code --------------------
    dim   MaxMsgBoxes        : MaxMsgBoxes = <$PROGRESSTICKS_DEBUG_MAX_MSGBOX>
    dim   TotalProgressTicks : TotalProgressTicks = clng(0)
    <?NewLine><?NewLine>

    <?NewLine><?NewLine>
    ;=====================================================================
    function AddCommas(Numb)
    ;=====================================================================
        AddCommas = FormatNumber(Numb, 0, True, True)
    end function


    <?NewLine><?NewLine>
    ;=====================================================================
    sub TicksMsg(ByVal Msg)
    ;=====================================================================
        ;--- Output to verbose (and any "text") log -------------------------
        err.clear()
        #if ['<$PROGRESSTICKS_DEBUG_LOG>' <> 'N']
            CaDebug 0, "[\[]PROGRESS TICKS[\]]: " & Msg
        #endif

        ;--- Display message box --------------------------------------------
        if  MaxMsgBoxes <> 0 then
            MaxMsgBoxes = MaxMsgBoxes - 1
            MsgBox Msg, vbInformation, "PROGRESS BAR TICKS DIAGNOSTIC"
        end if
    end sub


    <?NewLine><?NewLine>
    ;=====================================================================
    function MsgRc(ByVal MsRc)
    ;=====================================================================
        dim T : T = ""
        if  err.number <> 0 then
            T = vbCRLF & "err.number = 0x" & hex(err.number) & " - " & err.description
        end if
        if  MsRc <> 1 then
            T = vbCRLF & "Session.Message RC = " & MsRc & " (expected 1)" & T
        end if
        if  T <> "" then
            T = vbCRLF & T
        end if
        MsgRc = T
    end function


    <?NewLine><?NewLine>
    ;=====================================================================
    sub ProgressTicksAdd(Ticks2Add)
    ;=====================================================================
        ;--- Immediate of deferred? -----------------------------------------
        on error resume next
        dim Msg
        if  session.mode(msiRunModeScheduled) then
            ;--- Deferred ---------------------------------------------------
            TotalProgressTicks = clng(TotalProgressTicks + Ticks2Add)
            #(
                TicksMsg "Setting tick limit only as this is a deferred Custom Action."
                         & vbCRLF & vbCRLF
                         & "Added " & AddCommas(Ticks2Add) & ", the new total is " & AddCommas(TotalProgressTicks)
            #)

            ;--- Don't want ActionData messages to change bar ---------------
            err.clear()
            set oRec = Installer.CreateRecord(3)
            oRec.IntegerData(1) = ActionInfo
            oRec.IntegerData(2) = 0
            oRec.IntegerData(3) = 0
            MsgRc = session.message(msiMessageTypeProgress, oRec)
            set oRec = Nothing
            Msg = MsgRc(MsgRc)
            TicksMsg "Preventing ActionInfo from moving bar." & Msg
        else
            ;--- Tell Windows Installer how many ticks the CA will use ------
            err.clear()
            dim oRec : set oRec = Installer.CreateRecord(3)
            oRec.IntegerData(1) = ProgressAddition
            oRec.IntegerData(2) = Ticks2Add
            oRec.IntegerData(3) = 0
            dim MsgRc : MsgRc = session.message(msiMessageTypeProgress, oRec)
            set oRec = Nothing
            Msg = MsgRc(MsgRc)
            TicksMsg "Added " & AddCommas(Ticks2Add) & " ticks to the Windows Installer progress bar as this is an immediate Custom Action." & Msg
        end if

        ;--- Make sure err.number is 0 --------------------------------------
        err.clear()
    end sub

    <?NewLine><?NewLine>
    ;=====================================================================
    sub ProgressTicksUse(ByVal Ticks2Consume)
    ;=====================================================================
        ;--- We can't consume more ticks than we have added -----------------
        on error resume next
        dim Msg
        dim UseTicks : UseTicks = Ticks2Consume
        if  UseTicks = -1 then
            ;--- Asked to use the rest --------------------------------------
            UseTicks = TotalProgressTicks
        elseif UseTicks > TotalProgressTicks then
            ;--- More than we have so just use what we have -----------------
            UseTicks = TotalProgressTicks
        end if

        ;--- Remember what we have left -------------------------------------
        dim T
        if  UseTicks < 1 then
            ;--- No ticks left ----------------------------------------------
            if  Ticks2Consume = -1 then
                T = "all remaining"
            else
                T = AddCommas(Ticks2Consume)
            end if
            TicksMsg "Asked to use " & T & " ticks, but none left"
            exit sub
        end if
        TotalProgressTicks = clng(TotalProgressTicks - UseTicks)


        ;--- Output to progress bar -----------------------------------------
        dim oRec : set oRec = Installer.CreateRecord(3)
        oRec.IntegerData(1) = ProgressReport
        oRec.IntegerData(2) = UseTicks
        oRec.IntegerData(3) = 0
        dim MsgRc : MsgRc = session.message(msiMessageTypeProgress, oRec)
        set oRec = Nothing
        Msg = MsgRc(MsgRc)
        T = "Used " & AddCommas(UseTicks) & " ticks"
        if  Ticks2Consume <> UseTicks then
            T = T & " (" & AddCommas(Ticks2Consume) & " requested)"
        end if
        T = T & ", total now " & AddCommas(TotalProgressTicks)
        TicksMsg T & Msg

        ;--- Make sure err.number is 0 --------------------------------------
        err.clear()
    end sub
#)

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