Distributable format

[CAsba]

Hi,
Up to now, I have been planning on distributing my standalone, along with the Externals folder and other file, on a USB. But I am curious to know, is there a facility within LC to distribute a standalone with an installation package with which the user installs it to his hard disk?

[Klaus]

Hi CAsba,

there is no function like this in LC for desktop apps.
However your users can simply copy the complete folder to their HD and then just start the app/exe inside of it.

Best

Klaus

[CAsba]

Thanks Klaus, I thought that was the only option, but glad to get it confirmed.

[richmond62]

As ALL LC standalones come as a single file, there is no need for an installer.

HOWEVER; if you are distributing standalones for Linux, the end-user has to set the executable bit, otherwise the standalone will NOT run on their machine.

[CAsba]

Thanks for that.

[Klaus]

As ALL LC standalones come as a single file, there is no need for an installer.

This is only true for Mac applications!
On Windows you will end with a separate EXE plus one or more folders and maybe an external!

[richmond62]

It is also true on Linux.

AND my Devawriter Pro for Windows 'comes out of the closet' as a single file.

[Klaus]

Just made a quick tes "w_test"t, see pic.
The folder "Externals" is empty however, since I just created a naked stack and saved it as standalone.

At least there is no "revsecurity.dll" in the same folder as the EXE anymore, as it used to be in eralier times.

[PaulDaMacMan]

As ALL LC standalones come as a single file, there is no need for an installer.

This is only true for Mac applications!
On Windows you will end with a separate EXE plus one or more folders and maybe an external!

That's not even technically true for macOS because your .app is actually a bundle, which is in reality a folder, with subfolders for resources and the like, it's just that the macOS Finder normally displays it as if it were a single file.

[Klaus]

Yes, Paul, we know!

[stam]

As ALL LC standalones come as a single file, there is no need for an installer.

This is only true for Mac applications!
On Windows you will end with a separate EXE plus one or more folders and maybe an external!

I recently released a very small app without any externals for use in my department (a Windows environment).
I was surprised an 'Externals' folder was created as well as I hadn't included any.
Bizarrely it automatically included the TSNet external which I had no need of and didn't use.
After manually removing all externals and rebuilding it still created an Externals folder, but this was empty - however the app worked happily without it and I was able to distribute the app as a single executable file - a rare joy on Windows

So if you don't use any externals make sure none are ticked by default and you can build a clean app on windows.
However if you do use externals or other files, it will generate other folders that will be in the same folder as the app (on Windows).

EDIT:
I don't know enough to comment but noticed a windows 10 APPXBUNDLE format - does anyone know if this can be used in a a similar fashion to MacOS app bundles?

[richmond62]

Funnily enough I have always wondered what that 'externals' folder with Windows standalones is for, as every time I have hived off a Windows standalone it has been empty.

[richmond62]

I don't know enough to comment but noticed a windows 10 APPXBUNDLE format - does anyone know if this can be used in a a similar fashion to MacOS app bundles?

Nothing that a 20 second web-search doesn't answer:

https://www.howtogeek.com/285410/how-to ... indows-10/

[stam]

I don't know enough to comment but noticed a windows 10 APPXBUNDLE format - does anyone know if this can be used in a a similar fashion to MacOS app bundles?

Nothing that a 20 second web-search doesn't answer:

https://www.howtogeek.com/285410/how-to ... indows-10/

Yeah - thanks... I saw similar links (hence my question) - but am still not clear if this is equivalent to MacOS app bundles...
For one thing you have to 'enable sideloading'. You have to go through a convoluted process to create and install. The whole thing seems weird.

If this is the direction of travel for WinOS then perhaps LC will be produce win bundle apps?
If not, would be good to understand what is needed to build these because having read a number of articles I'm still not clear on if it's possible and how to create a bundle out of an LC standalone...