Fundamental questions regarding the portability of an application

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Fundamental questions regarding the portability of an application

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dropper

Thu 11 Aug 2011 - 14:51

Registered Member #39636

Joined: Tue 15 Feb 2011 - 23:47
Posts: 165

With great interest I've read through the article concerning the use of X-Regshot 1.8.2.

Adopted by comparing the two snapshots I found out, that the application (hereinafter shortly called as APP) has created some registry entries and folders in the user account.
Now I make an "X-App.zip" file, by which these registry entries and folders are not stored permanently on the local host computer. These steps I like to call as the first test phase.

My first question regards now testing the file "X-APP.zip". To this end, I uncompress the file "X-APP.zip", so that it's possible the file "X-App.exe" to run. However, before I run the file "X-App.exe", I must create a new snapshot with X-Regshot 1.8.2. Before the creation of this snapshot it is necessary, however, that I delete all registry entries and folders in the user account on the local host computer, which were produced in the first test phase. Is this assumption so far correct? Then finally I start the file "X-App.exe" and modify the program options in order to confirm the exact folders where they are being saved. Finally, I create a second snapshot and compare both snapshots again. I perform this procedure until there are no registry entries and folders in the user account on the local host computer. These steps I like to call as the second test phase.

Now I want analyze the maintenance of the settings in the transition from one drive to another. Is it again true that I create for this purpose once again two snapshots with X-Regshot 1.8.2? I create the first snapshot before the transition. Then I perform the transition and run the file "X-App.exe". Afterwards I create the second snapshot to determine any changes. Is also this assumption so far correct? Or how can I solve this problem, if my assumption isn't true? These steps I like to call as the third test phase.

Now I want analyze the support of relative paths and the problem not write absolute paths in configuration files. Is it right again, that I must create two snapshots? Or how can I solve this problem, if my assumption isn't true? These steps I like to call as the forth test phase.

[ Edited Thu 11 Aug 2011 - 15:02 ]

ZioZione

Thu 11 Aug 2011 - 15:46

Registered Member #74

Joined: Sun 21 Jan 2007 - 11:31
Location: Tradate (VA)
Posts: 3821

Hi dropper,
we see with a real pleasure that your interest about portable software grows so quickly

dropper wrote ...

With great interest I've read through the article concerning the use of X-Regshot 1.8.2.

Adopted by comparing the two snapshots I found out, that the application (hereinafter shortly called as APP) has created some registry entries and folders in the user account.
Now I make an "X-App.zip" file, by which these registry entries and folders are not stored permanently on the local host computer. These steps I like to call as the first test phase.

My first question regards now testing the file "X-APP.zip". To this end, I uncompress the file "X-APP.zip", so that it's possible the file "X-App.exe" to run. However, before I run the file "X-App.exe", I must create a new snapshot with X-Regshot 1.8.2. Before the creation of this snapshot it is necessary, however, that I delete all registry entries and folders in the user account on the local host computer, which were produced in the first test phase. Is this assumption so far correct? Then finally I start the file "X-App.exe" and modify the program options in order to confirm the exact folders where they are being saved. Finally, I create a second snapshot and compare both snapshots again. I perform this procedure until there are no registry entries and folders in the user account on the local host computer. These steps I like to call as the second test phase.

For both the first and the second test phase your assumptions are absolutely correct, although we try to converge more quickly to the solution. But, substantially, this is the "portabilization" phase tout-court.

dropper wrote ...

Now I want analyze the maintenance of the settings in the transition from one drive to another. Is it again true that I create for this purpose once again two snapshots with X-Regshot 1.8.2? I create the first snapshot before the transition. Then I perform the transition and run the file "X-App.exe". Afterwards I create the second snapshot to determine any changes. Is also this assumption so far correct? Or how can I solve this problem, if my assumption isn't true? These steps I like to call as the third test phase.

Is not necessary to use X-Regshot in this phase, because its main objective is simply to deal with registry keys and user folders/files wrote by your APP, and once you portabilize it, you will be sure that it does not leave traces on the host PC. In the third phase you test the "normalization" of your APP, i.e. if it is robust enough to work without errors when you change the pendrive letter from within it is executed. This is the case, for example, when your APP have the "Recent files" option; let's suppose that your APP saves its Recents into the registry or into the options file: in both cases, you need to normalize (i.e. change the drive letter) these paths at every execution of the program. This happens after you portabilized your APP (then your assumption of a third phase is correct) and could be necessary or not at all, strongly depending on your APP.

dropper wrote ...

Now I want analyze the support of relative paths and the problem not write absolute paths in configuration files. Is it right again, that I must create two snapshots? Or how can I solve this problem, if my assumption isn't true? These steps I like to call as the forth test phase.

Also in this phase X-Regshot is not necessary. I think that this could be taken back to the third phase. Further, if your APP supports relative paths (both in the registry and/or in the configuration files) you couldn't need to normalize it.
Best Regards
ZioZione

dropper

Thu 11 Aug 2011 - 16:23

Registered Member #39636

Joined: Tue 15 Feb 2011 - 23:47
Posts: 165

Thank you for your immediate response. Is planned to announce a new X-Launcher tutorial in english? Or can I use the old tutorial in english. Which script language do you use. Is it AutoIt?

[ Edited Thu 11 Aug 2011 - 16:24 ]

ZioZione

Thu 11 Aug 2011 - 16:39

Registered Member #74

Joined: Sun 21 Jan 2007 - 11:31
Location: Tradate (VA)
Posts: 3821

Hi dropper,

dropper wrote ...

Thank you for your immediate response. Is planned to announce a new X-Launcher tutorial in english? Or can I use the old tutorial in english.

you are welcome! At this moment we have few resources to perform this task, so you can surely refer to the old english tutorial, that is a good base from which starting.

dropper wrote ...

Which script language do you use. Is it AutoIt?

As you can see downloading the X-Launcher source code -Link-

, yes.
Best Regards
ZioZione

[ Edited Thu 11 Aug 2011 - 16:39 ]

dropper

Thu 11 Aug 2011 - 17:17

Registered Member #39636

Joined: Tue 15 Feb 2011 - 23:47
Posts: 165

I've detected an error in X-Notepad++. After I changed the language to "Deutsch", was again the next time the language english set up. I could change this only manually in the file "X-Notepad + +. ini". There, I performed in the [Environement] section the following changes:


Lang=deutsch

Language=de

[ Edited Thu 11 Aug 2011 - 17:19 ]

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