Web deployments are just a 'click' away

Please let us know how useful you find this tip by rating it below. Do you have a useful Windows tip, timesaver or workaround to share? Submit it to our tip contest and you could win a prize!

I needed a way to get my applications out to remote users (using SSL VPN) who wanted simplicity. The users wanted to go to a Web site and install all of the necessary software with one click and then run that application from wherever they happened to be. Although at first this seemed like a huge problem, HexaTech (www.hexatech.com) helped me tremendously.

The five basic steps of using this tool are as follows:

1. Create your package to do everything you want it to.
2. Setup your Web site or create a new virtual folder on your current site (you must be able to see this site from an external computer).
3. Put your EXE in the folder you created.
4. Fill out the form at HexaTech including your domain name.
5. Include the new code base in your Web page and, voila, you have finished the hard stuff.

You can upgrade, install or write to the target registry using jscript or vbscript. This tool also allows you to "pack" or compress multiple files into a single package. In my case I just put the EXE that I had created with installer on the Web server and added code to the html.

You can download and test this tool yourself for free at: http://hexatech.com/on_the_fly_install/sample1.htm. This will install a small bouncing ball application on you computer and will also allow you to uninstall it.

The following is a sample of the code that installs. When you buy it you will have it signed, and then you must point to your Web server where the cab file is held.

<OBJECT ID="Install"
CLASSID="CLSID:205FF73B-CA67-11D5-99DD-444553540000" 
CODEBASE="http://www.hexatech.com/on_the_fly_install/Install.cab">
</OBJECT>

This is what will install the application--don't worry as plenty of samples are given when you download.

function InstallApp()
if ( Install.Install()==0 )
{ 
Install.Action("RemoveFile", strAppDir + "\ \Install.log", "");

Install.Action("ExecFile", strAppDir + "\ \" + strSetupFile, ""); 
setTimeout("wakeUp()", 1000); 
}

If you are interested you can also view the following samples. The cost is really low for what you get, as this tool alone saved me more that 80 hours of work.
* http://hexatech.com/on_the_fly_install/sample2.htm
* http://hexatech.com/on_the_fly_install/sample3.htm
* http://hexatech.com/on_the_fly_install/sample4.htm

Ntoe that you can also deploy MSI packages with this tool.