[Python-Dev] PEP 397 (Python launcher for Windows) reference implementation

[Vinay Sajip]

Michael Urman <murman <at> gmail.com> writes:

> You can certainly jump through all these hoops, but the pieces here
> are much more suited towards a component definition that can be shared
> among multiple products. If the component always installs to the same
> place, has the same GUID, and otherwise only changes by versions the
> exe, this is a completely safe correct use of one. Last I knew, msi.py
> allocates random GUIDs, so may or may not be suitable for generating
> this. If there is only rare need to update this exe, and msi.py has
> support for merge modules, that could be one approach.

I'm currently experimenting with a merge module approach: launcher_module.msm ->
launcher.msi, and x64 variants in separate .amd64.ms? files.

> My recommendation for distributing this: each .msi which wants to
> include it should have a component that includes the following. Note
> that each .exe (py, pyw) and each architecture (x86, x64) need their
> own component with their own static GUID.
>  * Defined unchanging GUID
>  * Defined target location (perhaps SystemFolder)

I'm doing that.

>  * msidbComponentAttributesSharedDllRefCount (cooperate with non-MSI
> installers), msidbComponentAttributesShared (keep highest version),
> and possibly msidbComponentAttributesPermanent flags set on the
> component

Thanks, that's interesting information. I'll read up about these. I'm a Windows
installer tyro :-)

>  * Versioned .exe (using a Windows version block)

I'm doing that, too.

>  * File association information

Currently I'm putting the file association information in the same component as
the files, since the registry values cross reference those files.

Regards,

Vinay Sajip