Automated Installation of multiple programs

[MrYdremark]

Hi.

I'm thinking about creating some sort of automated installation script for multiple programs. Let's say I have 10 programs that has to be installed and configured.

My first plan was/is to create a GUI with options for each program. Like installation location,
language, and so on. This way, I can have a GUI with options for all 10 programs that you can configure before installation. Then you can just deploy the script and it would install the programs, without need of any user interaction.

I'm pretty new to AutoIt but have tried it out for a couple of days now and I don't see any problem in doing it this way.

The problem is that I don't want to manually add programs to the GUI and configuration options to the GUI. I would like a choice in the GUI like "Add program" which allows the user to choose a program (program.exe). Another script would then go through the installation wizard automatically and some how find all relevant input needed to install the program, add these options to the GUI with a connection to a newly created installation script for the new program which is being generated while the script goes through the wizard.

Something like this:

                Connections between GUI and Script
   ------<----------<-----------<---------<-----------<----------<-----------
  /                                                                                             
GUI --> Add Program Button --> RunThroughInstallation         
                                                         /                                        
   ------<---------<---------<--------<-----/              -------------> ProgramInstallerScript

            Adds options to GUI

Do you think this is possible? How would I approach this? I haven't seen any software that does this, have I missed something?

I'm not looking for someone who can do this for me. Just want to know if anyone think its possible and how they would do it. The hardest thing (at least I think) is to get everything together, and maybe the automated "RunThroughInstallation" script.

Thanks
/Anders

[JLogan3o13]

I created something similar for a company I was doing work for that had no automated means of software delivery, I'll see if I can dig that up so you can see how I went about it. IIRC, I used an ini file for both the application and the command line switches for it.

The problem I would see with you allowing users to add an application install is the install switches. As every application is going to have different args, the end user will need to know this and you will need to prompt them for the input. Also, if they select an application that does not support command line switches or silent installs, the application will fail because it won't be able to manipulate the GUI

[water]

The >Vollatran projekt might give you some good ideas.

[Chimaera]

This is one i altered for my own use and use every day

[benched42]

You could put an INI file on a network share that you control and others can read. Then use that INI file to generate the list of softwares available and have their associated installation command line parameters in the INI file as well. You would then be able to control the list of softwares that users could install and all changes in the list would be immediately available to all users. I have done something similar to this for printers in our enterprise locations that do not have servers.

You could even poll the installed programs on the client system and disable any list entries that are already installed on the client so that they could not re-install programs.

[GordonFreeman]

I created an application does time. See the signature. It's very simple. But does something like what you want

Edited April 2, 2014 by GordonFreeman