To provide your Nexacro-based application to the users who use Windows-powered PCs, the Nexacro execution environment must be established in their computers. This is just the same as other software products such as Microsoft Office. After you create an installation file by using the features in the menu [Deploy] in Nexacro Studio, you can deploy the file to users and guide them in the installation process.
Deploy to User
You can create archive files and installation files through the menu [Deploy] in Nexacro Studio. You can change the name of the file and the installation path. System settings serve as a factor for altering the series of steps from you creating and deploying an installation file to users installing your application.
Apply digital signature to created installation file and then deploy it
An installation file will be created without a digital signature if you equip the Nexacro setup engine file with information like an installation path and shortcut icon. If an installation file does not have a digital signature, the installation may not be allowed depending on execution environments.
1
Launch the Packing wizard by accessing the menu [Deploy > Packing(Archive&Update)] in Nexacro Studio.
2
In the Packing wizard, select operating systems and then choose the modules, sources and resources that will be deployed.
3
After the packing process is completed, launch the Build App wizard by clicking the Build App button.
4
Configure options through the Build App wizard. If you launch the Build App wizard for the first time in a certain project, a default value will be automatically given as an engine setup key. You can change this setup key value to a new one by clicking a key-shaped icon on the right side.
5
Include a digital signature in the produced installation file.
If an installation file is executed without a digital signature, the publisher of the app will be identified as an "Unknown Publisher".
An app may not be allowed to be installed depending on system environments if its publisher is unknown.
You can apply a digital signature by using a tool like SignTool.exe, which is distributed by Microsoft.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa387764(v=vs.85).aspx
6
Distribute the installation file to users.
Deploy installation file by retaining default digital signature
An installation file will maintain its default digital signature if you equip Nexacro setup engine files only with information like an installation path and shortcut icon, without applying a separate digital signature.
1
Launch the Packing wizard by accessing the menu [Deploy > Packing(Archive&Update)] in Nexacro Studio.
2
In the Packing Wizard, select an execution environment and select modules, sources, and resources to deploy. Check the NRE item according to the operating system.
3
After the packing process is completed, launch the Build App wizard by clicking the Build App button.
4
Configure options through the Build App wizard. If you launch the Build App wizard for the first time in a certain project, a default value will be automatically given as an engine setup key. You can change this setup key value to a new one by clicking a key-shaped icon on the right side.
5
Distribute the installation file to users. You must download both the installation file produced by the Build App wizard and the SetupResource.zip file to the same path.
ProjectResource.zip will be produced if you set the update type to "Update" or "Local" in the Packing wizard.
If you use a launcher service, you need to download the SetupResource.zip file to a designated directory by using the downloadresource method. In this case, you should proceed with the installation by referring to SetupResource.zip regardless of the path where an installation file is downloaded and executed.
If you retain the default digital signature, the below restrictions will be imposed on a distributed installation file and created files as the result of the installation.
- You cannot change the icon of the SetupRuntime.exe file.
- You cannot change the icon of the executable file nexacro.exe.
Deploy engines without modification
If Nexacro setup engine files are used as they are, you can deploy the files produced as the result of operating the Packing wizard.
1
Launch the Packing wizard by accessing the menu [Deploy > Packing(Archive&Update)] in Nexacro Studio.
2
In the Packing Wizard, select an execution environment and select modules, sources, and resources to deploy. Check the NRE item according to the operating system.
3
Distribute produced module, source and resource files through your deployment page, from which users can download those files for installation.
You can find the setup files in the SetupRuntime folder, which is located under the directory where Nexacro Studio is installed.
Update App when Launched
An app will be updated according to the settings of the start.json file, which is located in the path specified as a bootstrap URL, a configuration item set in the Build App wizard. An update will be installed only when the update is a higher version than the current one.
If you set the update type to “Local” in the Packing wizard, the app will not be updated when it is launched because the administrator of the app cannot deliver start.json to you
Tips on Deployment
Change bootstrap URL of shortcut
If you change the bootstrap URL set for a shortcut installed in your device, the shortcut may not function since the version of the installed app may differ from the deployed version. Therefore, it is not recommended to change the bootstrap URL at your discretion. Instead, if you deploy another app, it is recommended to create and distribute an installation file whose engine setup key and installation location are different.
Options for executing nexacro.exe
The below table presents the options for executing nexacro.exe.
The options presented here match the options of the system.execNexacro method.
Option | Description |
---|---|
-K | This specifies a string that represents the key of an app. |
-S | This specifies a path to a bootstrap. |
-C | This specifies the directory of components. |
-THR | This specifies the number of threads executed in the communications inside the engine or in other manages. Threads amount to three at least, ten at most and three by default. |
-SP | This specifies a path to a splash image. |
-SM | This specifies "none", which prevent a system message from appearing in a splash image. |
-LF | This specifies the coordinates of the left position of an app. |
-TP | This specifies the coordinates of the top position of an app. |
-WD | This specifies the width of an app in pixel. |
-HT | This specifies the height of an app in pixel. |
-LG | This specifies a path to a loading image. |
-TW | This specifies the maximum waiting time for the threads of the managers inside the engine. |
-OO | This specifies a Boolean value to determine whether to permit the execution of only one app if there are more than one app that have the same key. |
-V | This specifies global variables with the format "variable name:type=value variable name:type=value". Variables are separated by whitespaces. If you specify "Type" as "ev", the variable will be added to the Variables field in Environment. If you specify "Type" as "ec", the variable will be added to the Cookies field in Environment. If you do not specify "Type" or specifies it as "av", the variable will be added to the Variables field in the Application. |
-SIE | This specifies a Boolean value to determine whether to close an app with an error message opened if the error occurs while executing the app. |
-CT | This specifies the maximum waiting time for checking whether a network is connected. The check-up is conducted before the launch of the app. If a network is not detected in the waiting time, the app will be closed. |
-SCR | This specifies screen IDs used for the Layout Manager. |
-CC | This option is designed to deactivate the code caching of V8. If you specify "NO", the code caching will be unavailable. If you specify "AL" or nothing, the code caching will be available. |
-AU | This option determines whether the engine is updated when an app launches. If you specify "auto", the engine will be updated to the latest version. If you specify "manual", the engine will not be updated. |
-NC | This specifies the location and name of a config file in the local path. |
Deployment for each OS version
If you create installation files for each of 32-bit and 64-bit Windows versions, you can provide download information of all the files and then let users select among them. Otherwise, you can write a script designed to check OS versions first and then provide appropriate links.
<script type="text/javascript"> var SetupRuntimeName=""; function oninit() { var userAgent = navigator.userAgent; if(userAgent.indexOf("WOW64") != -1 || userAgent.indexOf("Win64") != -1) SetupRuntimeName="nexacroN_SetupRuntime_x64.exe"; else SetupRuntimeName="nexacroN_SetupRuntime_x32.exe"; document.getElementById("test").innerHTML = "<a href='"+SetupRuntimeName+"'>" +SetupRuntimeName+"</a>" } </script> <body onload="oninit()"> Download link -> <span id="test"></span> </body>
If a download page is accessed by a user whose OS is 32-bit, the page can notice the OS version and provide an appropriate link.
As the above script is written as an example, it can be adapted for actual operating systems.
The script may fail if OSes are changed.
Install App (User)
The process of installing the Nexacro engine will begin when users execute the installation file of your app. You can change the names of the installation folder and installed program in the deployment stage.
After the installation is completed, users will be asked whether to create shortcuts, depending on the settings you configured in the deployment stage. If the installation program is set to create shortcuts automatically, it will do so without asking.
Check NRE Log
You can adjust settings to leave a log in preparation for some cases like one where an app abruptly terminates in the development stage. A log can also be used to analyze the errors that occur in an app in the user environment. After deploying an app with the tracemode property of the project's Environment object set to "new" or "append", you should select either of the below two options.
Specify "-NC [configuration file]" as an execution option for nexacro.exe to create the config file.
Create the nexacro_config.xml file in the directory %USERAPP%\config\[Key].
[Key] refers to the -K option for executing nexacro.exe or the app title defined in the Build App stage.
Errors that occur before the launch of the log manager will not be left as a log. Therefore, such errors are displayed to users in the form of an alert when the app is launched.
The configuration file (nexacro_config.xml) is defined as below.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <nexacro-config os="windows"> <application file-logging="true" loglevel="debug" tracemode="new"/> <log filepath="%USERAPP%\Log\nre_log_test.log" filesize="408960" backupfilecount="5"/> </nexacro-config>