Building desktop installers in v1.1

[HankFay]

Hi Victor,

no, it is not. Your installer is similar to any other installer, installing the runtime and the application files. In Lianja, the user (typically) logs into the app center, and based on their security roles, has access to one or more apps. They start the app by clicking on the app icon. At that point, the lianja runtime is called, behind the scene, with the name of the app.

Running an app by running an EXE is only one way of running an app, even in VFP. Because of the nature of Lianja (meant for desktop and cloud), creating an app that runs as an EXE isn't practical, nor is it needed. Lianja installs the entire app (but only the .dbo, or compiled version, of the prg files). Even in VFP, it is common to put files outside the exe (e.g., report files that might be modified, or .fxp files, for routines that might need a hotfix). Because Lianja uses the .dbo files, a cloud server app can be upgraded on-the-fly.

In addition, of course, Lianja runtime runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. A Windows exe could not do this, for obvious reasons.

From the user's perspective, however, there is no difference between distributing an installer that has an exe and the VFP runtime inside it, and distributing an installer that has the app files and the app center inside it.

In both VFP and Lianja, having an installer makes it easier to distribute. In both, you can actually distribute the same files without an installer: it's just harder to do so, in both cases. Lianja also has the ability to pack as an .lpk, or Lianja Package. This is a good way to distribute upgrades.

hth,

Hank