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=========================
niminst User's manual
=========================
:Author: Andreas Rumpf
:Version: |nimversion|
.. contents::
Introduction
============
niminst is a tool to generate an installer for a Nim program. Currently
it can create an installer for Windows
via `Inno Setup <http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php>`_ as well as
installation/deinstallation scripts for UNIX. Later versions will support
Linux' package management systems.
niminst works by reading a configuration file that contains all the
information that it needs to generate an installer for the different operating
systems.
Configuration file
==================
niminst uses the Nim `parsecfg <parsecfg.html>`_ module to parse the
configuration file. Here's an example of how the syntax looks like:
.. include:: mytest.cfg
:literal:
The value of a key-value pair can reference user-defined variables via
the `$variable` notation: They can be defined in the command line with the
`--var:name=value` switch. This is useful to not hard-coding the
program's version number into the configuration file, for instance.
It follows a description of each possible section and how it affects the
generated installers.
Project section
---------------
The project section gathers general information about your project. It must
contain the following key-value pairs:
==================== =======================================================
Key description
==================== =======================================================
`Name` the project's name; this needs to be a single word
`DisplayName` the project's long name; this can contain spaces. If
not specified, this is the same as `Name`.
`Version` the project's version
`OS` the OSes to generate C code for; for example:
`"windows;linux;macosx"`
`CPU` the CPUs to generate C code for; for example:
`"i386;amd64;powerpc"`
`Authors` the project's authors
`Description` the project's description
`App` the application's type: "Console" or "GUI". If
"Console", niminst generates a special batch file
for Windows to open up the command-line shell.
`License` the filename of the application's license
==================== =======================================================
`files` key
-------------
Many sections support the `files` key. Listed filenames
can be separated by semicolon or the `files` key can be repeated. Wildcards
in filenames are supported. If it is a directory name, all files in the
directory are used::
[Config]
Files: "configDir"
Files: "otherconfig/*.conf;otherconfig/*.cfg"
Config section
--------------
The `config` section currently only supports the `files` key. Listed files
will be installed into the OS's configuration directory.
Documentation section
---------------------
The `documentation` section supports the `files` key.
Listed files will be installed into the OS's native documentation directory
(which might be `$appdir/doc`).
There is a `start` key which determines whether the Windows installer
generates a link to e.g. the `index.html` of your documentation.
Other section
-------------
The `other` section currently only supports the `files` key.
Listed files will be installed into the application installation directory
(`$appdir`).
Lib section
-----------
The `lib` section currently only supports the `files` key.
Listed files will be installed into the OS's native library directory
(which might be `$appdir/lib`).
Windows section
---------------
The `windows` section supports the `files` key for Windows-specific files.
Listed files will be installed into the application installation directory
(`$appdir`).
Other possible options are:
==================== =======================================================
Key description
==================== =======================================================
`BinPath` paths to add to the Windows `%PATH%` environment
variable. Example: ``BinPath: r"bin;dist\mingw\bin"``
`InnoSetup` boolean flag whether an Inno Setup installer should be
generated for Windows. Example: `InnoSetup: "Yes"`
==================== =======================================================
UnixBin section
---------------
The `UnixBin` section currently only supports the `files` key.
Listed files will be installed into the OS's native bin directory
(e.g. `/usr/local/bin`). The exact location depends on the
installation path the user specifies when running the `install.sh` script.
Unix section
------------
Possible options are:
==================== =======================================================
Key description
==================== =======================================================
`InstallScript` boolean flag whether an installation shell script
should be generated. Example: `InstallScript: "Yes"`
`UninstallScript` boolean flag whether a de-installation shell script
should be generated.
Example: `UninstallScript: "Yes"`
==================== =======================================================
InnoSetup section
-----------------
Possible options are:
==================== =======================================================
Key description
==================== =======================================================
`path` Path to Inno Setup.
Example: ``path = r"c:\inno setup 5\iscc.exe"``
`flags` Flags to pass to Inno Setup.
Example: `flags = "/Q"`
==================== =======================================================
C_Compiler section
------------------
Possible options are:
==================== =======================================================
Key description
==================== =======================================================
`path` Path to the C compiler.
`flags` Flags to pass to the C Compiler.
Example: `flags = "-w"`
==================== =======================================================
Real-world example
==================
The installers for the Nim compiler itself are generated by niminst. Have a
look at its configuration file:
.. include:: ../compiler/installer.ini
:literal:
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