Deploying A++ ZIP

This section describes techniques for deploying A++ ZIP on a large number of workstations with minimal or no user interaction.

Normally A++ ZIP saves all its options in the registry. If you need to deploy A++ ZIP with setting different from the default ones (registration information, excluded e-mail addresses, etc), the settings can be saved to a regular INI file.

During installation, A++ ZIP looks for a file named install.ini in the same directory as the install.exe, reads it, and saves its contents to the registry.

Below is an example of such install.ini file:

[Install]
Dir=
Silent=0

[Options]
Registration\UserName=
Registration\RegID=
Install\ReadOnly=0
Install\InstallDate=2/21/00
Install\InstallTime=13:03
Compression\Enabled=1
Compression\PromptCompress=0
Compression\CreateSFX=0
Compression\SkipFiles=*.ZIP,*.ARJ,*.Z,*.TAR,*.TGZ,*.Z,*.ZOO,*.ARC,*.LZH,*.CAB
Compression\SkipRecipients=
Compression\OnlySendTo=
Compression\SkipAddressTypes=FAX,MSFAX,MSA,SNADS,TELEX,X500
Compression\UseSkipRecipients=1
Compression\UseOnlySendTo=0
Compression\UseSkipAddressTypes=1
Compression\CompressionLevel=9
Compression\MinCompression=5
Compression\MinFileSize=1
Compression\MakeSingleZIP=1
Compression\DefaultZIPName=attachments.zip
Compression\UsePassword=0
Compression\Password=
Compression\PromptZipName=0
Decompression\Enabled=1
Decompression\SkipWithPath=1
Decompression\SkipWithPassword=1
Decompression\Password=
Decompression\PromptForPassword=1
Decompression\RestorePath=1

You can either edit this file manually (and put it in the same directory as install.exe), or create this file from an existing installation of A++ ZIP after tweaking all the parameters.

To save current A++ ZIP settings as an INI file, go to Tools | Options menu, and select Compress tab. Right click anywhere inside the tab; select Save... menu item:

Note: you cannot type in plain text neither compression nor decompression password in the INI file: it is always stored in a encrypted form. To have the passwords stored in an INI file, use the procedure outlined above.

When deploying A++ ZIP in large numbers make sure you provide registration information (UserName and RegID above). If they are valid, Register button on the Compress tab is not visible. A++ ZIP is fully functional without any time limitations even if it is not registered, but it will display a registration reminder every once in a while when you send or receive an e-mail with attachments. 

You can load A++ ZIP settings from an INI file by clicking on an Open... menu item.

When using install.ini for A++ ZIP deployment, there is an additional section not created by saving the settings from the Options dialog:

[Install]
Dir=
Silent=0

By default, A++ ZIP is installed into a C:\Program Files\A++ZIP directory (it can be changed by a user during the actual installation). To specify a different directory, use Dir value above. Do not use quotes (") in the name of the directory even if it contains spaces.

If Silent=1, A++ ZIP is installed silently, and a user is presented with a dialog box informing him/her about the success or failure of the installation. That dialog box is automatically dismissed after 5 seconds. This makes it possible to run A++ ZIP install as a part of a logon script

As common for installation applications, keep in mind that during an installation a user needs write access to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry hive (NT only security limitation) - A++ ZIP needs to update Outlook specific registry keys. When A++ ZIP is running under Outlook, a user does not need any specific access rights: if Outlook runs, so will A++ ZIP. A++ ZIP settings are saved under both HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (if possible) and HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry hives under Software\A++ZIP path.

Automatically updating A++ ZIP settings

To automatically update A++ ZIP settings, place an install.ini file in the same directory as azipext.dll. On start-up, A++ ZIP will check lnstall\InstallDate and Install\InstallTime values in the ini file ([Options] section) and update its registry settings if the date and time specified in the ini file are more recent than the values set during a previous install. You do not need to enter these values manually as they are automatically set to the current date and time when you save the master INI file from the "Compress" tab of the "Options" dialog box.

If you do manually edit these settings make sure you type them in the same format as they appear in an INI file saved from your installation of A++ ZIP: the settings are locale specific. The values given above are for US English Windows version (month/day/year and hour:minutes). If you use any other localized version of MS Windows, they might (and probably will) be different.

Deploying A++ ZIP with settings in a read-only mode

To deploy A++ ZIP in a read-only settings mode, set the value of Install\ReadOnly to 1 (see sample install.ini above). This way a user will not be able to change any settings through the Tools | Options dialog box.