Often a mobile device application may require that other software be installed onto the device in addition to the actual application; for example a managed application requires the .NET Compact Framework and might also require SQL Server Everywhere Edition. Each piece of software is normally contained in a separate

5/23/2007 3:39:37 PM - hedgehogjim

CABfile meaning that the user will have to manually copy each CABfile to the device and install them separatly.

Rather then make the user install each

5/23/2007 3:39:37 PM - hedgehogjim

CABfile individually, it's preferable to package all of the unique CABfile into a single master CABfile and have the master CABfile handle the details of installing the other CABfile instances. Another consideration is that the application installation should only install a CABfile if the CAB file's software hasn't already been installed.

You can easily create a master

5/23/2007 3:39:37 PM - hedgehogjim

CABfile that contains multiple CAB files by simply using the Visual Studio 2005 Smart Device CAB project. This Smart Device CAB project acts as the master CABfile, so you just add all of the desired CAB files to the project. When the master CABfile is deployed to the device, it will automatically place each individual CABfile on the device.

To install each individual

5/23/2007 3:39:37 PM - hedgehogjim

CABfile requires 2 separate executables

1. A program that loops through the list of all of the CAB files and uses ShellExecute to install each one individually
2. A DLL that gets associated with the master CABfile. All CAB files can optionally have a DLL associated with them. The DLL must expose 4 entry points: Install_Init, Install_Exit, Uninstall_Init, and Uninstall_Exit. In this case the DLL associated with the master CABfile simply executes the above program from the Install_Exit entry point

Once the master

5/23/2007 3:39:37 PM - hedgehogjim

CABfile, Program and DLL are complete, the install process goes like this:

1. The master CABfile is copied to the device
2. The user initiates the CABFile install process by using the File Explorer (or similar) to navigate to and tap on the master CABfile.
3. The device installs the master CABfile just as any other CABFile by extracting the individual CAB Files and placing them on the device in the location specified in the Visual Studio Smart Device CAB project.
4. Once all of the individual CAB files are placed on the device, the DLL's Install_Exit entry point (a.k.a. function) is called
5. The Install_Exit function then launches the program
6. The program then loops through each CABfile and installs them

Note that the first 2 steps that the user manually performs can be automatically performed as part of a desktop MSI as discussed in

9/29/2006 10:31:50 AM - hedgehogjim

InstallApplication

Like pretty much anything else in programming, the best way to understand the multiple

5/23/2007 3:39:37 PM - hedgehogjim

CABfile install process is with a sample.

• Download Multiple CAB file Install Sample

If you would like information about how to install a

5/23/2007 3:39:37 PM - hedgehogjim

CABfile to a device from a desktop MSI file...

• Checkout the InstallApplication entry