NOTE: The 12-step program given below has been automated via the new JPE Quickie tool. Use of JPE Quickie is now the preferred method of portablizing an application via JauntePE.
Here's the beginnings of what's being called the JauntePE 12-step program. It's meant to be a guide of sorts for helping you to "properly" configure an application for initial portable use via JauntePE. There's still some gaps to be filled, so don't be surprised if you try the steps on an app and it doesn't work.
One thing to point out now is that not every app requires this type of setup. But this is the most generic setup and shouldn't cause problems for those apps that don't require it. It will just make things slightly more complex if you're used to having all of an app's files in one directory. You can setup a JPEized app that way, you'll just have to learn how to do that on your own by reading the docs.
Here are the 12 steps:
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1. Create a portable directory for your app.
From here on "your app" will be referred to as %appname%.
So if your app is generally known as Snafu, then replace %appname% with Snafu everywhere within this document.
- Don't create the directory on the desktop or in Program Files or MyDocuments, etc.
- Use some place like "E:\Portables\%appname%". From here on this directory will be referred to as %launchdir%.
- Create a "JPE" sub-directory in %launchdir%.
- Copy JauntePE's distributed default jauntePE runtime dll file, found in the Runtime\jauntePE\def directory, to "JPE".
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2. It's best if you do a "portable install" of the app, but if you don't have an installer for the app, do the following:
- Create a "ProgramFiles" sub-directory in "JPE".
- Create a %appname% sub-directory in "ProgramFiles".
- Copy all of the app's files and sub-directories to this lowest-level sub-directory, i.e., copy to %launchdir%\JPE\ProgramFiles\%appname%.
- Skip to step 9.
- 3. Create a "Setup" sub-directory in %launchdir%.
- 4. Copy the installer for the app to %launchdir%\Setup.
- 5. Copy JauntePE's distributed JPEPortable.exe file, found in the Toolbox directory, into %launchdir%, naming it Setup.exe.
- 6. Copy JauntePE's distributed Normal2.ini file, found in the Toolbox\Configs directory, into %launchdir%, naming it Setup_jauntePE.ini.
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7. Text edit Setup_jauntePE.ini it as follows:
- Replace %APPPATH% in [Launch]Path with .\Setup
- Replace %appname% in [Launch]Path with the filename of the installer, e.g., SnafuSetup
- Replace %JRTPATH% in [Launch]JPERuntime with .\JPE
- Replace %APPNAME% in [Launch]JPERuntimeIni with Setup
- Save and exit.
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8. Run the installer for the app via the Setup.exe launcher in %launchdir%:
- Accept the settings per your requirements, but make sure that the app is to be installed in the typical "%ProgramFiles%\%appname%" location, where %ProgramFiles% is the full path to your standard "Program Files" directory.
- Don't have it run the app or do anything else after the installation has completed.
- 9. Copy JauntePE's distributed JPEPortable.exe file, found in the Toolbox directory, into %launchdir%, naming it %appname%.exe.
- 10. Copy JauntePE's distributed Normal2.ini file, found in the Toolbox\Configs directory, into %launchdir%, naming it %appname%_jauntePE.ini.
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11. Text edit %appname%_jauntePE.ini as follows:
- Replace %APPPATH% in [Launch]Path with .\JPE\ProgramFiles\%appname%
- Replace %JRTPATH% in [Launch]JPERuntime with .\JPE
- Replace %APPNAME% in [Launch]JPERuntimeIni with %appname%
- Save and exit.
- 12. Run the app via the %appname%.exe launcher in %launchdir%.
If all goes well, you could, if you wish, modify the %launchdir% directory's %appname%_jauntePE.ini file to be more specific to your app after running the app in discovery mode and then using its results to optimize the configuration ini.
You could also use JPE Builder to modify the %launchdir% directory's %appname%.exe launcher to apply the app's icon to it, embed the configuration ini into it, embed the portable registry into it, etc.
I like to keep the installer handy, just in case, but if it's no longer needed, you could also delete the %launchdir%\Setup directory and its contents, and the %launchdir% Setup.exe and Setup_jauntePE.ini files.