Software Deployment

I was until recently of the opinion that the 'Fonts' table route was sufficient. Not so. I had to resort to a scripted install for 2 TrueType and 2 Type 1 fonts (the PFMs). Here's the script. Note that much of the error-trapping has been removed to make it more readable here:Option Explicit

Dim objFSO
Dim objShell
Dim objShellApp
Dim objFontsFolder
Dim strWindowsFolder
Dim strTempFolder
Dim strFiles
Dim strFileName
Dim strFile
Dim arrFiles
Dim intIndex

Const intSpecialFolderFonts = &H14&
Const intNoProgressDialog = 4
Const intNoUIOnError = 1024

'// Apparently, using the special folder FONTS is the only programmatic way of guaranteeing that fonts are fully "installed".
'// Simply copying them to the Windows\Fonts folder is no good.

Set objShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
Set objShellApp = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
Set objFontsFolder = objShellApp.Namespace(intSpecialFolderFonts)
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

strWindowsFolder = objShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%SystemRoot%")
strTempFolder = strWindowsFolder & "\TEMP"
strTempFolder = objShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%TEMP%")

strFiles = ""
strFiles = strFiles & "MI______.PFM,"
strFiles = strFiles & "Micr013n.ttf,"
strFiles = strFiles & "OCRB10N.PFM,"
strFiles = strFiles & "ocrb10n2.TTF"

arrFiles = Split(strFiles, ",")

For intIndex = 0 To UBound(arrFiles)
strFileName = arrFiles(intIndex)
strFile = strWindowsFolder & "\FONTS\" & strFileName

If Not objFSO.FileExists(strFile) Then
objFontsFolder.CopyHere strTempFolder & "\" & strFileName, intNoProgressDialog + intNoUIOnError
End If
Next

Set objFontsFolder = Nothing
Set objShellApp = Nothing
Set objShell = Nothing
Set objFSO = Nothing

Its easy, use the Font table in the MSI, for your example above you would do the following:

Component "Add Font"
Destination - [FontsFolder]
File - akbar.ttf

Direct Edit tables:
Font table
"File" - akbar.ttf
"Font Title" - Akbar Plain (TrueType)

Compile and install.

Done, no reboot required and the wonders of the MSI tables strikes again!

P

Have anyone made a package which installs a font and made the font usable without doing a reboot first

well you will still need a reboot anyway because the font will not work without the reboot

if this is as msi package then I guess you will need to REBOOT=ReallySuppress
and then get your users to reboot their pc's when they are ready to do so

Its easy, use the Font table in the MSI, for your example above you would do the following:

Component "Add Font"
Destination - [FontsFolder]
File - akbar.ttf

Direct Edit tables:
Font table
"File" - akbar.ttf
"Font Title" - Akbar Plain (TrueType)

Compile and install.

Done, no reboot required and the wonders of the MSI tables strikes again!

This do not work. Thefont are not usuable before rebooting the computer

Im adding the font though the installation expert view- file table.
After adding the the file im switching to the setup editor view and changing the font table as you desribed. If you are doing it like this the fonts get registred but are not usuable before reboot. Pllease tell me if im doing something wrong

Thx for both help

I got it finally to work by using the method to Inabus. It did not work the first time i tried though:-)
All fonts had the xtension *.TTF
But what are you saying VBSCAB are you saying that the method to inabus do not always work for all fonts?

Anyway im giving 1 in rating to both of your posts
Thx for the help to both of you

are you saying that the method to inabus do not always work for all fonts? Up until last month, when I picked up a package from a colleague which installed a MICR TrueType font (used in cheque-printing), I hadn't ever thought twice about fonts. Stick 'em in the Fonts table, forget 'em. The 2 TT fonts for this package (CheckPrint v4.91, for the curious) would NOT be recognised by Windows when delivered by th epackage. Irritatingly, dragging-and-dropping the fonts worked every time.

In these situations, pragmatism (and client deadlines) looms large so the script was created. I'll keep it in my armoury in case I come across the situation again.