Software Deployment

Why don't you use the IniFile table for this?

The IniFile table is probably the best way to go, but in case you have a reason why you can't use it, here is a VBScript that I use for reading and writing INI files. I have not used this inside a MSI, so you may have to modify it to work inside a MSI (for example comment out any WScript.Echo lines, and change any WScript.CreateObject lines to just CreateObject).

ReadINI and WriteINI are function/subroutines that are designed to be called by some other part of the script.

The Revision History was in nice neat columns in my original file, spaced out by tabs, but this forum seems to have made a mess of it.

--- start script ---
'http://cwashington.netreach.net/depo/view.asp?Index=553&ScriptType=vbscript
'Author: Nolan Bagadiogn
'Description:
'This is based on Antione Jean-Luc's 1998 script, but now uses Regular Expressions to find sections and keys.
'Benefits:
' no longer case sensitive;
' not white space sensitive;
' adds two more functions:
' - Can return array of sections in file.
' - Can return array of keys under a section in a file.
'===================
' Revision History
' 1.0 27 Jul 2001 NB Original version from website post
' 1.1 12 May 2006 PJW Merged recommended changes from other posts and
' add some other changes to make the script work
' better.
' 1.2 30 Aug 2006 PJW Commented out the msgbox line in the WRITEINI
' Sub, as it would prevent the script from running
' autonomously (i.e. without user intervention).
' 1.3 06 Sep 2006 PJW Was getting error "Unexpected quantifier" when
' run with VBScript 5.1. Changed
' reSection(Any).Pattern = "^\s*\[(.*?)\]\s*"
' to
' reSection(Any).Pattern = "^\s*\[.+\]\s*"
' 1.4 23 Mar 2007 PJW WriteIni is creating temp_ini.ini, making the modifications in it,
' deleting the original *.ini, and then renaming temp_ini.ini to the
' filename of the original *.ini. Using this method loses any specific
' permissions (not inherited) that were on the original *.ini.
' Changed script so that the original *.ini is repopulated with the
' new settings and temp_ini.ini is deleted instead. This maintains the
' permissions on the original *.ini.
' There was a mistake in reSection(Any).Pattern, causing it to not remember matches.
' It was instead returning "$1" for every match.Value. Changed
' reSection(Any).Pattern = "^\s*\[.+\]\s*"
' to
' reSection(Any).Pattern = "^\s*\[(.+)\]"
' Note: also removed the trailing whitespace (\s*) as this was just confusing matters.
' Found that when the trailing whitespace (\s*) was in the .Pattern,
' tempSection=tempSection & reSection.Replace(line, "$1") & ","
' would return more that the section name if there was characters after the closing ]
' For example, if the line with the section name was
' [Section Name];
' it would return "Section Name;"
' Changed this to use
' For Each objMatch in colMatches...
' instead. This returned [Section Name], so had to trim [ and ] off.
'

'START FUNCTIONS AND SUBS HERE
'===================
'
' VBScript Source File -- Created with SAPIEN Technologies PrimalSCRIPT(TM)
'
' NAME: VBScript ReadINI/WriteINI
'
' AUTHOR: Bagadiong, Nolan
' DATE : 7/27/2001
'
' COMMENT: Uses Regular Expressions to find keys and values; no longer case
' or space sensitive
'
' If you pass READINI(file, section, key), function returns scalar of the value
' assigned to key
'
' If you pass READINI(file,"section", ""), function returns array of all keys
' under "section"
'
' If you pass READINI(file,"",""), function returns array of sections in the
' file
'
'===================

'Usage
' READINI (file, section, item) returns value; otherwise returns ""
'
'
'Example:
' Filename = file.ini
' [Default]
' Groups=C:\Warehouse\GROUPS
'
' WScript.Echo ReadINI("file.ini","Default","Groups")
'
' or
'
' ReadVar = ReadINI("file.ini","Default","Groups")
' WScript.Echo ReadVar
'
' To read array of sections
' arrTest = ReadINI("msdfmap.ini","connect CustomerDatabase","Access")
' WScript.Echo arrTest
'
' To read array of keys
' arrTest = ReadINI("msdfmap.ini","connect CustomerDatabase","Access")
' For x=0 to UBound(arrTest)
' WScript.Echo arrTest(x)
' Next
'
Function ReadINI(file, section, key)
set FileSysObj = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
ReadIni=""
If FileSysObj.FileExists(file) then
Set ini = FileSysObj.OpenTextFile( file, 1, False)
' Return array of sections if section and keys are empty
if section="" then
set reSection =new RegExp
reSection.Global =True
reSection.IgnoreCase=True
'reSection.Pattern ="\[([a-zA-Z0-9 ]*)\]"
'reSection.Pattern ="\[([a-zA-Z0-9_]*)\]"
'reSection.Pattern = "\[(.*?)\]"
'reSection.Pattern = "^\s*\[.+\]\s*"
reSection.Pattern = "^\s*\[(.+)\]"
Do While ini.AtEndofStream =False
line = ini.ReadLine
if reSection.Test(line) then
'tempSection=tempSection & reSection.Replace(line, "$1") & ","
Set colMatches = reSection.Execute(line)
For Each objMatch in colMatches
strSection = objMatch.Value
strSection = Mid(strSection, InStr(strSection,"[") + 1) 'trim off everything before the leading [
strSection = Left(strSection, Len(strSection) - 1) 'trim off the trailing ]
tempSection=tempSection & strSection & ","
Next
end if
loop
ini.close
if tempSection & "" = "" then exit function
tempSection=left(tempSection, len(tempSection)-1)
ReadINI=split(tempSection,",")
set reSection=nothing
exit function
End If
' Return array of keys if keys are empty
If key="" then
set reSection =new RegExp
reSection.Global =True
reSection.IgnoreCase=True
reSection.Pattern ="^\s*\[\s*" & section & "\s*\]"
set reSectionAny =new RegExp
reSectionAny.Global =False
reSectionAny.IgnoreCase=True
reSectionAny.Pattern = "^\s*\[(.+)\]"
set reEmpty =new RegExp
reEmpty.global=true
reEmpty.IgnoreCase=True
reEmpty.Pattern ="^\s*$"
Do While ini.AtEndofStream =False
line = ini.ReadLine
if reSection.Test(line) then
line=ini.ReadLine
do while reSectionAny.Test(line) = False and ini.AtEndofStream = False
tempKeys = tempKeys & trim(left(line,instr(line,"=")-1)) & ","
line=ini.ReadLine
Do While reEmpty.Test(Line) and ini.AtEndofStream = False
Line=ini.ReadLine
Loop
loop
tempKeys=Left(tempKeys,(len(tempkeys)-1)) ' Remove last comma
ReadINI =split(tempKeys,",")
exit function
end if
loop
end if
'===================
' READINI Part for file, section, key
set reSection =new RegExp
reSection.Global =False
reSection.IgnoreCase=True
'reSection.Pattern ="\s*[\s*" & section & "\s*]"
reSection.Pattern ="^\s*\[\s*" & section & "\s*\]"
set reSectionAny =new RegExp
reSectionAny.Global =False
reSectionAny.IgnoreCase=True
reSectionAny.Pattern = "^\s*\[(.+)\]"
set reKey =new RegExp
reKey.Global =False
reKey.IgnoreCase=True
reKey.Pattern="^\s*" & key & "\s*=\s*"

Do While ini.AtEndofStream = False
line = ini.ReadLine
if reSection.Test(line) = True then
line=ini.ReadLine
do while reSectionAny.Test(line) = False and ini.AtEndofStream = False
if reKey.Test(line) then
ReadINI=trim(mid(line,instr(line,"=")+1))
exit do
end if
line=ini.ReadLine
Loop
exit do 'While ini.AtEndofStream = False
end if
loop
ini.Close
set reSection=nothing
set reKey =nothing
end if ' If FileSysObj
End Function
'==================
' WRITEINI ( file, section, item, value )
' file = path and name of ini file
' section = [Section] must be in brackets in the ini file
' item = the variable to read;
' value = the value to assign to the item.
'
Sub WriteIni( file, section, item, value )
Const ForReading = 1, ForWriting = 2, ForAppending = 8
Dim FileSysObj, read_ini, write_ini
Dim in_section, section_exists, item_exists, wrote, path, line
Dim reWSection, reItem
Dim fsoIniTemp, tsoIniOrig, tsoIniTemp, strIniContents

set FileSysObj = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
in_section = False
section_exists = False
item_exists = ( ReadIni( file, section, item ) <> "" )
wrote = False
path = Mid( file, 1, InStrRev( file, "\" ) )
Set read_ini = FileSysObj.OpenTextFile( file, 1, True, TristateFalse )
Set write_ini = FileSysObj.CreateTextFile( path & "temp_ini.ini", False )
set reWSection =new RegExp
reWSection.Global =False
reWSection.IgnoreCase=True
reWSection.Pattern ="^\s*\[\s*" & section & "\s*\]"
set reItem =new RegExp
reItem.Global =False
reItem.IgnoreCase=True
reItem.Pattern ="^\s*" & item & "\s*="
While read_ini.AtEndOfStream = False
line = read_ini.ReadLine
If wrote = False Then
If reWSection.Test(line) Then
section_exists = True
in_section = True
ElseIf InStr( line, "[" )> 0 Then
in_section = False
End If
End If
If in_section Then
If item_exists = False Then
write_ini.WriteLine line
write_ini.WriteLine item & "=" & value
wrote = True
in_section = False
'msgbox "Writing " & line
ElseIf reItem.Test(line) Then
write_ini.WriteLine item & "=" & value
wrote = True
in_section = False
Else
write_ini.WriteLine line
End If
Else
write_ini.WriteLine line
End If
Wend
If section_exists = False Then ' section doesn't exist
section=trim(section)
item =trim(item)
write_ini.WriteLine
write_ini.WriteLine "[" & section & "]"
write_ini.WriteLine item & "=" & value
End If
read_ini.Close
write_ini.Close
'FileSysObj.DeleteFile file
'FileSysObj.MoveFile path & "temp_ini.ini", file

Set fsoIniTemp = FileSysObj.GetFile(path & "temp_ini.ini")
If fsoIniTemp.Size > 0 Then
Set tsoIniOrig = FileSysObj.OpenTextFile(file, ForWriting)
Set tsoIniTemp = FileSysObj.OpenTextFile(fsoIniTemp.Path, ForReading)
strIniContents = tsoIniTemp.ReadAll
tsoIniOrig.Write strIniContents
tsoIniOrig.Close
tsoIniTemp.Close
Else
WScript.Echo file & " is empty. Please rectify."
End If
fsoIniTemp.Delete
set reWSection=nothing
set reItem=nothing
End Sub

If you *must* use script, I have a useful INI class (in VBS and WSC form), hacked by me from the original clsINI (from JSWare, IIRC) with the author's consent. I'm happy to share it with anyone who'd like it. PM me.

BTW, you'd only need to remove the 'WScript' directives from the script above if you use it as an embedded script. If you use it stored in the Binary table, it's fine as it is.