Deployment through .CAB files
Local
External
Signing
- Make the .pvk file and the .cer file,
using
makecert (see below for example)
- Make an .spc file using
cert2spc
- Sign the .cab file with signcode.
Visual Studio, how to have it generate a cab file automatically.
Note: I found the built in .cab creation to be too limited,
so I came up with this proceedure to automate it.
Current Method
- You need to modify the Properties of the project you want to have make the
.CAB file
- Bring up the projects properties on the project name
Solution Explorer | context menu (right click) | Properties | Build Events | Post-Build Event
- Add something like the following to make the .CAB file:
cd .\Release\
cabarc.exe n Name.cab $(ProjectDir)Name-debug.inf Name.dll "%SystemRoot%\system32\msvcr71.dll" Other.dll
- Replacing
Name with your ActiveX controls name, and replacing Other
with a list of other dll's that are needed to be in the cab file. Note that the
microsoft file is just an example you don't necissarily need it.
Old Method
- Add a new project to your solution choose Visual C++ Projects | Win32 Project
and set to be console and an empty project.
- Make one by hand to verify it all works (see: How to make one that works)
- Add the .inf file you made for the test above to the project using 'Add Existing Item' to the project
- Add a custom command to the .inf that runs the
cabarc.exe command you used for the test
- Make sure to set the target of the custom command to the output file.
- Done. That should do it.
How to make one that works
- Determine what COM object needs to be put into the CAB file
- Make a web page that includes the
OBJECT tag that loads and shows it locally. [See Example of OBJECT Tag ]
- Run
depends.exe to see what DLLs it needs.
- Note which ones you think the remote machine will need
- Create and INF file containing the COM DLL and other DLLs needed [See INF file Example ]
- Use
cabarc.exe to make a CAB file out of the INF and all the DLLs [See Example cabarc.exe command line ]
- Put the web page and the CAB file in the same place on a web server
- Goto the remote machine and load up the web page, allow it to install the ActiveX control
- If it does, then you are done [other than testing it on more remote machines]
- Determine what DLLs it needs on the remote machine. Copy the COM DLL to the remote machine and use
depends.exe on it to see what the missing DLL(s) are.
- Add the new DLLs to the INF file and CAB file and try again
Object Tag Example
INF file Example
Example cabarc.exe command line
Object tag, html
| Case | Example |
|---|
| Full URL | CODEBASE=http://www.this.com/controls/myControl.cab#version=... |
- version=0,0,0,0 = any version
- version=-1,-1,-1,-1 = if cab file is newer than last installation time, it re-installs it
.cab file info
- If a 'OSD' file is in the .cab file, it gets processed before the .inf file
Where is cabarc.exe
"c:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\Tools\Bin\CabArc.Exe" [link to that dir]
Debugging .CAB file deployment
From: Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 252937 "How To Find More Information About Why Code Download Failed"
Stand alone debugging
- Try to use the .CAB file to download the component(s)
- After it fails in Internet Explorer goto Tools | Internet Options | General | "Temporary Internet files" | Settings | View Files
- Sort alphabetically
- Near the top look for something like: ?CodeDownloadErrorLog!name={9485EC2E-75BD-490B-8D1C-278AB3F5E46E} [the GUID will be the value for the ActiveX control]
- open that file in an Internet Explorer window by openning one and dragging it into it.
- Close the View Files window and the Internet Options dialog
Code Download Error Log Viewer