INFO: Redistributing DAO Components with DAO Apps

• Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Edition, version 4.0

SUMMARY

This article provides information regarding the redistribution of the DAO components with your DAO-enabled application that was developed using Visual C++ 4.0. The information in this article supersedes all documentation found on or installed from the Visual C++ 4.0 CD-ROM.

This article addresses three major topics:

• The setup script located in Msdev\Redist\Dao
• Errors in the DAO SDK documentation regarding DAO setup
• The Microsoft Jet IISAM files

MORE INFORMATION

The Setup Script Located in Msdev\Redist\Dao

The setup script located in Msdev\Redist\Dao is the script that is used by Visual C++ to install the core DAO components, is also the setup script that is recommended for redistribution. However, there are certain limitations to this setup script that may make it unusable for redistribution with your DAO enabled application.

• The setup script won't work across multiple floppy disks, which may mean you won't be able to redistribute on 1.44 Megabyte floppy disks. If you attempt to use multiple disks, you will receive this error:

        General file transfer error. Please check your target location
        and try again.
  

        Error Number:-2
  

  The script is not designed to look for the files it requires to be located on multiple disks.

  If you are redistributing on 1.44 Megabyte floppy disks, one way to work around this issue is to have your setup script copy all setup files to a temporary directory on the target drive and run the provided setup script from that location. Then delete the temporary directory when setup is complete.

• If you use the setup script as instructed in the Readme.wri file, the script won't install the IISAM files that Microsoft Jet requires to work with database file formats such as Paradox, Microsoft Excel, Xbase, or text files. However, the IISAM file required to work with Microsoft Access 2.0/1.x database (.mdb) files is installed.
• For more information on modifying the InstallShield setup script to work around this problem, please refer to the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

        ARTICLE_ID: Q151426
        TITLE     : How to Create a DAO Setup That Installs Jet IISAM Files
  
     Alternatively, to work around this issue, have your setup script copy
     any required IISAM files to the appropriate system directory and
     register them per the instructions in the Daosdk\Setup\Daosetup.rtf file
     (section 3.4  'Register the DLLs'). It is not sufficient to copy the
     IISAMs without  registering them. These IISAM files are available in
     Msdev\Redist:
  
     IISAM File        Database File Format
     --------------------------------------
     MSPX3032.DLL      Paradox
     MSRD2x32.DLL      Microsoft Access 2.0
     MSTX3032.DLL      Text
     MSXB3032.DLL      XBase
     MSXL3032.DLL      Microsoft Excel
  
  
  

Errors in the DAO SDK Documentation Regarding DAO Setup

The Daosdk.hlp file's "Installing DAO on another machine" section contains several errors:

• The NOSDK setup script does not function as the documentation indicates.

  NOTE: This version of setup is identical to the one in Msdev\Redist\Dao -- see the previous section for details.

• The DAOMIN setup script will install the DAO components with no IISAM files as stated in the documentation. However, if the Microsoft Access 2.0/1.x IISAM file is not already present on the target computer, a message box is displayed stating:

        MSRD2X32.DLL not found.
  

  After this dialog box is dismissed, setup runs to a successful completion.

The Microsoft Jet IISAM Files

The IISAM files that are installed by the DAO SDK setup scripts that do install IISAM files differ in size from those located in Msdev\Redist. The IISAM files located in Msdev\Redist are those installed by the ODBC setup script and are the only IISAM files that you are authorized to redistribute.

Comparing the DAO SDK installed IISAM files with the redistributable IISAM files reveals that the versions are identical but with the exception of the Microsoft Access 2.0 IISAM Msrd2x32.dll, the SDK IISAM files are larger in size and have an earlier timestamp. This is because the IISAM files installed by the DAO SDK were included in the SDK prior to the removal of extra version information from the DLLs.

When redistributing your DAO application, use the IISAM files from Msdev\Redist.

Additional information will be added to this article as it becomes available.

For Visual C++ 4.2 Users

Visual C++ 4.2 includes the new InstallShield Express, and no longer installs the InstallShield SDK directly. Instead, you will need to install the InstallShield SDK from either the Visual C++ 4.0 or 4.1 CD-ROM. Then follow the instructions in \ISHIELD\SDK\README.TXT to update the SDK with the latest files.

COMPILE.EXE, used to re-compile the DAOMIN.RUL file, is not shipped on the Visual C++ 4.2 CD-ROM and can only be installed from the InstallShield SDK found on either Visual C++ 4.0 or Visual C++ 4.1.

REFERENCES

Please note that this article supersedes all documentation on the Visual C++ 4.0 CD-ROM including, but not limited to:

• Msdev\Redist\Dao\Readme.wri (located on the Visual C++ 4.0 CD-ROM only)
• Daosdk\Daosdk.hlp (available only after installing the DAO SDK)
• Daosdk\Setup\Daosetup.rtf (available only after installing the DAO SDK)