INFO: Dependency Files and How Setup Wizard/PDW Use Them

ID: Q178354

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0

SUMMARY

A dependency (.DEP) file contains information about the run-time requirements of an application or component; it contains information regarding which files are needed, how the files are to be registered, and where they should be installed on the target computer. You can create dependency files for standard Visual Basic projects, ActiveX controls, ActiveX documents, and other ActiveX components.

When a component is used in another project, the dependency information for the component is incorporated into the project's dependency information. This dependency information is used by the Setup Wizard (known as the Package and Deployment Wizard or PDW in Visual Basic 6.0). When you use the Setup Wizard or PDW to generate a setup for your project, the wizard refers to the project's dependency information to determine which files should be distributed with your project and how those files should be installed.

All of the ActiveX controls that ship with Visual Basic have a companion dependency file. It is strongly recommended that you generate a dependency file for your component, especially if you intend that the component be used in other Visual Basic projects. The Setup Wizard and PDW give you the option to generate a dependency file for your project or component. The dependency file may also be generated using a text editor if you cannot use the Setup Wizard or PDW to create one. The remainder of this article describes the syntax for a dependency file.


MORE INFORMATION

A dependency file is a standard Windows .INI file and can be read and written to using the standard Windows APIs (GetPrivateProfileString and WritePrivateProfileString).

There are a few items to note for dependency files:

  • Dependency files may have multiple sections. The section order is not significant.


  • Entries are not case-sensitive.


  • Comments are allowed when preceded by a semi-colon (;).


  • The dependency file name is important. The file name prefix must match the file name of the component it describes. For example, a dependency file MyOCX.DEP would correspond to a component, such as MyOCX.OCX or MyOCX.DLL.


Each section in a .DEP file uses the following syntax: 

   [Component File Name]
   Dest=<Destination>
   UsesN=<Dependent File>
   Register=<Method of Registration>
   Version=<Component version>
   Date=<Component Date>
   Time=<Component Time>
   ProgramIconTitle=<Title for Shortcut>
   ProgramIconCmdLine=<Command Line for Shortcut>

Dest=

The Dest= key indicates the destination folder for the component. This value may be a relative path, a full path, or a path based on any of the following macros (for example, it may be simply a macro, or it may be a macro followed by a backslash and a relative path): 

 $(AppPath)            Indicates the path the user selects
                       during setup.

 $(WinSysPath)         Indicates the \Windows\System or
                       \Winnt\System32 folder.

 $(WinPath)            Indicates the \Windows or \Winnt folder.

 $(ProgramFiles)       Indicates the folder specified at
                       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ 
                       Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ 
                       ProgramFilesDir.

 $(CommonFiles)        Indicates the folder specified at
                       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ 
                       Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ 
                       CommonFilesDir.

 $(CommonFilesSys)     Indicates $(CommonFiles)\System in
                       Windows 95, Windows 98, and NT 4.0, or the
                       same as $(WinSysPath) in NT 3.51.

 $(MSDAOPath)          The location stored in the registry
                       for DAO components.
The Dest= key applies only to the component to which the section applies. By default, all files dependent on the component will also be placed in the same location. To override the location for a "child," you can create a section for the "child" and specify a different destination in that section.

UsesN=

The UsesN= key (where N is an integer) indicates a dependent file for the component. A file specified by a UsesN= key is required for the component defined by that section. In a section, N must be sequential and must start with 1. For an illustration, refer to the following sample section: 

   [MyOCX.OCX]
   Dest=$(WinSysPath)
   Uses1=MyDLL.DLL
   Uses2=MyOCX.TXT
In this example, MyOCX.OCX depends upon (or requires) MyDLL.DLL and MyOCX.TXT.

NOTE: If the UsesN keys are not ordered sequentially, or if a number is skipped, dependent files may not be recognized in the section and may not be acknowledged by the Setup Wizard or PDW.

Register=

The Register= key indicates whether the file should be registered and, if so, how it should be registered. The valid values for this key are: 

   None                  If a value is omitted for this key,
                         the file is not registered.

   $(DllSelfRegister)    The file supports self-registration
                         and self-unregistration via a DLL
                         entry point.

   $(ExeSelfRegister)    The file is a local server that
                         supports self-registration through
                         the command-line parameter
                         "/RegServer" and self-unregistration
                         through the command-line parameter
                         "/UnRegServer."

   $(TLBRegister)        The file is a .TLB file and should be
                         registered.

   Filename              The file is registered by calling
                         Regedit.exe with this filename as a
                         Command-line parameter.

   $(Remote)             Used only by Visual Basic to indicate
                         that the file is a .VBR file.
If the Register= key is omitted altogether, the file is not registered.

Version=

(Optional)

The Version= key indicates the version of the component that is needed. The Setup Wizard and PDW can detect that a .dep file is out-of-date using the Version= key. The version is specified in the format a.b.c.d, as in the following example: 

   Version=4.50.10.11

Date=

(Optional)

The Date= key is the date stamp of the component that is needed. The Setup Wizard and PDW can detect that a .DEP file is out-of-date using this key. This value must always be in the format d/m/yyyy or dd/mm/yyyy, even when using a localized Setup Wizard or PDW. For example: 

   Date=10/5/1996
-or- 

   Date=04/03/1997
NOTE: This key is ignored if a value is specified for the Version= key.

Time=

(Optional)

The Time= key is the time stamp of the component that is needed. The Setup Wizard and PDW can detect that a .DEP file is out-of-date using this key. This value must always be in the 24-hour format hh:mm:ss, even when using a localized Setup Wizard or PDW. For example: 

   Time=14:05:32
NOTE: This key is ignored if a value is specified for the Version= key.

ProgramIconTitle= and ProgramIconCmdLine=

(Optional)

The ProgramIconTitle= key indicates that a shortcut (or Program Manager icon for Windows NT 3.51) should be created if the file is installed. The value for the ProgramIconTitle= key is the title given to the shortcut (or icon). The value may be quoted or unquoted. For example: 

   ProgramIconTitle=My Program Title
If you indicate that a shortcut should be created, you can give the command line for the shortcut by specifying a value for the ProgramIconCmdLine= key. The path that you use for the command-line value may contain the macros listed for the Dest= key. For example: 

   ProgramIconCmdLine=$(AppPath)\Readme.txt

Localized Components

Some components may have different dependencies based on the language. To install a component based on the language setting for the client's computer, you may specify a section with the component name followed by the language ID.

For example, VBRUN500.DLL has a satellite DLL for all languages (with the exception of English): 

   [VBRUN500.DLL]
   Dest=$(WinSysPath)

   [VBRUN500.DLL <000C>]     ;000C = primary language ID for French
   Uses1=VB5FR.DLL

   [VBRUN500.DLL <0007>]     ;0007 = primary language ID for German
   Uses1=VB5DE.DLL
In this example, if VBRUN500.DLL is installed and the client's language settings are French, VB5FR.DLL will also be installed. Likewise, if VBRUN500.DLL is installed and the client's language settings are German, VB5DE.DLL will be installed.

Sample Dependency File

The following is a sample .DEP file for a component named MyOCX.OCX. This dependency file would be named MyOCX.DEP: 

   [MyOCX.OCX]
   Register=$(DLLSelfRegister)
   Dest=$(WinSysPath)
   Date=1/23/1996
   Time=10:15:33
   Version=1.1.13.6
   Uses1=MyDLL.DLL
   Uses2=MyServer.EXE
   Uses3=VBRUN500.DLL

   [MyServer.EXE]
   Dest=$(WinPath)
   Date=1/23/1996
   Time=18:52:48
   Version=1.0.1.0
   Uses1=VBRUN500.DLL
   Register=$(ExeSelfRegister)
   ProgramIconTitle=My Program
   ProgramIconCmdLine=$(WinSysPath)\MyOCX.OCX

   [MyDLL.DLL]
   Register=$(DLLSelfRegister)
   Version=1.0.1.0

   [VBRUN500.DLL]
   Dest=$(WinSysPath)

   ;Additional Files for International Support
   [VBRUN500.DLL <0007>]
   Uses1=VB5DE.DLL

   [VBRUN500.DLL <000C>]
   Uses1=VB5FR.DLL
MyOCX.OCX is a self-registering file that is installed in the Windows\System folder (or Winnt\System32 folder on NT). MyOCX.OCX depends upon (requires) three files: MyDLL.DLL, MyServer.EXE, and VBRUN500.DLL.

MyServer.EXE is a self-registering file that is installed in the Windows folder (or Winnt folder on NT). MyServer.EXE has only one dependent file, VBRUN500.DLL. If MyServer.EXE is installed during setup, a shortcut is created with the title "My Program" and the command line Windows\System\MyOCX.OCX (or Winnt\System32\MyOCX.OCX on NT).

MyDLL.DLL is also a self-registering file. A destination for MyDLL.DLL is not specified; thus, it will be placed in the destination path for its parent, MyOCX.OCX.

VBRUN500.DLL will not be registered because a Register= key is not specified in its section. VBRUN500.DLL will be placed in the Windows\System (or Winnt\System32) folder. If VBRUN500.DLL is installed during setup, VB5DE.DLL will be installed if the language setting is German and VB5FR.DLL will be installed if the language setting is French. If the language setting is set to something other than French or German, no additional files will be installed.

How Setup Wizard and PDW Search for Dependency Information

When the Setup Wizard and PDW need to find dependency information for a file (for example, MyOCX.OCX), they follow a specific path. The wizards use the following methods to locate a section entitled [MyOCX.OCX]; when the section is found, the search ends.

  1. If the file has been located in a .DEP file, it will use the information in the .DEP file in which it was first found.


  2. The Setup Wizard will look in the default master dependency file for Visual Basic 5.0 (VB5DEP.INI). The PDW will look in the default master dependency file for Visual Basic 6.0 (VB6DEP.INI). Information that is placed in the default master dependency file overrides that which might be found elsewhere.


  3. The Setup Wizard and PDW will look for a dependency file named MyOCX.DEP. If the dependency file is found, the wizard will search for the section entitled [MyOCX.OCX].


  4. It will search for a .DEP file associated with the parent of MyOCX.OCX and possibly continue up the parent chain until a section entitled [MyOCX.OCX] is located.



REFERENCES

For additional information about how the Setup Wizard and PDW combine dependency files with the Visual Basic project and the VB5DEP.INI or VB6DEP.INI file to create a setup program, a Setup.LST, and a project .DEP file, refer to the Distributing Your Application" section of the Visual Basic "Programmer's Guide."

Additional query words: directory

Keywords : kbwizard kbAppSetup kbVBp kbVBp500 kbVBp600 kbGrpVB kbPDWizard
Version : WINDOWS:5.0,6.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto


Last Reviewed: January 5, 2000
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