InstallShield: Project Design To Target Both 32-Bit and 64-Bit Systems

How to: Approaches to support both 32-bit and 64-bit installations within one InstallShield project.

Ideas:

Go through these topics in InstallShield help manual first to understand the concept of Release Flags and how to use it along with Features Design, Template Summary Property and Conditional Launching.

1. Targeting 64-Bit Operating Systems with Basic MSI and InstallScript MSI Installations :http://helpnet.flexerasoftware.com/installshield19helplib/helplibrary/Targeting64Bit-MSI.htm
2. Targeting 64-Bit Operating Systems:http://helpnet.flexerasoftware.com/installshield19helplib/helplibrary/IHelp64BitSupport.htm#Introduction_3539228780_1027766
3. Using the Template Summary Property:http://helpnet.installshield.com/installshield16helplib/IHelpTemplateSummary.htm
4. Conditionally Launching Custom Actions Based on Release Flags:http://helpnet.installshield.com/installshield16helplib/IHelpCustomActionsReleaseFlags.htm
5. Preprocessor Directives:http://helpnet.flexerasoftware.com/installshield18helplib/mergedProjects/installshield18langref/LangrefPreprocessor_directives.htm

Working Full-time and Study, Small Tips to Handle an Effective Life

It has been five months since I was back to school. Life has been changing dramatically. It's not easy to handle everything perfectly when you're stuck in the middle of a full-time job, part-time or full-time study and family. Sometimes you're exhausted. Many times you are disappointed. However, never give up! I will give some tips that I've been using to maintain my life balance in this post.

(Image source: http://v1shal.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/07/)
I'm ready for changes, so are you?

InstallShield: Suppress Restart Messages in the middle of Software Upgrade or Uninstallation

I'm back to Installation development in this post. This time, I'll show some personal tips to get rid of restart recommended messages in the middle of software upgrade or uninstallation. First of all, let me make it clear. This is just a temporary solution under some specific conditions and trade-offs. I won't seek for a perfect solution in this post. Should you do, I don't think this post will be helpful for you. You can save your time by looking for other sources on the Internet instead. 

Free app: My favorite PDF Reader ever for both Windows and Android

I've been a user of Foxit Reader for more than 5 years. I feel like I'm responsible for a thank, and Foxit is deserved a post on my blog. Yeah, if you're looking for a free and compact PDF reader, you know its name now: http://www.foxitsoftware.com/Secure_PDF_Reader/. It's very simple and does the great job as a reader. 

School time, once again: Online studying and Canadian Bridging Program

My blog is getting a fewer posts in the last couple of months regardless of my great effort to keep it up with at least one or two posts per month. It has been also awhile since my last update on studying journey. Therefore, this post will make a brief summary on what is happening at my side. 

(Image Source: www.universityaffairs.ca)

InstallShield: Dealing with Major upgrade on a new project?

What is major upgrade? Usually, we require major upgrade if we either add/remove features or we want to force to remove all old files on target system before installing new files. Sometimes, adding components or removing components also require major upgrade. Those are very basic concepts in installation development, especially working with InstallShield (or Windows Installer). You've been doing major upgrade without problems for years on your current projects. Now you need to enforce major upgrade for a new project (previous developed by someone else) and it suddenly doesn't work at all. Checking installation log file, IS_MAJOR_UPGRADE is clearly set to YES. Then why?

(Source: from the Internet)

Book review: Stay Confident by John Caunt

I have had a great chance to work and know a young and kind Indian friend from my old company. In age, he's much younger than me. However, I've seen in him something I called "struggling"; Struggling of a young person who is trying to escape from his unclear goals and aim to better values in life. Whenever I talked to him, I always put myself in the position that I was talking to a person who may advance very far in the future. He yearned to learn, but he was not able to tell what would be his right destination. I think that's very normal to a young person. Not only him, it's been happening to me all the time as well. So why do I write about him now? Before he left Canada, he offered me a lot of books. Today, I will write a first review on one of his books. Therefore, I write these lines firstly to thank him, and secondly to wish him the best in his future endeavor.

The book today is Stay Confident from John Caunt. The edition in my hand was published way back in the past (2009!). The cover picture is not exactly the same as the one below, but I hope you get the idea. 

InstallShield: One basic tip for using Install Level and SetupType dialog to control features in Custom Setup

Working with software packaging, just soon or late, you will ask the question how to show/hide or select/deselect a feature during setup. The larger your packaging projects are, the sooner the question comes. Sometimes, it becomes very tricky to control the features during setup and one little bug may cost you a couple of good days to trace to the root. It will be more complicated if you're working on projects created  and designed by many other people before you. This post will show you a small tip to deal with custom setup in two scenarios: fresh installation and major upgrade.  

(Source: here)

The Enhanced Language Training Placement Assessment (ELTPA)

After an entry for CLB last month, today I'm writing a bit about ELTPA test in Canada. This post will be very brief actually. Usually, if you're planning to join a Bridging program from one of Universities/Colleges in Canada, they require CLB score of 7 or 8.  If you have failed to get that CLB score in your first attempt, you won't be able to resit the test within 6 months. Here is the reason for ELTPA taking place. This is the next test candidate for those who pass CLB 6 or higher but still not meet their need. Some Bridging programs or colleges in Canada will consider this ELTPA as an alternative for CLB if ELTPA score is higher than CLB, not all of them. Before attempting ELTPA, you should confirm with your education institute to see if they accept it. If you just want to self experience, go ahead and acquire as much as you can. Since it's hard to find useful info about ELTPA, this post will try to describe what I've known about the test after my own test. The post is not an absolute guide from any officially Canadian Language Assessment office. Please be advised!

(Source: http://www.tcet.com/assets/images/lass/ELTPA.jpg)

InstallShield: Why minor upgrade doesn't overwrite old files?

Today, I will share my experience around the question: Why suddenly minor upgrade doesn't overwrite old files? It always rocks but not this time! I used to struggle for an answer at least twice in just a couple of months. To resolve this question completely, the last time, I determined to find out the root cause (yes, I paid   a good half day on it!). Some of you may wonder, why I had to wait until the last time to solve the issue, but the first time? Actually, it's understandable: TIME issue. Sometimes, we rush for release and we just need to make things move first. With this kind of issue, the most difficult part is tracing out the root cause, fixing it is not really a big deal. Enforcing major upgrade is always a  perfect workaround to overcome this issue. 

Book Review: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Are you fast or slow thinker? Wait a second, don't answer it yet. Why? Simply it's not an easy question :-o). To really understand the question and be able to grasp some hint-sights, let me introduce you to the book: Thinking, Fast and Slow.

Mass converting InstallShield Binary project files to XML format

It's been so long and so far, it seems like my blog carries just a few IT professional entries (or another way to say, there is only one, LOL). There were many reasons, but the most important one was that I've never thought I'm able to write anything here that you cannot find  an answer somewhere else on the Internet. Google is a magic wand, with just couple of key words, it will lead you as far as you are willing to go. 

However, I'm thinking in a different way now. If my expertise isn't that special, I still should share some simple tips for beginners (like me), who are struggling to reveal an answer from hundreds of Google returns as I was. Also, if I'm lucky enough, I may receive some good feedback to improve my work. Again, Google will introduce my blog to strangers and some of those strangers may turn to be my great supporters. This entry thus will introduce a tiny piece of work on InstallShield project format conversion from binary to XML by commands (of course you can use the same routine to convert back from XML to binary).  

Book Review: “Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores The Hidden Side Of Everything” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

A book full of untypical and freakish questions asked and analyzed scientifically from large amount of data under an economic point of view.

First Guitar and A Long Journey Kickoff

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! How was your long holiday? My holiday was great for sure. There was time with family, time for relaxing, and time for gifts, LOL. Aside all lovely gifts from my family, I also rewarded myself a new and special 'toy'. I've been wishing for this 'toy' for more than 2 years so far.  Finally I got it! Hopefully this 'toy' will bring me back to the long postponed journey - the dream to be an amateur guitarist.

(Image source: from the Internet)

Australia Network: Study English IELTS Preparation

It's been awhile since my last post on IELTS topic. Today, I will introduce a free but good resource for IELTS preparation. It's called Australia Network (Learning English). 

australianetwork.com

Self-study, self-organizing and self-push are the strongest power for life

Today I just walked through the video titled "Shimon Schocken: The self-organizing computer course" on TED.com and I cannot refrain myself from sharing it on my blog. 

(from Internet)

Worms' Conversation_Did you find love?

Here was a very random conversation between two worms on way home after midnight.

(Picture source:  mynameisjacy.com)

Book Review: The Magic of Thinking BIG by David J. Schwartz, Ph.D.

These three weeks, I took a short break in the middle of project management books by reading The Magic of Thinking BIG by David J. Schwartz, Ph.D. This book now is worth of being added into my book recommended list for life motivation category. Since I’m rather busy to run after some huge life plan at this point of time, I’m just introducing a cursory review here.

Book Review: Project Management for Mere Mortals by Claudia M. Baca

Due to the complex work demand, project management requires a lot of skills and knowledge, among them, flexibility and smartness cannot be missed. Human beings are unpredictable and project management job spends more than 90% of time to deal with human (the upper, peer and lower). If a person unluckily gets stuck in that maze, every day at work is just like nightmare. To be flexible, there was more than once I put myself deeper in the process to obtain soft skills and somehow I got positive returns. However, smartness or cleverness was a kind of innate talent, I supposed, which was not a thing that money or time could buy. What to be done if I’m not lucky enough to possess that kind of talent? “Project Management for Mere Mortals by Claudia M. Baca” opened a door for me. Achieving the skill via in-house empirical experiences, I’ve been always questing for some formal materials to fill my gaps and gain more credit of work.  This book gave me hope.  Recommended by my mentor, just after reading two chapters of the book, I knew I had to take notes carefully and must read it from cover to cover. The book tells me that a project manager, especially IT project manager, isn’t necessary to be a superman or superwoman. By its aid, as long as I pay enough time and attention to different aspects of work, I can gain some level of the thing called “cleverness”. And someone who has never read this book would call it “smartness” [not able to obtain by learning process] as I used to. If you’re looking for a full skeleton of project management from opening to closing, an approach to work with your team and a strategy to face with your uppers, this book is for you.

Extr@ – a good TV sitcom for English studying

Being language learners, I think the most important factor is able to keep up the mood and energy enough for the long run. Any ways that help both studying and entertaining are always the best choices. Between “I have to sit down and study now” and “oh, let study and it must be a lot of fun today”, if that were me, the latter one would be far more effective.

By the means of entertainment, of course we can’t miss movies, films and TV shows. Beside music, they are also the best candidates for both studying and entertaining. Therefore, it’s not surprising that whenever questing for English study tips, you can easily bump into thousands of recommendations on those media genres.

To enrich self experience with visual media on English studying, I’ve tried one of wonderful TV sitcoms called Extr@. I’m going to introduce and share a little bit about this TV show with you here.

(Picture source: from the Internet)