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Run EXE is restricted

 
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Soporose



Joined: 06 Dec 2007
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 2:15 am    Post subject: Run EXE is restricted Reply with quote

It seems it is not possible to run an EXE file by using a Windows environment variable in the path to the file. This is a severe limitation given that the user can select any installation location for a program. There is nothing to force the user to install in the recommended directory. In fact, even Windows itself doesn't have to be installed in C:\Windows.

%WinDir% is better than C:\Windows

%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\Winword.exe

is to be much preferred to...

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\Winword.exe

This is probably even more important for the parameters line, where you might want to do something like open a file in a specific program:

.EXE File: %WinDir%\Notepad.exe
Parameters: %WinDir%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

What do you think?
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Admin
Site Admin


Joined: 22 Aug 2006
Posts: 1055

PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 5:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can make your own .exe installer !

Just change the configurations in config.nsh file in : Program Files/Softomate/ToolbarStudio /cab2nsis folder

Full documentation is here : http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Docs/
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Soporose



Joined: 06 Dec 2007
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 3:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Admin wrote:
You can make your own .exe installer !

Just change the configurations in config.nsh file in : Program Files/Softomate/ToolbarStudio /cab2nsis folder

Full documentation is here : http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Docs/


I think you're missing the point -- it's not about creating custom installers. It's about improving the functionality, reliability and flexibility of the "Run EXE" command -- something that would benefit all users of Toolbar Studio. All those, that is, who understand that environment variables are more reliable than static paths.

The thing is, Toolbar Studio has several advantages over Conduit, and Conduit does some things better than Toolbar Studio. But I guarantee that you are losing a lot of customers to Conduit because of the price difference -- zero dollars versus fairly expensive. The only way you can claw back customers from them, and continue to justify your high price, is via features. That doesn't only mean continually developing new plug-ins etc. but also improving the features that already exist.

Unfortunately what I see all too often as I browse the forum is you promoting custom builds for an additional fee, rather than directly addressing a limitation or a wish list item that someone raises.

I think it would be fairly safe to suggest that few of us here have the time to learn NSIS, or any other nontrivial skill, just to obtain a functionality that would benefit everyone if it were incorporated into the standard Toolbar Studio.

Yes, this is a criticism, but it's friendly and constructive criticism. If we weren't on your side we wouldn't be here. All of us want to see Toolbar Studio be the best that it can be.
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Admin
Site Admin


Joined: 22 Aug 2006
Posts: 1055

PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It seems you meant 'Run .exe' command ? i thought you are talking about .exe installer itself.

Run .exe is intended to work with .exe files that are located in the toolbar .cab itself

If you want to run some programs, please use 'Custom Buttons' plugin, there is an option fro the users to launch programs locally on PC, not from the .cab

As for our "high" prices - they are low indeed, we are going to rise then very soon.
Please, note that we don't charge any hidden money back from our customers and provide a higher level of customization via Plugins, custom development, Javascript interface, etc.
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Soporose



Joined: 06 Dec 2007
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Admin wrote:
If you want to run some programs, please use 'Custom Buttons' plugin, there is an option fro the users to launch programs locally on PC, not from the .cab

Well I'll have to have a look at that to see if it will accept system variables; if it doesn't, then it's still too inflexible.

However, more importantly, that solution requires a plug-in, and you have already told me elsewhere that plug-ins do not work with Firefox, which makes adding that function to a toolbar useless for an awful lot of people.

Admin wrote:
As for our "high" prices - they are low indeed, we are going to rise then very soon.

As long as you have so little support for one of the world's major browsers then the price of Toolbar Studio is already too high. However you can easily justify the price by:

(a) Providing the same facilities for Firefox as you do for Internet explorer. Everybody interested in toolbar development knows this can be done, because it is already being done by Conduit. Admittedly you do things that they don't, but I have two Conduit toolbars in my own Firefox that provide important features that currently cannot be obtained via Toolbar Studio.

(b) Providing much more, and much better written, documentation - documentation that doesn't assume that your customers are all JavaScript and XML experts.

(c) Giving real, detailed "how to" answers to forum questions instead of too often promoting your extra-price customisation service - as I said before: people will buy Toolbar Studio because they want to do it themselves.

(d) Better organising your website so that information is much easier to find. It might look all right to you guys who know where everything is but I can tell you, from the outside looking in, it's a mess.

Admin wrote:
Please, note that we don't charge any hidden money back from our customers and provide a higher level of customization via Plugins, custom development, Javascript interface, etc.

Again, your plug-ins don't work with Firefox. Also customisations cost extra, which is to be expected, but which hardly has any bearing on the price for Toolbar Studio itself.

Once again, I am offering constructive criticism, not a put down, because... I AM ON YOUR SIDE. You can become the undisputed top toolbar developers, and I'd like to see that, but you have a way to go yet -- too much "important stuff" is still missing.
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