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100 - Once upon a time…

Objective


Introduce Installer plugins.

Introduction

Installer plugins are bundles that you embedd in a package or metapackage. They allow you to present the final user with additional steps during the installation process.

An Installer plugin can be used to add an additional End User License Agreement (EULA), to allow the user to enter a software registration code, etc.

Requirements

Installer plugins are Cocoa bundles. This implies that you need to have some knowledge about Objective-C and the Cocoa frameworks to develop one.

Installer plugins are supported in Mac OS X 10.4 or later. You can not use an Installer plugin inside a Flat package at the time of this writing.

Dont' forget that

Installer plugins are code bundles. This means that if you want them to work on PowerPC and Intel based Macs, you need to build them as Universal binaries.

Installer plugins are only visible when your package is installed with Installer.app. If you install your package through Apple Remote Desktop or the installer command line tool, your plugins won't be run. This means that if you use an Installer plugin to let the user enter a registration code, you should not assume it will always be possible. You still need to allow this operation from the application you install.


Last Updated: 2008-04-05