MakeSIS - Installation file generator syntax

• Purpose

• Diagram

• Command-line syntax

• Notes

• Also see

MakeSIS creates unsigned software installation packages (SIS files) based on the information provided in package (PKG) files. SIS files can subsequently be signed using SignSIS. Alternatively, CreateSIS is a wrapper around MakeSIS and SignSIS.

The following diagram shows how makesis is used to construct an install package (SIS file) from component files, using instructions contained in a PKG file.

From an MSDOS command-line prompt (or batch file) the syntax for using makesis is as follows:

MakeSIS [-h] [-i] [-s] [-v] [-d directory] pkgfile [sisfile]

where

• A useful way of avoiding having to specify absolute paths in PKG files or paths relative to the current directory is to use the –d argument with the EPOCROOT environment variable.

  By default binaries are built to the \epoc32\... tree. So, if files are described in the PKG file as for example:-

  "epoc32\release\armv5\urel\HelloWorld.exe"-"!:\sys\bin\HelloWorld.exe"
  "epoc32\release\armv5\urel\z\resource\apps\HelloWorld.rsc"-"!:\resource\apps\HelloWorld.rsc"

  then MakeSIS can be invoked from any location using:

  > makesis -d%EPOCROOT% HelloWorld.pkg

• A stub SIS file is created by the software installer on the phone after a package has been installed. It details which files were installed and where, and is used when uninstalling and upgrading the package. For pre-installed applications in ROM, makesis -s may be used to create a stub SIS file. There is more information about this feature in How to upgrade OS components.

  Stub files created using makesis -s contain a fixed date/time stamp of 2004/01/01 00:00, because it is undesirable for them to change each time they are built.

• Package file format