#76 FDIMPLES doesn't install softwares in FDOS/PROGS or FDOS/DEVEL

[InfoLibre]

In FDIMPLES, we can see the list of files and the folders where they will be installed. When the folder is \bin, the files are copied into C:\FDOS\BIN. But when the folder is \progs or \devel, FDIMPLES doesn't copy files into C:\FDOS\PROGS or into C:\FDOS\DEVEL but in C:\PROGS or C:\DEVEL. I suppose it's because DEVEL and PROGS folders don't exist in C:\FDOS, so, FDIMPLES can't find them and creates them into C:\ instead of C:\FDOS. I did not test with other folders that don't exist in C:\FDOS but maybe there are other cases.

[InfoLibre]

You can test with these softwares :
progs/ :
LPQ1
P7ZIP
ROMDSK
ROMOS
devel/ :
BCC
BWBASIC
DJGPP
...

[Shidel]

This is not a bug.

Let me explain what is going on a little more. FDIMPLES is a User Interface to the FDINST package manager. When FDINST and FDNPKG go through the process of installing a package, some zip folders are special. Those special folders are mapped to local folders. Directories that have no special mapping get placed under %DOSDIR%. So... BIN\ has no mapping and becomes of \FDOS\BIN\, PROGS\ is mapped to \, DEVEL\ is mapped to \DEVEL\ and etc. You can view and or change thos mappings in the %DOSDIR%\BIN\FDNPKG.CFG file.
FDIMPLES does not remap this information when displaying the ZIP file contents.

[InfoLibre]

It would be better if FDIMPLES was using FDNPKG.CFG configuration and showing exactly where files are installed. It's difficult to find where files are installed if FDIMPLES says it's in /bin and that it's in C:\fdos\bin and if it says it's in /devel and that it's really in C:\devel. Would it be possible to improve it, with the letter C:,D:,F: and the complete path of installation ?

[Shidel]

I think you may be misunderstanding the purpose of the file list. It is NOT meant to show the location where files are going to be installed. It IS only meant to show the contents of the zip package. However, what you suggest may be better. I will consider the PROs and CONs of possibly adding that feature.

[InfoLibre]

Ah, OK. But would it be possible to show the content of the zip package and to add a line just before, saying where the content of the package will be installed ? (C:\ or C:\FDOS) ?

[Shidel]

Unfortunately, not really. Do to the nature of the data available to FDIMPLES at run time, doing that would actually require more time and work for it than just updating the file list to an install list.

[Jim Hall]

This is not a bug (broken feature) but a feature request. Moving to feature requests to track there.

[Jim Hall]

Ticket moved from /p/freedos/bugs/270/

[InfoLibre]

A suggestion:

• show the content of the zip package without C:\FreeDOS\, just tree_in_the_zip_package\filename.
• add the location where file is going to be installed next to each file.

Example:

? -> c:\freedos\links\p7zip.com
ARCHIVER\P7ZIP\README.TXT -> c:\util\p7zip\readme.txt
APPINFO\P7ZIP.DE -> c:\freedos\appinfo\p7zip.de

[Shidel]

At present, FDIMPLES has two different ways it displays the "File List".

For packages that are installed but NOT available on the install Media, it displays the list of Files that were installed with their path information. These items get grouped into a "Installed!" group.

The Second way is for packages that are available on the install Media. Regardless of whether or not they are installed, those show a simple list of contents of the zip file.

This is not likely to change in the current Major version of FDIMPLES do to the impact it would have on performance. However, when FDIMPLES is redesigned for the next Major version, It will do a lot of things differently and how the list of files is handled and displayed is likely to change.