Creating a WDF File

The WDF file contains all of the necessary information for installing the weblication. It tells the installer which locations, extensions, and files are required by the weblication. Use the WDF editor to create a WDF file for your weblication.

Use the WDF editor to create a new WDF file for your weblication.

General

This tab contains information about the weblication. Most of the fields are self explanatory.

Every weblication must have a GUID, so be sure to generate one.

'Import Registry' lets you set your weblication's default registry settings based on an XML registry file, which you can create and edit with sash-registry-editor.

'Edit Security Settings' allows you to specify what security settings your weblication will require to run. Take a look at the various settings to see if any of them apply (for example, filesystem, registry, network access).

Version

The installer will look at version numbers to see whether the currently installed weblication is the most up-to-date.

Actions

Each weblication will usually have one action, which is the JavaScript code that implements the functionality of the weblication. Each action runs in a location, which must be specified. Note that the action itself must also have a GUID (different from the weblication GUID).

Note that the Registration area is extremely important because that is where source files are specified.

For the Console location, the registration includes the name of the *.js file.

<registration>
<jsfile>filename.js</jsfile>
</registration>

For the WindowApp location, the registration includes the name of the *.html file, as well as the width and height of the window for the weblication.

<registration>
<htmlfile>filename.html</htmlfile>
<width>400</width>
<height>500</height>
</registration>

For PanelApp locations, the registration includes the name of the *.html file, as well as the length of the panel area for the weblication.

Dependencies

List here all the weblications, extensions, and locations that need to be installed on the end user's system for your weblication to run properly. You can also specify the minimum version required for each, and also an alternate download location ("file") for the installer to check.

Files

This is where you specify all of the files that your weblication requires. Names can have local or absolute paths or URLs. Currently, only the "Weblication" install location is supported -- it puts the files in the weblication's data directory.

Install

This is where you specify the screens that weblication users see when they install your weblication. Each screen is simply an HTML file, the location of which you enter in the 'Page' field. Stick to the 'Text' type for now. There is also a mandatory Security page; if you don't explicitly include it in the listing of install pages, the installer will automatically insert it for you.

Platforms

This is where you specify all platforms that your weblication will run on. If your weblication is meant to be cross-platform, please test on all platforms.

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Wing Yung

Last modified: Tue Jun 11 14:47:51 EDT 2002