Recording Changes/Modifications/Configurations with ApplicationWatch

Did it ever happen to you, that a request wasn't filled out correctly, or better "they" forgot to mention that certain options needed to be selected or unselected, like in my case for this Blackberry program.

One of the features in Wise that can help out is ApplicationWatch.

ApplicationWatch monitors your computer as you execute an application or run an installation and determines which .DLL, .OCX, and .EXE files were accessed. It then adds these files to a new installation. You can use this tool for informational purposes or to facilitate the creation of a new installation.

ApplicationWatch produces a Windows Installer or a WiseScript package.

Besides the ApplicationWatch there are tools like "InstallWatch", "InCtrl", but this article only focuses on ApplicationWatch inside Wise.

Command line options you can use with workbench.exe to run ApplicationWatch.

Using ApplicationWatch

Step 1

• Close all other applications so that the files they access are not added to the installation.
• Launch Wise and Run the Application Watch under the Tools Tab.

Click to view.

Step 2

• Type in the patch to your Target Installation File or browse to it.

  You can either specify a new or a existing.msi or .wsi file.

  If you specified an existing installation,select the Add/Update Resources in Existing Installation,so it adds or updates the resources in the existing installation instead of overwriting them.

Click to view.

• If you specify a new installation then browse to your Target, and save your project either as a .wse or a .wsi.

Click to view.

Step 3

• At the Run Application window, specify the full path to the application executable to run and command options if applicable.
• Click Execute and apply all the changes/modifications/configurations.

Click to view.

• When finished, close the Application and in the Run Application Window, click Next.

Step 4

• The Window ApplicationWatch Inclusions shows you all the files that were accessed during the execution of your Application.

  These files will be added, if you see file(s) that you don't want to include you can exclude them here. (just as you can do when capturing an application with Wise).

  The exclusion list that is used here, can not be changed, unlike the exclusion list, you use for Capturing an Application, were you can add files to be excluded.

  If you are saving this as a .wse, then you can modify the "exclusion list", by launching WiseScript Editor and selecting Edit menu | Preferences. Enter here the files you want excluded.

• When done, click Next.

Click to view.

Step 5

• The ApplicationWatch Exclusions window shows you all the files that are excluded from the package.
• If you want to include files that are listed here, then select the file(s) and click Include
• Click Finish.

Click to view.

If you created a .wsi, you can double click Windows Installer Editor in Wise and it will open your .wsi, or you can go to your Target folder and open your project there.

And as always, TEST, TEST, TEST.