How to make latest Sigil release a portable app?

crankypants · 01-06-2016, 11:17 AM

How hard is it to make the latest Sigil release a portable app to run on a Flash/USB thumb drive?

What has to be done to make this happen?

DiapDealer · 01-06-2016, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crankypants

How hard is it to make the latest Sigil release a portable app to run on a Flash/USB thumb drive?

I don't know. Never tried.

Quote:

What has to be done to make this happen?

Download the PortableApps version of Sigil?

eschwartz · 01-06-2016, 11:55 AM

If you have a need to run software from a flashdrive, can I assume you have at least heard of http://PortableApps.com ???

crankypants · 01-06-2016, 12:03 PM

Yes I've heard of Portableapps.com, but they do not have the most recent version of Sigil. I could only find Sigil v0.8.7. Thus my question about the most recent version of Sigil 0.9.2. Portableapps does not always keep updated with the most recent version of software that was released. Portable Sigil 0.8.7 here.

Going to the Portable Apps page for Sigil also shows v0.8.7 as being the most recent portable version.

eschwartz · 01-06-2016, 12:17 PM

Then why don't you ask in their forums how they make their apps portable? The very fact that Sigil Portable only comes from their website, is a clue that they are the ones who have a clue how to do it.

...

Yes I know they are lagging. That is what happens with less-popular apps when most users don't contribute anything whatsoever to maintaining the apps.
You can tell I know -- take a look at the "fixes bug xxxxx" on their Outdated Apps page.

DiapDealer · 01-06-2016, 12:28 PM

It should be relatively simple to make the latest Sigil run from a flashdrive on Windows. Copy your Sigil Program Files folder to your flashdrive; move your Sigil prefs files to somewhere on your flashdrive; then use a batch file to set the SIGIL_PREFS_DIR environment variable to the path where you moved your prefs to and have it launch the Sigil.exe.

It won't be truly "portable" as it will still depend on having the msvc++ runtimes (both v10 and v13) installed on any machine you use it on. You might be able to fully portablize it by copying the right runtime dlls from your system directory to Sigil's new home on your flashdrive, but you're on your own there.

That's the main reason I won't be creating an "official" portable version of Sigil: I have no interest in distributing microsoft dlls outside of their official redistributable installer packages (nor do I have any interest in stripping runtime dependencues from binaries and libs). I'll leave that to the people who enjoy that sort of thing.

rubeus · 01-06-2016, 12:46 PM

The apps on portableapps are mostly not really portable as they just have a wrapper to copy all required files to the hard drive and set the registry entry and when closing reverting evrything again.

eschwartz · 01-06-2016, 01:01 PM

Um, no... they are always as self-contained as the app allows. Not all apps have way to specify the config directory, though, and in that case, it will copy to/from AppData.

Sigil used to be like that. The solution is to modify the source code to support relocation e.g. via environment variables, then recompile.

PortableApps usually works with published binaries I believe. And they sure as heck don't maintain complex patchsets against every app...

Whatever, though, because that philosophy has no relevance to "how do I portablize Sigil".

BetterRed · 01-06-2016, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crankypants

Yes I've heard of Portableapps.com, but they do not have the most recent version of Sigil. I could only find Sigil v0.8.7. Thus my question about the most recent version of Sigil 0.9.2. Portableapps does not always keep updated with the most recent version of software that was released. Portable Sigil 0.8.7 here.

Going to the Portable Apps page for Sigil also shows v0.8.7 as being the most recent portable version.

If you're familiar with Auto Hot Key you could roll you're own, see ==>> Create portable apps (an alternative to portableapps.com)

I've used that to make a couple of applications portable.

BR

eschwartz · 01-06-2016, 09:37 PM

NSIS or AHK? Both have tutorials...

The NSIS way probably involves updating sigil.exe in an old PortableApp and maybe fiddling with the new config dir....

GrannyGrump · 01-07-2016, 12:27 AM

@Cranky -- you might take a look at the PortableApps Launcher http://portableapps.com/apps/develop...s.com_launcher

It is for developers to be able to make most apps portable "without having to write code". Needs NSIS Portable installed, also from PortableApps --
http://portableapps.com/apps/development/nsis_portable

I've never used it (I quit making portable apps when JauntePE was no longer supported past XP), but the PortableApp forum users are enthusiastic about it, and it has been around a long time, so should be very stable.

gGrump

01-06-2016, 11:17 AM	#1
crankypants Hmm. Posts: 124 Karma: 2016606 Join Date: Oct 2015 Device: Android 4.2 Google Play Reader	How to make latest Sigil release a portable app? How hard is it to make the latest Sigil release a portable app to run on a Flash/USB thumb drive? What has to be done to make this happen?

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01-06-2016, 11:55 AM	#3
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,421 Karma: 85400180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	If you have a need to run software from a flashdrive, can I assume you have at least heard of http://PortableApps.com ???

01-06-2016, 12:03 PM	#4
crankypants Hmm. Posts: 124 Karma: 2016606 Join Date: Oct 2015 Device: Android 4.2 Google Play Reader	Yes I've heard of Portableapps.com, but they do not have the most recent version of Sigil. I could only find Sigil v0.8.7. Thus my question about the most recent version of Sigil 0.9.2. Portableapps does not always keep updated with the most recent version of software that was released. Portable Sigil 0.8.7 here. Going to the Portable Apps page for Sigil also shows v0.8.7 as being the most recent portable version.

01-06-2016, 12:17 PM	#5
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,421 Karma: 85400180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	Then why don't you ask in their forums how they make their apps portable? The very fact that Sigil Portable only comes from their website, is a clue that they are the ones who have a clue how to do it. ... Yes I know they are lagging. That is what happens with less-popular apps when most users don't contribute anything whatsoever to maintaining the apps. You can tell I know -- take a look at the "fixes bug xxxxx" on their Outdated Apps page.

01-06-2016, 12:28 PM	#6
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,360 Karma: 203720150 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	It should be relatively simple to make the latest Sigil run from a flashdrive on Windows. Copy your Sigil Program Files folder to your flashdrive; move your Sigil prefs files to somewhere on your flashdrive; then use a batch file to set the SIGIL_PREFS_DIR environment variable to the path where you moved your prefs to and have it launch the Sigil.exe. It won't be truly "portable" as it will still depend on having the msvc++ runtimes (both v10 and v13) installed on any machine you use it on. You might be able to fully portablize it by copying the right runtime dlls from your system directory to Sigil's new home on your flashdrive, but you're on your own there. That's the main reason I won't be creating an "official" portable version of Sigil: I have no interest in distributing microsoft dlls outside of their official redistributable installer packages (nor do I have any interest in stripping runtime dependencues from binaries and libs). I'll leave that to the people who enjoy that sort of thing.

01-06-2016, 12:46 PM	#7
rubeus Banned Posts: 272 Karma: 1224588 Join Date: Sep 2014 Device: Sony PRS 650	The apps on portableapps are mostly not really portable as they just have a wrapper to copy all required files to the hard drive and set the registry entry and when closing reverting evrything again.

01-06-2016, 01:01 PM	#8
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,421 Karma: 85400180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	Um, no... they are always as self-contained as the app allows. Not all apps have way to specify the config directory, though, and in that case, it will copy to/from AppData. Sigil used to be like that. The solution is to modify the source code to support relocation e.g. via environment variables, then recompile. PortableApps usually works with published binaries I believe. And they sure as heck don't maintain complex patchsets against every app... Whatever, though, because that philosophy has no relevance to "how do I portablize Sigil".

01-06-2016, 09:37 PM	#10
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,421 Karma: 85400180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	NSIS or AHK? Both have tutorials... The NSIS way probably involves updating sigil.exe in an old PortableApp and maybe fiddling with the new config dir....

01-07-2016, 12:27 AM	#11
GrannyGrump Obsessively Dedicated... Posts: 3,205 Karma: 34984330 Join Date: May 2011 Location: JAPAN (US expatriate) Device: Sony PRS-T2, ADE on PC	@Cranky -- you might take a look at the PortableApps Launcher http://portableapps.com/apps/develop...s.com_launcher It is for developers to be able to make most apps portable "without having to write code". Needs NSIS Portable installed, also from PortableApps -- http://portableapps.com/apps/development/nsis_portable I've never used it (I quit making portable apps when JauntePE was no longer supported past XP), but the PortableApp forum users are enthusiastic about it, and it has been around a long time, so should be very stable. gGrump