This blog contains the latest news about our software
Christmas is fast approaching and it’s time to send Christmas cards to friends, acquaintances, customers and other contacts.
With our e-mail newsletter tool MultiMailer, you can both create your own Christmas e-cards and send them easily as e-mails. You can create your Christmas e-card either by using ready-to use e-card templates/examples or by using MultiMailer’s built-in visual e-card wizard. Read more in this blog post:
In the menu creation tools CD-Menu Creator and USB Menu Creator there is a function you can use to place buttons in groups and add a title to each group. If you have many buttons in a menu this will help your user find the correct button faster. Below are two menu examples that show how it may look like:
Example 1: One column with buttons + two groups with buttons + Exit button
Example 2: Two columns with buttons + four groups with buttons
It is easy to create button groups and add titles to the groups. In this step by step tip on our website we will describe how to create button groups with titles.
Today it is very important to code sign binary files (for example .EXE and .DLL files) that are distributed to other computers. By code signing your files you will protect your files against viruses and malware and avoid deterrent warning messages in Windows.
In our setup tool Visual Installer it is easy to check if a file in Visual Installer’s file list is code signed or not. You can check if a file is code signed by right-clicking on the file in the list with files in the File list tab in Visual Installer’s editor, and thereafter choosing the Show file information menu item in the menu that appears. The following dialog box will be shown:
To the right of the Code signed? text field there will be a Yes if the file is code signed (has a digital certificate). Otherwise the text will be No.
The name of the organization that the digital certificate is issued to is displayed to the right of the Organization text field in the same frame.
See also
> Tip: How to code sign a setup package in Visual Installer
> What is Code Signing / Digital Signature / Digital Certificate?
> Extended Validation (EV) Code Signing
> SamLogic uses a digital certificate from Sectigo for its software
Using one and the same font in a software with all versions of Windows, graphic cards, displays and DPI settings, and expecting the result always to be perfect, is nearly an impossible mission. And then you must also take into account that people also prefer different fonts.
In Visual Installer and CD-Menu Creator (our tools for creation of installation packages and menu interfaces) you can change the font for the editor. We have included a couple of fonts that you can choose among, so you have the possibility to choose a font that suits your system best.
Too large font size?
If you have problem with a too large font size in the editor – so large that all letters is not visible because they not fit in the reserved text area – you can try to change the font for the editor. This may solve the problem.
How to change the font for the text in the editor
In Visual Installer you can change the font by choosing the Editor options menu item in the Special menu – and then opening the Font tab in the dialog box. In CD-Menu Creator you can change the font by choosing the Options menu item in the File menu – and then opening the Appearance tab in the dialog box. Via these tabs you can change the font for the editor.
See also
> How to change font size for the tip text in a menu
If you have bought a Standard or a Professional version of Visual Installer, MultiMailer or Media Tools, but want to upgrade to the Enterprise version of the product and get access to more functions, this is possible. You only need to pay for the price difference, which is 40-50 dollar/euro for an upgrade from Professional to Enterprise and 80-100 dollar/euro for an upgrade from Standard to Enterprise.
How to upgrade
If you want to make an upgrade from Standard or Professional to Enterprise you can click on one of the links below:
From Standard to Enterprise
> SamLogic Visual Installer – Upgrade – From Standard to Enterprise
> SamLogic MultiMailer – Upgrade – From Standard to Enterprise
> SamLogic Media Tools – Upgrade – From Standard to Enterprise
From Professional to Enterprise
> SamLogic Visual Installer – Upgrade – From Professional to Enterprise
> SamLogic MultiMailer – Upgrade – From Professional to Enterprise
> SamLogic Media Tools – Upgrade – From Professional to Enterprise
Feature lists
If you want to read about the differences between the Standard, Professional and Enterprise versions of Visual Installer, MultiMailer and Media Tools, you can click on the links below:
> Visual Installer: What is the difference between Standard, Professional and Enterprise?
> MultiMailer: What is the difference between Standard, Professional and Enterprise?
> Media Tools: What is the difference between Standard, Professional and Enterprise?
SamLogic Media Tools / Enterprise is a new product suite for developers, marketers and informers. 1 year technical support & updates are included for all software in the suite. It contains the latest versions of many of our tools, for example:
⬧ SamLogic MultiMailer / Enterprise ($189)
⬧ SamLogic Visual Installer / Enterprise ($189)
⬧ SamLogic USB / CD Menu Creator ($139 / $79)
⬧ SamLogic USB AutoRun Creator ($99)
More information is available here:
> Read more about SamLogic Media Tools
Special Introductory Price
For a limited time you can buy 3 licenses of Media Tools / Enterprise to a special introductory price: $199.
> Click here to order SamLogic Media Tools / Enterprise
The introductory price is valid until September 30th. Normal price is $289 and the total value of the software is $605.
There is now an update of SamLogic Visual Installer 2022 available. The version number is 12.0.10, and we have fixed some bugs and made som minor improvements in the new version. We have also added some new script commands to Visual Installer’s script language:
SHOW : Opens a document.
SHOW_AFTER : Opens a document – when the installation is completed.
RUN_AFTER : Runs a program – when the installation is completed.
These new script commands give more flexibility when external programs are run or documents are opened during an installation. See this blog post for more information.
How to download the update
If you have Visual Installer 2022 and a 12 months maintenance plan or an active subscription on Media Tools / Development Tools you can download the update from the following download page:
> Download – Visual Installer 2022 – Latest update
If you have an older version of Visual Installer, for example Visual Installer 2018 or Visual Installer 2020, you can upgrade to the latest version of Visual Installer from this order page:
> Upgrade to Visual Installer 2022
In the previous two blog posts we described how to run a program or show a document after an installation, when running a setup package created with Visual Installer. It is also possible to run a program or open a document via Visual Installer´s script language.
One benefit of using script for running a program or opening a document is that you can use a conditional check before you run/open the file. You can for example run different versions of a program depending on which operating system the installation is run in. For example:
In the same way you can open and show a particular document based on a condition. For example:
The RUN command above (example 1) is executed immediately and the SHOW_AFTER command above (example 2) is executed when the installation is completed. Read more below.
Script commands in Visual Installer that run programs
These three script commands can be used to run programs during an installation:
Script commands in Visual Installer that open documents
These two script commands can be used to open documents during an installation:
The RUN, XRUN and SHOW commands are executed immediately, when the script line is executed, but the RUN_AFTER and SHOW_AFTER commands delays it execution till the installation is completed and the last setup dialog box has been closed.
The RUN_AFTER and SHOW_AFTER commands are new commands that were included in version 12.0.10 of Visual Installer (read more).
See also
> How to run a program after an installation
> How to show a document after an installation
In this blog post that we posted last week on our blog we described how to run a program after that an installation (created with Visual Installer) is completed. It is also possible to show a document (for example a PDF document) after the installation, and below we will describe how to do that.
In the tip below we assume that you want to give the user an opportunity to open a PDF document with the name ReadMe.pdf. Reading the document is optional, but if the user want to read it, it will be opened when the user closes the last installation dialog box in the setup wizard. Below are the tip steps:
1. Select the document file in the installation project’s file list (ReadMe.pdf in our case).
2. Right click over the selection.
3. Choose the Show this document after installation menu item in the local menu that appear.
4. The dialog box below is now shown:
5. Confirm that the file path (at Document) is ok.
6. Select the Show check box in the ‘Installation completed’ dialog box option.
7. Check that the text at Check box text is ok.
8. Click on OK.
When your user run the installation, there will be a check box in the last installation dialog box, where the user can decide if he/she wants to read the document or not. See the picture below for an example of how it may look like:
If the check box is selected, the document that you specified will be opened and shown when the user closes the installation dialog box (for example by clicking on the Exit button).
The dialog box that is shown at step 4 above can also be opened via the Special menu in Visual Installer’s editor.
See also
> How to run a program after an installation
Sometimes there is a need to start a program immediately after the installation. This is possible with our installation tool Visual Installer.
If the program that you want to run is included in the installation project’s file list, you can follow the steps below:
1. Select the program file in the installation project’s file list.
2. Right click over the selection.
3. Choose the Run this program after installation menu item in the local menu that appear.
4. The dialog box below is now shown:
5. Confirm that the file path (at Filename) is ok.
6. If you need to send a parameter to the program, enter it at Parameters.
7. Check the other settings. Change if you need.
8. Click on OK.
Now the program file that you selected in the steps above will be run when the installation is completed. It will be run after the last dialog box in the installation is closed.
You can open the Run program after installation dialog box (that is shown at step 4 above) also by choosing the menu item Run program after installation in Visual Installer´s Special menu. The same dialog box will be shown. But there is one difference; if you open the dialog box this way, the file path at Filename will not pre-filled. You need to enter it manually.
The program that you want to run after the installation does not need to exist in the file list. But if you want to run a program outside your setup package, you need to be careful and make sure that it exists at the specified location.
See also
> How to show a document after an installation