Automating creation of deployment prowcapp files

According to the documentation (dpweb.pdf) - in section under Batch Mode, you are able to do this:
bprowcappdep c:\WebClient\deployment\MyApp.wcd

(from the doc)
Batch mode
If you have installed OpenEdge Studio, you can use the bprowcappdep.bat script to generate
the .prowcapc file without running the Deployment Packager interactively. This file is installed
in OpenEdge-Install-Directory\bin. (It is not available to users of the standalone
Deployment Packager tool extracted from the prowcdp.zip file.)
You execute the script with a single argument, the path to the deployment configuration (.wcd)
file. For example:
The validation and generation are performed as in interactive mode, with an important
exception: Unless the validation process encounters errors (in which case the operation
terminates), generation of the .prowcapc file proceeds with no option to cancel. Messages that
precede the actual start of the generation process, including error notifications and warnings, are
written to the console window; they do not appear in the log file. Therefore, when using the
bprowcappdep.bat script, you should redirect the screen output to a file or take other steps to
make sure you do not overlook important messages.

Automating

Thread created by Simon L. Prinsloo

Good Morning

I create prowcapp files with client specific connection strings using the WebClient Deployment Packager, but need to automate the process.

I can successfully generate client specific wcd files, but then I get stuck:

In proenv, I can do this:

prowcappmgr -deploy customerABC.wcd

That launch the WebClient Deployment Packager and open the customer specific wcd, but now I have to click the Generate button to get the custom prowcapp file and then I need to close the window.

Is there any command line switch that I can add to force it to generate the file and exit?

Currently I end up with launching 40 windows that each requires manual intervention...

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Hi Thomas

Thanks for the reply.

Creating the deployment master and cab files manually is undesired, but less of a problem than customising the URL in the prowcapp file for each customer.

Luckily the latter can be automated, as Mark pointed out.

Regards

Simon

At the risk of opening Pandora's box, I am interested in hearing what enhancements you envision for the WebClient application generation. I have heard suggestions and requests over the years, even internally, but the work has never been prioritised high enough.

FWIW, it is nice to hear of the WebClient Deployment Packager being used. I think this is the first time I have heard of anyone using it, in all the years since I worked on it.

Gary,

We use the deployment packager distributing our apps. However, we install the WC via install script and fudge the registry as there are too many issues installing via IE/Chrome/etc.

The WebClient install is a different issue to the application packaging. It was built in the day when browsers could be trusted and there were no malicious users.

I don't have information on how many users use the WebClient install and IntelliStream as intended, vs other installation/upgrade solutions. Redoing the WebClient install for the 21st century has never been prioritised high enough either.

The WebClient Deployment Packager is a very important part of the toolset.

It turns out that the bprowcappdep.bat  file is just calling prowcappmgr with some undocumented parameters.

What we really need is the ability to do the same to automate the build of the cab files and master prowcapp files as well.

The layout of the wcp file is simple enough for us to build custom generators to create it, but you cannot fully automate the build at the moment, unless there are more command line parameters that we do not know about.

I believe you have found all the secret parameters.

If I understand you correctly, you want to be able to automate the generation of a new version of the application (which generates a new prowcapp file and new cab files). This could just be packaging any r-code that changed since the last version, but there are lots of other possibilities here: addition or deletion of files from components, adding new components, changing the app startup parameters, changing versions of WebClient that are supported, removing old application versions that are no longer supported, etc. This lends itself to a scriptable/programmable approach (an OOABL interface to a WebClient project has crossed my mind in the past). I would be interested in hearing input on this. Is it more than what you need, or barely scratching the surface? What other suggestions do you have?

Hi Garry,

We would be very interested in the ability to script out own builds. We have the ability to know what programs have been added, deleted or updated since our last release and we would love to just update the file and do a build via command line it will already solve a lot of our pain.

One of my immediate pains with the builder is the inability to resize the window where you add objects - no longer are we limited to short file names and we tend to make our class names pretty descriptive and since we do not split our r-code from our source, we have to guess which one is source and which one is r-code.

Some other irritations with the deployment, but as you mentioned that is not part of the builder.

RE: Automating creation of deployment prowcapp files

Reply by Garry Hall

I believe you have found all the secret parameters.

If I understand you correctly, you want to be able to automate the generation of a new version of the application (which generates a new prowcapp file and new cab files). This could just be packaging any r-code that changed since the last version, but there are lots of other possibilities here: addition or deletion of files from components, adding new components, changing the app startup parameters, changing versions of WebClient that are supported, removing old application versions that are no longer supported, etc. This lends itself to a scriptable/programmable approach (an OOABL interface to a WebClient project has crossed my mind in the past). I would be interested in hearing input on this. Is it more than what you need, or barely scratching the surface? What other suggestions do you have?

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At some of my sites we already generate the wcp for the next version. That is not extremely difficult if your build environment is properly automated.

The problem is with the single step of generating the deployment files. I have to open the file in prowcappmgr and click the button to generate it.

Everything before and after that can be automated.

If I understand both Mark and Simon correctly, the modifications are being made ahead of time to the .wcp file, and all that is necessary for you is an option to prowcappmgr to generate the latest version. Is this correct?

I'm not committing to anything, just trying to understand the problem.

Thanks to you both for your input.

Hi Garry,

Yes, if we could get something like that, it would most definitely make life a little better.

RE: Automating creation of deployment prowcapp files

Reply by Garry Hall

If I understand both Mark and Simon correctly, the modifications are being made ahead of time to the .wcp file, and all that is necessary for you is an option to prowcappmgr to generate the latest version. Is this correct?

I'm not committing to anything, just trying to understand the problem.

Thanks to you both for your input.

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That is correct. An command line option that allows for scripting the process would be fantastic.