Missing features

[traversaro]

To use the vcpkg-binary-installer-generator with the QtIFW CPack backend to produce YARP and ICUB binaries installer, we need to make sure that we implement two features that we have in the existing NSIS installers:

• Optionally modify the environmental variables to make sure that the installer libraries can be found. In my tests, it will be sufficient to add <prefix> and <prefix>/debug to the CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH enviromental variables, and <prefix>/tools to CMAKE_PROGRAM_PATH.
• Support for quietly install the contents of the installer from the command line. This is particularly useful for CI system such as AppVeyor. In particular, if we plan to support the online installer, it would be particular useful to have the support for specifying the specific libraries that you want to install from the command line.

cc @drdanz

[drdanz]

I think that <prefix>/bin should go to PATH as well. See also microsoft/vcpkg#1176

[drdanz]

About quiet install support, see robotology/yarp@6ddffaf and
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/robotology-dependencies/robotology-dep-scripts/master/qt5/qt-installer-noninteractive.qs for Qt5 installer

[traversaro]

Related: https://bugreports.qt.io/browse/QTIFW-166 .
I think it is not possible to to pass the list of components to install from the command line, but each project can use its own script to install the desired dependencies.

[traversaro]

Related: a vcpkg PR adding a IFW export type has been proposed in microsoft/vcpkg#1734 .

[traversaro]

Related project: https://dad.podsvirov.pro/ .

• https://cmake.org/pipermail/cmake-developers/2015-September/026298.html
• http://public.kitware.com/pipermail/cmake-developers/2016-June/028639.html

[podsvirov]

Hello @traversaro, please review latest changes in microsoft/vcpkg#1734.

[traversaro]

Both features kinda of implemented in e3fbfb1 .

• Env variables : handled by the scripts https://github.com/robotology-playground/vcpkg-binary-installer-generator/blob/improv/addPathsToEnvVariables.ps1 and https://github.com/robotology-playground/vcpkg-binary-installer-generator/blob/improv/removePathsFromEnvVariables.ps1 , that are automatically called by the QtIFW installer
• Silent installation: implemented for QtIFW installer by passing launching it with the -script option and passing https://github.com/robotology-playground/vcpkg-binary-installer-generator/blob/improv/silent-install.qs : however (even if I did not tested it) this will not work on headless systems, because QtIFW always creates the windows. As an alternative solution, I also generate ZIP tarballs, that contain the powershell script for manipulating the paths. The user can manually extract the tarball and call the scripts to make the libraries available in his system. (Note: for an unknown reason, calling the powershell script to modify the env variables is not currentl working in AppVeyor).

[diegoferigo]

@traversaro On a headless system you can create a script that presses buttons and fills the fields. You can find an example for QtCreator here.

You can then use it as follows:

RUN cd /tmp &&\
    wget http://download.qt.io/official_releases/qtcreator/${QTCREATOR_VERSION%.*}/${QTCREATOR_VERSION}/qt-creator-opensource-linux-x86_64-$QTCREATOR_VERSION.run &&\
    chmod +x qt-creator-opensource-linux-x86_64-${QTCREATOR_VERSION}.run &&\
    ./qt-creator-opensource-linux-x86_64-${QTCREATOR_VERSION}.run --platform minimal --script QtCreatorSetup.js &&\
    rm /tmp/qt-creator-opensource-linux-x86_64-${QTCREATOR_VERSION}.run /tmp/QtCreatorSetup.js

[traversaro]

@diegoferigo Exactly, this is what I described in the previous comment and committed in the repo at https://github.com/robotology-playground/vcpkg-binary-installer-generator/blob/improv/silent-install.qs .
What I do not know if that will work on (Windows) headless systems such as AppVeyor, as the windows is still created, but just hidden (see http://blog.qt.io/blog/2015/04/07/qt-installer-framework-2-0-released/#comment-1195532 ) .