NIPB: Add the Ability to Create Symbolic Link to [Temp] Files

[CL_eisenwr]

Since NIPM creates/uses a custom/unique folder in %temp% for [Temp] files, it would be helpful to be able to create symbolic link to a file in [Temp] to be used in the custom executes. I ran into this trying to deploy a MSI installer with NIPB. If I had a way for NIPM to fill out the actual path to the .msi file in [Temp] in Post-Install action, I could easily have the msi installed silently and let NIPM delete the file aftwards for me. Instead I had to place the file somewhere else, [BootVolume], call install via Post-Install with my known path as an argument, and add a Post-Install All to delete the now unneeded .msi installer file.

[Scott_Richardson]

Bill, NIPM custom executes are designed to support targeting the root locations that files are installed to, and that includes temporary directories. Prior to NIPM 19.5, the Temp target root for installing files did not match the target root that custom executes can target. NIPM 19.5 added new temp roots, NIPkgMgrTemp and NIPkgMgrTempUnique and NIPM custom executes properly target files in each of these roots. Target roots can also be used in the arguments attribute when surrounded by % characters, i.e. %NIPkgMgrTempUnique%.

I know that NIPB 19.6 was subsequently updated to use NIPkgMgrTempUnique internally for what it exposes as Temp, so it now can target temporary installed files as root and in arguments.

From the above post, it appears that you are just using NIPM, if so and you are still hitting issues, please clarify what your control file attributes for your custom executes look like, and share in some form what files are being installed there as well.

Ref: 

• http://www.ni.com/documentation/en/ni-package-manager/latest/manual/instructions-xml-file-packages/
• http://www.ni.com/documentation/en/ni-package-manager/latest/manual/installation-target-roots/

[CL_eisenwr]

I guess we could mark this as Already Implemented. I was able to use %NIPkgMgrTempUnique%\<filename> in my Post Install Custom Execute to point to my .msi file.