Software Dependencies

If your content requires a specific browser version, plug-ins, or other software that must be installed, you can use the Dependencies entries in the cdrun.xml file to have your CD install these as needed. Each dependency is numbered from 0 to 9 and contains the following information:

Setting	Purpose
Component	A DLL that must be loaded successfully for the dependency to be satisfied. The wizard-generated cdrun.xml checks for the Winsock 2 DLL, WS2_32.DLL.
Message	A prompt that will be displayed if the component is missing. If FileToLaunch is not blank, the message must be a question asking the user for permission to install the software. If FileToLaunch is blank, the message should be an error message.
FileToLaunch	Program to execute if the component is missing (if blank, nothing will be launched). If the required software is on the CD, this should be the path to the executable, relative to the top folder on the CD.
ErrorPage	An HTML file to open if the dependency cannot be satisfied. This can contain links to a web site to download the required software.

Example 1. Displays a warning message if the Winsock 2 DLL is not installed.

<Message>A newer version of Internet Explorer or Netscape is needed.</Message>

<ErrorPage>browserError.html</ErrorPage>

</Dependency0>

Example 2. Offers to install Internet Explorer if the Winsock 2 DLL is not installed. This example assumes that the CD will contain the Internet Explorer setup files in a folder named msie on the CD.

<Message>A newer version of Internet Explorer is needed. Would you like to install Internet Explorer now?</Message>

<FileToLaunch>msie\iesetup.exe</FileToLaunch>

<ErrorPage>browserError.html</ErrorPage>

</Dependency0>