Create Fully Customized Installers for Any Task

very good
key review info
application features
  • Build your updates and patches with ease.
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For any professional software developer, there comes a time when they have to compile their completed projects and distribute them by using whatever means possible. According to the type of project developed, the distribution package must be organized and, at the same time, it should be easy to use.

For this purpose alone, setup builders have been developed, but only one in particular, developed by Amma Software, has managed to capture my attention when it comes to the level of performance and the user interaction features. Although a setup builder is not an ordinary tool that you can find installed on every computer, Basic Setup Builder blends in perfectly with every working environment. Whether you are using Windows 98 to Windows Vista, it performs greatly regardless the file structuring system of your OS.

At first glance, the software impresses through the brightly colored user interface. Each panel has its own color, making it a lot easier to keep organized and managing all of its options. For instance, the main menu where you access the global product information is distinctly colored in red so that you know which sections you are currently accessing and customizing. This color hierarchy makes the software very user friendly, unlike other dull competitive products where tracking the desired functions can turn into a real quest.

Regardless of creating a brightly colored interface, perhaps all the buttons could have been given a slight 3D effect. After all, we are talking about a piece of software that should not only impress through features, but also through a dynamic interface worthy of the Vista era. I'm sure that this aspect will be improved during future updates.

Although Basic Setup Builder offers you a vast range of options, features and functions that you can fully customize, all of these are not hard to find. The tabbed panel display can be more than generous when it comes to revealing each feature or selection. What's even greater about it is that, for every single selected option, you get a small example or information about how you can use that feature. These are not under the form of pop up balloon tips or mouse over text boxes, but simply placed in a small window at the top of your workspace where you can scroll it for any additional information.

Leaving aside the graphical interface, Basic Setup Builder is even more impressive when we look “under the hood.” The Main menu enables you to make sure that you get all the essentials right. You get to generate a Globally Unique Identifier for the package, select whether it's a stand-alone, update or addon package and let’s not forget about the default language and the linking of additional DLL libraries. Keep in mind that all of these features can be selected only by using your mouse. Using them becomes a matter of knowing what exactly you need the installer to behave like and not customizing a predefined template so that it can reflect your requirements.

For each of the packaging modes, stand-alone, updated or addon, you can choose to include the necessary files within the installer or simply load them from a desired remote address such as a website or FTP server. This makes it easier to create distributable software as long as the client has an Internet connection. For instance, online game clients are installed using the same principle: you first download a small installer that turns out to be a download manger that uses your Internet connection to remotely access and install the necessary files.

Just like any other great setup builder, this one also comes with the ability to add and edit registry values according to your specifications. Registry keys such as HKEY_CURRENT_USER or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG can easily be accessed and you are given the ability to add new variables that can perform targeted functions.

From the same menu, System Changes, the setting and configuration of .INI files can turn into a simple experience where all you have to do is check or uncheck the Shared Items components or Item names that you would like the configuration file(s) to contain. Defining sections and parameters becomes a matter of clicks instead of looking through lines of code to check for the specifically defined parameters. You won't even have to worry about blank lines, the misinterpretation of a whitespace or quoted values. Basic Setup Builder takes care of these time consuming features for you.

The Commands Execution panel is split into four additional panels. The Main Grid gives you access to all the files that you want to install, the Properties panel provides you with the necessary options that can change the properties of the selected files, from the Execution times you can view all the commands that the installer performs and the Groups panel gives you access to all the items that have been sorted accordingly to their groups.

What makes this panel more special than the other is the fact that from here you can add or remove executions that otherwise would be performed in vain. If, for instance, you want to dismiss the “Before Install” execution time, all you need to do is select the execution command and delete it. At the same time, you can add modifications to already existing commands by editing their function arguments, parameters and even working directories. The process of editing execution commands has significantly been reduced to clicking and changing a couple of functions and arguments here and there.

Last but not least, the Forms menu needs to be brought up especially because it has been organized in such a way so that you can manage every visual aspect of each installation window. From the header, footer, page text and buttons, everything can be changed accordingly within the shortest amount of time. An installation window can be customized by applying URL links to online banners and resources, by changing its background and even changing the conditions that need to be fulfilled within the current window so that you can click the Next button. Each individual window can be configured independently from all the others, with its own set of rules and layout.

Finally, after you have completed your work on adding all the right files and customizing the installer, all that is left to do is actually test it. Basic Setup Builder comes to your rescue and provides a Run dropdown menu from where you can choose from testing the layout or the layout with the installation files. You can use the former whenever you have a large project to compile and you don't want to waste valuable execution time recompiling your entire work. It's good to know that you can test the interface separately from the installation files.


The Good

When it comes to completely managing every aspect of the setup building process, Basic Setup Builder does a wonderful job in providing you all the possible options that can be changed. Also, what sets it apart is the compact size of the application and its low memory and CPU usage. It consumes an approximate 30 Mb of memory and, when building the entire project, the processor peaks at a higher rate for a short while.

The Bad What the software could use is a more dynamic and 3D look when it comes to the user interface display. Amma Software has started off good by organizing the important features and options by color but it would do an even better job with a slightly more stylish design. For 99 dollars a license, people tend to be a little judgmental when they first lay their eyes on the software.

The Truth

Setting aside the pros and cons, Basic Setup Builder is a great tool to use when it comes to packaging your own software. It comes with all the right features along with the necessary customizable options that can make it a number one choice on the market.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action:

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user interface 3
features 5
ease of use 5
pricing / value 4


final rating 4
Editor's review
very good