How to avoid users having to unpack an hr1 file on first run of an instrument

[d.healey]

@pcs800 You have to write a custom script that innosetup can launch after the plugin installation to create the link file. And you'll need a similar script on Mac.

[Lindon]

@d-healey said in How to avoid users having to unpack an hr1 file on first run of an instrument:

@pcs800 You have to write a custom script that innosetup can launch after the plugin installation to create the link file. And you'll need a similar script on Mac.

or you can write some sort of downloader, either independent stand alone or inside your plugin - but inno, standalone or in-plug you are going to have to have a location(path) that you can use - you cannot assume any given folder/directory will be available on your end users machine - which is why everyone asks the user where they want the samples saving....

[pcs800]

@Lindon I am obviously new at this, and coding is not my thing. which is why I chose Hise, most things can be done without coding. It floors me that something separate has to be written or downloaded just to include the samples.
Maybe if I understood the process better, I wouldn't be so intimidated.
Let's assume the following.

• I will not be making mac versions, only windows
• I will only be creating vst3 plugins, not stand alone or vst2
• I would like to place the sampels inside the plugin vst3 folder, like this C:\Program Files\Common Files|VST3\My plugin\Samples

Can someone explain how to do that? In noob terms please?

[d.healey]

@pcs800 said in How to avoid users having to unpack an hr1 file on first run of an instrument:

Can someone explain how to do that? In noob terms please?

You include the samples with inno setup and it puts them in the location you choose. You need to write a script for innosetup to run after installation to create the link file - or you could write a script in your plugin to make it create the link file on first load.

[Lindon]

@pcs800 said in How to avoid users having to unpack an hr1 file on first run of an instrument:

@Lindon I am obviously new at this, and coding is not my thing. which is why I chose Hise, most things can be done without coding. It floors me that something separate has to be written or downloaded just to include the samples.
Maybe if I understood the process better, I wouldn't be so intimidated.
Let's assume the following.

• I will not be making mac versions, only windows
• I will only be creating vst3 plugins, not stand alone or vst2
• I would like to place the sampels inside the plugin vst3 folder, like this C:\Program Files\Common Files|VST3\My plugin\Samples

Can someone explain how to do that? In noob terms please?

Well - how many sample based products have you installed? Every Kontakt instrumetn has to install the samples somewhere, as does every other sampler-based product, so in this regard HISE is no different. But lets look at your assumptions:

• I will not be making mac versions, only windows

Why would you? There is nothing intrinsically harder or easier in adding in a 2nd platform - which is one of the great benefits of HISE

• I will only be creating vst3 plugins, not stand alone or vst2

Correct - I assume you didn't get a VST2 license when they were available - a few years ago now - and thus don't have a license and thus cannot release VST2 format...mostly we've all given up on VST2 anyway...

• I would like to place the sampels inside the plugin vst3 folder, like this C:\Program Files\Common Files|VST3\My plugin\Samples

Very, very bad idea. First you are assuming there's is a C: drive, and then you are assuming that Program Files is mapped there - if you know enough about windows, or have enough experience with audio end users both of these assumptions are untrue for between 5-10% of you customer base (maybe a little less). Hint: system drive location is set-able in the BIOS. So what are you going to do when there is no C drive or no path called C:\Program Files\Common Files|VST3\My plugin\Samples ??

But worse than this is not recognising in 2024 there will be nearly zero room on the end users system drive(even if it is C:\Program Files) Users these days have small very very fast system drives that can just about hold the OS and core audio programs - there will be very very little room left and your customers will not thank you for chewing a very large amount of it with your Samples. Obviously you can do whatever you like so go ahead, but - last piece of advice:

Ask. The. User. Where. They. Want. The. Samples. And. Put. Them. There. NOWHERE ELSE.

[pcs800]

@d-healey said in How to avoid users having to unpack an hr1 file on first run of an instrument:

You include the samples with inno setup and it puts them in the location you choose. You need to write a script for innosetup to run after installation to create the link file - or you could write a script in your plugin to make it create the link file on first load.

If i write the script in innosetup, how do I know where it should place the linkwindows file?
Or if I put the script in the plugin itself to create the link file on first run, where dos the file get placed?
Should I ask chatgpt to write it for me, or is someone here going to get more specific?

[d.healey]

@pcs800 said in How to avoid users having to unpack an hr1 file on first run of an instrument:

how do I know where it should place the linkwindows file?

In the plugin's app data folder, that's the same on all systems. You'll need to create the sub-folder tree if it doesn't already exist.

@pcs800 said in How to avoid users having to unpack an hr1 file on first run of an instrument:

Should I ask chatgpt to write it for me,

You can try, but I wouldn't run the code unless you know what it does. Scripts that mess with files can cause problems if not written correctly.

[pcs800]

@Lindon Actually I am extremelmly familiar wth Windows IS,s. I am a retired IT pro and dealt with windows xp on up thorugh win10, and every server version in between. VN's and Linux as well.
I have yet to see an OS hard drive so small, that nothing can be installed on it. In fact, isn't the vst3 standard that all vst3 plugins are placed at OS drive\Program Files\Common Files\VST3?

As far as mac, maybe I will create those later, but for now,since I am new, I would like to create windows vst3's only.

I do not know how to create a script that allows the user to set the samples location. SO assuming I put them in say [userdocs}\company name\product name\samples
Couldn't I just include this linkwindows file with that path already defined?

[d.healey]

@pcs800 said in How to avoid users having to unpack an hr1 file on first run of an instrument:

I do not know how to create a script that allows the user to set the samples location.

This is what the hr installer does already.

@pcs800 said in How to avoid users having to unpack an hr1 file on first run of an instrument:

Couldn't I just include this linkwindows file with that path already defined?

I didn't even think of that but yeah, actually I think that would work since it's the same location on both systems. The only issue I see is how do you get it in the app data folder on the user's system because they will have a different username to you. It's possible Innosetup provides a wildcard for the username though, I can't remember, so check the documentation.

[pcs800]

@d-healey inno actually does provide a wildcard for that. I think it's something like {userprof}\etc\etc
So, where exactly do I put this linkwindows file?

[d.healey]

@pcs800 said in How to avoid users having to unpack an hr1 file on first run of an instrument:

where exactly do I put this linkwindows file?

How to avoid users having to unpack an hr1 file on first run of an instrument

@Christoph-Hart Ok, i set the right path in the LinkWindows file located at File -> show Project app data folder in Explorer. re-exported the plugin, bundled...

Forum (forum.hise.audio)

[pcs800]

@d-healey So I have inno put it in {userProf}\AppData\Roaming\company name\Product name\LinkWindows ?

[bendurso]

@pcs800 said in How to avoid users having to unpack an hr1 file on first run of an instrument:

Couldn't I just include this linkwindows file with that path already defined?

I made a post about that a long time ago:

Automatic Installer for Windows: Inno Setup Script

Hello! I thought that maybe for some this Inno Setup script could be useful. It installs the plugin + samples automatically on the user's computer. It does t...

Forum (forum.hise.audio)

[d.healey]

@pcs800 I think so, try it and report back

[pcs800]

@d-healey I just did it manually (not in inno) and it worked.
I put the LinkWindows file at C:\Users\pcs80\AppData\Roaming\company name\product name\LinkWindows
Which would be {userProf}\AppData\company name\product name\LinkWindows

Inside the file I specified the location of the samples, and it worked.