This feature is something I missed and I am happy it is back again
Release Without Automation?
- Thread starter TigerSoftware
- Start date
This feature is something I missed and I am happy it is back again
Mike and Robbie, are you testing the activations after installing your program or while testing the program within ESB?
Thanks!
Thomas
..you know we don't functions without coffee (or 2 ) haha
schmutly
Well-known member
When running the program in ESB it will always ask for SN...i understood that so its ok...but clicking cancel (WITHIN ESB) allows it to go on. I dont think V4 did that..but this now does.
But He was refering to once a project is "built" and installed like a customer would install it.
However...i need to check this after...as the first time i tried it with TripManager it activated and didnt ask anymore...im sure of it but i will check again. Sorry for the delay
But He was refering to once a project is "built" and installed like a customer would install it.
However...i need to check this after...as the first time i tried it with TripManager it activated and didnt ask anymore...im sure of it but i will check again. Sorry for the delay
Yeah, testing won't stop it from running if you don't activate it which is why I asked.
I think I got this working and will be in the next update.
I still need to figure out a way to know what computer is being activated. Still plan on implementing this when everything else is done.
Thomas
schmutly
Well-known member
In the meantime, i have an option that I think will work
There's a free command line tool, NirCmd from NirSoft that allows you to run commands and scripts silently.
I've done this before for other v3 apps a long time ago but here's what I think will work...for now.
Requirements:
We know we can install zip files in our app. We can also set up an automation that when a newly installed app is first run it will unzip those files to a safe location for Win10 and Win11 which doesn't need elevated scripts( ie: ProgramData) .
And Win 10,11 have PowerShell and that can be run by bypassing the Execution Policy. Using Nircmd will execute getting the C: drive serial from the PC in a silent, no-popup hidden window and copy it to the clipboard (or save it as sn.txt in the same folder in ProgramData.
Then another script (or same script further down) will check for a newly created sn.txt file and if there will upload it to my server ( we can do that in automation Thomas???)
Then i will store it in the ESB-Plugin software Database.
This would be all that needed in theory because it doesnt matter if they install the app on drive c:, d:....x: we just want the drive that every PC has in the world...a C: DRIVE
And we can use this SN to identify this persons SN for his c: drive uniquly. If he takes the software and installs it on another machine that will have a different HDSN...so in theory this would definitely work
What do you think?
To see if it gets your Hard Drive Serial number can some people try this please.
I made the files for you. Download the zip file HERE
and unzip it on any drive. Run the grabHDSN.bat file in that folder.
It will COPY that whole folder into c:\ProgramData\hdsn\
and within a second it will create another file called hdsn.txt which will
contain your C: Drive serial number formatted in aaaa-bbbb-cccc-dddd format.
Can some of you test that please.
Rob.
IE:
schmutly
Well-known member
I grabbed my wife's laptop and tried it and it worked a treat!
So this is 1 option.
What I'm going to try.
1. add this zip file to the ESB project.
2. Create an automation script to unzip it and run it (the script will be hidden so it won't appear in a customer's script list)
3. Build it out. The customer installs your APP you created.
4. When they run it (your built app ) launches & the SN window comes up. They input their SN and click OK....software is activated.
5. Now when they launch the program to look at it as soon as it's open the automation script will run in the background grabbing their
hard drive SN and saving it in C:\ProgramData\hdsn\hdsn.txt file.
6. They are looking around in the app or even doing whatever they like but the script is still running in the background while it uploads that file via WebApi to your software Activation (via the MySQL DB) and adding it to the table.
7. Now we have a record of a unique identifier from that PC stored in the DB.( I'll work out the easiest way later).
Yes, it's a long-winded way of doing it but I am sure it will work till Thomas thinks of a way to add it.
8. I've got my sister's Halloween Website to finish with some cookies and other pages to do as Halloween is fast approaching (no I don't believe in it..DOY!! but I need to make some sort of money and every little bit helps LOL) but once I've done that, during my breaks, I'm going to see if this works.
BUT....ohhh...I just now had an epiphany, I can't do anything till the issue with the serial number activation box comes up every time you try to run the build version on their PC is fixed. I should be able to get it in place anyway.
Thanks for your time listening to my rambling. Take care.
So this is 1 option.
What I'm going to try.
1. add this zip file to the ESB project.
2. Create an automation script to unzip it and run it (the script will be hidden so it won't appear in a customer's script list)
3. Build it out. The customer installs your APP you created.
4. When they run it (your built app ) launches & the SN window comes up. They input their SN and click OK....software is activated.
5. Now when they launch the program to look at it as soon as it's open the automation script will run in the background grabbing their
hard drive SN and saving it in C:\ProgramData\hdsn\hdsn.txt file.
6. They are looking around in the app or even doing whatever they like but the script is still running in the background while it uploads that file via WebApi to your software Activation (via the MySQL DB) and adding it to the table.
7. Now we have a record of a unique identifier from that PC stored in the DB.( I'll work out the easiest way later).
Yes, it's a long-winded way of doing it but I am sure it will work till Thomas thinks of a way to add it.
8. I've got my sister's Halloween Website to finish with some cookies and other pages to do as Halloween is fast approaching (no I don't believe in it..DOY!! but I need to make some sort of money and every little bit helps LOL) but once I've done that, during my breaks, I'm going to see if this works.
BUT....ohhh...I just now had an epiphany, I can't do anything till the issue with the serial number activation box comes up every time you try to run the build version on their PC is fixed. I should be able to get it in place anyway.
Thanks for your time listening to my rambling. Take care.
After running the program, I got the following error message:In the meantime, i have an option that I think will work
There's a free command line tool, NirCmd from NirSoft that allows you to run commands and scripts silently.
I've done this before for other v3 apps a long time ago but here's what I think will work...for now.
Requirements:
We know we can install zip files in our app. We can also set up an automation that when a newly installed app is first run it will unzip those files to a safe location for Win10 and Win11 which doesn't need elevated scripts( ie: ProgramData) .
And Win 10,11 have PowerShell and that can be run by bypassing the Execution Policy. Using Nircmd will execute getting the C: drive serial from the PC in a silent, no-popup hidden window and copy it to the clipboard (or save it as sn.txt in the same folder in ProgramData.
Then another script (or same script further down) will check for a newly created sn.txt file and if there will upload it to my server ( we can do that in automation Thomas???)
Then i will store it in the ESB-Plugin software Database.
This would be all that needed in theory because it doesnt matter if they install the app on drive c:, d:....x: we just want the drive that every PC has in the world...a C: DRIVE
And we can use this SN to identify this persons SN for his c: drive uniquly. If he takes the software and installs it on another machine that will have a different HDSN...so in theory this would definitely work
What do you think?
To see if it gets your Hard Drive Serial number can some people try this please.
I made the files for you. Download the zip file HERE
and unzip it on any drive. Run the grabHDSN.bat file in that folder.
It will COPY that whole folder into c:\ProgramData\hdsn\
and within a second it will create another file called hdsn.txt which will
contain your C: Drive serial number formatted in aaaa-bbbb-cccc-dddd format.
Can some of you test that please.
Rob.
IE:
View attachment 16847
Any idea why?
schmutly
Well-known member
Yeah, you double-clicked (DC) the nircmd on its own from Windows. It's a "command line" utility use.
You need to run the Windows ".bat" file only.
Double-click the grabHDSN.bat file. When you clicked Copy to Windows Directory that failed to copy message comes up.
You can't click NirCmd from windows its a shell only command (you know...like dos window only command.
If i DC the NirCmd on its own i get that too. If you did run the .bat file on its own only you didn't say.
Pretty sure if you go back and DC the bat file it will work as its fairly simple file.
NirCmd was meant to hide the window from appearing at all and even though i tried the opacity setting and minimize to tray theres no way it seems to completely hide the black dos shell window from appearing so i put a message saying "checking automation files" just so if someone installs it and sees that, even for the one second its up, they'll think its part of the program and move on.
If you did run bat file and got an error there should be a error log in hdsn folder in programdata. But i think youll be fine
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