[FWTools] fwtools as a "portable app"

[Frank Warmerdam]

robert wood wrote:
> I didn't see this mentioned in the archvies, but if it is
> an already hashed out topic, I'm sorry.
> 
> I'm wondering if there is any interest in modifying FWTools
> to function from a flash drive like many of the other
> "portable apps"?  I can think of a few times that I've
> needed some conversion and manipulation work done
> on systems that I'm not allowed to install software on.
> 
> After reading a blog entry about running qgis from a
> flash drive ( 
> http://www.spatiallyadjusted.com/2006/02/23/gis-in-your-pocket/ ),
> I began wondering if the same could be done with
> fwtools.  After playing around a bit with 1.0.0a7 (windows release)
> I found I could get it to work by doing the following:
> 
> - Edit the setfw and openev batch files so that instead
>   of a hard coded path, the home directory is set using %cd%
>   to supply the current directory
> 
> - Copying the shortcuts into the fwtools directory and removing
>   the absolute paths from them (the OpenEV icon gets lost, but
>   that isn't fatal).
> When the shortucts are opened (from the FWtools directory) I get
> a working shell and OpenEV comes up.  I don't use mapserver and
> don't really know how to go about testing it or if it makes sense to
> run it from a thumb-drive anyway.
> 
> Is this an activity worth following up?  At the very least I can write
> up the details and supply a set of modified batch files.

Robert,

I am interested in this.  I did a wee bit of looking around and
couldn't find much about %CD%.  I guess the idea is that if the
shortcuts are in the FWTools directory, then when you click on them
the %CD% will be the FWTools base directory?

Perhaps the setfwt.bat and openev.bat could check if %CD% is an
FWTools base dir (by looking for %CD%\bin\setfw.bat for instance)
and if so, not do the hardcoded directory thing, but use %CD% instead?
Would it be helpful if the installer left a copy of the short cuts in
the FWTools directory?

I would be interested in making small modifications to the installer
if it would make this sort of thing much easier to setup.

Best regards,
-- 
---------------------------------------+--------------------------------------
I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush    | President OSGF, http://osgeo.org