Cross package maker. DEB/RPM generation or conversion. Derived from jordansissel/fpm.

⌈⌋ ⎇ branch:  cross package maker


exe

-t exe package target

The exe module creates trivial SFX installers for Windows.

Creates basic self-extracting zips, with an Installer-like look and feel, courtesy of FreeExtractor. Its makesfx.exe runs well under wine/Linux; and neatly maps fpm package information.

screenshot

Obviously its use regularily requires

  • Actually being able to build for win32.
  • Crafting a windows-specific start.cmd wrapper etc.
  • and packaging files relocatable without absolute paths (no --prefix)
  • so they can end up in $programfiles$/appxy.

The xpm version doesn't require the middleman (wine makesfx.exe) anymore. The SFX stub is built-in. The final "installer" .exe is just a concatenation of:

  • the SFX binary,

    MZP@C@...
    
  • an INI-style description block (max 1024 byte),

    [FE]
    Name='package'
    ZipSize=20524
    Exec=
    DefaultPath=C:/App/
    Intro="...\n"
    URL=
    Author=
    

    Moreover it includes a customized [FPM] ini section now, which retains a few more fpm packaging parameters. This allows the resulting installer data to be imported again (fpm -s exe -t deb). The field mapping still needs some fine tuning though.

  • and the plain ZIP archive appended.

    PKCDT@B@...
    
  • An icon resides in the SFX header. Which can be overwritten, but requires a 2236-byte sized .ico file.

Note that the exe plugin functions both as -t target and -s input. The contained FE and FPM ini sections allow to reimport packages.