RealDwg Installer - why so Cryptic?

[CADbloke]

Why is the installation process so cryptic? Is this some kind of test because I am failing miseably (I heard that, up the back). Why is is so impossible for Autodesk to publish a tutorial - a USEFUL TUTORIAL AND A SAMPLE THAT ACTUALLY WORKS?

The video at http://adndevblog.typepad.com/autocad/2015/04/introduction-to-realdwg-net-programming.html at 24:30 clearly shows the machine he tested it on was not a clean machine. I am calling BS on that one. I'm also calling BS on the missing half-hour at that point in the video too, the most important and difficult stuff for the install is missing at that point. The included sample project dosen't even build, he doesn't show all the manual steps that you need to guess to get it to build in the video either, you just get "here's my batch file, here's my wix file .. oh <Magic />, here's my installer". You missed a bit, FYI. And this is the only documentation there is for RealDwg installation, the SDK you pay for has nothing.

Well, there is thie ...https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/net/merge-modules-for-installer-for-realdwg-2013-application/td-p/378... but it 

Before you go harping on, about readdbx.chm try getting someone who has never seen Wix to grok it. Also, this SDK is for .NET developers who don't generally need to package C++ runtimes and all that, so that assumption is broken. 

Since when is C:\Program Files\... a sensible \bin\ folder? What the hell kind of guidance is that?

There should be a sample installer in the SDK that, btw, costs US$ 5000.

While we're at it - http://adndevblog.typepad.com/autocad/2013/04/installed-version-of-realdwg-application-crashes.html  WHAT? Google policy & msm ... no, wait, here https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Microsoft_VC140+msm+policy and tell me what the hell?

Building a RealDwg installer is definitely my worst experience developing on the Autodesk platform and it's fair to say it has had some competition over the years. This shuold be a simple exercise - grab the sample, add your mods and build it - rather than leave every single one of us to discover it all from zero. What a colossal pointless waste of...everything.

So - please, for the love of $Deity, put down the shiny 3D Interent for a few moments, remember who your paying customers are, find somebody who actually understands Wix, and RealDWg (and batch files - they have variables, you know) and actually buildsan installer that works on a new machine with no Autodesk products on it AND TEST IT ON A CLEAN MACHINE THAT IS ACTUALLY CLEAN.

And please explain what the hell...

In addition, Autodesk CMSMs require the ODBXHOSTAPPGLOROOT and ODBXHOSTAPPREGROOT properties to be set in the MSI [my notes - where?, when?,How?] . This property specifies the registry root for some modules. The following template shows the format of the ODBXHOSTAPPGLOROOT and ODBXHOSTAPPREGROOT value: Software\\<CompanyName>\\<MyProduct>\\<versionX.Y>. The ODBXHOSTAPPGLOROOT property is created automatically when you merge the required objdbx.msm file. You must replace the portions wrapped in angle brackets [WHERE?] with your application's name and version number.

...means to those who don't actually already know what it means because they have seen the source code of AutoCAD. How is one even to do that in 2016, with tools from this century. Now that Orca is obsolete, what do I do? (answer - this: http://www.instedit.com/). See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/255905 Surely everybody has to do this so there has to be a common practice. It sure as hell isn't in the tutorial at http://adndevblog.typepad.com/autocad/2015/04/introduction-to-realdwg-net-programming.html

So why am I manually editing these two properties in an MSI when all that information is already in the Wix files? Why is it so hard to tell me that? Why can't I script that if it is unfixable?

Also, in HostApplicationServices{} am I meant to implement UserRegistryProductRootKey, MachineRegistryProductRootKey (DupmDwg.vb doesn't) and do I include the "Software\..." prefix because the examples seem to vary and the default is all in CAPS but he samples aren't and WTF. 

Now I need to go and apologise to all my neighbours for my profanity.

[CADbloke]

So, I built an installer, wrote about how I solved a few of the problems and then this bloatware of a forum ate my reply. Stuff this, I'll post it at TheSwamp...when I've had sufficient sleep and time for the sheer rage and disbelief to subside.

[CADbloke]

Here's a short but (I think) really great fix for one of the most annoying bits...

<!--http://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/votive/votive_project_references.html-->
    <WixVariable Id="RealDwgRegistryRoot" Value="SOFTWARE\CADbloke\tvCADdesktopBeta\0.0" />
    
    <!-- Set the RealDwg Registry Roots-->
    <Property Id="ODBXHOSTAPPREGROOT" Value="!(wix.RealDwgRegistryRoot)" />
    <Property Id="ODBXHOSTAPPGLOROOT" Value="!(wix.RealDwgRegistryRoot)" />

This will beat the RealDwg MSMs to the MSI and set that property for you, instead of editing the MSI by hand after it is built. You will get a warning from Wix about that conflict but ignore it. You should be used to ignoring Wix warnings by now.

Best tip: use https://github.com/tom-englert/Wax - no, seriously - it's great.

[CADbloke]

today I, and my end-users, are mostly seeing this ...

System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'Acdbmgd.dll' or one of its dependencies. The specified module could not be found.
File name: 'Acdbmgd.dll'

Look familiar? I wonder how many days I will waste as the guinea pig on this one?

[CADbloke]

It turns out the new Windows Universal run-times are not so universal after all so it crashed on any machine that is not Windows 10 or has not had the relevant Windows Update . How exciting that as a C# developer (and paying customer) I need to solve the mysteries of C++ deployment for Autodesk.

From that linked page ...

---

1. There will not be a merge module for the Universal CRT. If you currently use the CRT merge modules and still want to deploy the Visual C++ libraries centrally, we recommend that you move to the above mentioned Windows Update package or to the VCRedist. Alternatively, you may choose to link statically to the Universal CRT and the Visual C++ libraries.

2. Updated September 11, 2015:  App-local deployment of the Universal CRT is supported.  To obtain the binaries for app-local deployment, install the Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) for Windows 10.  The binaries will be installed to C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Redist\ucrt.  You will need to copy all of the DLLs with your app (note that the set of DLLs are necessary is different on different versions of Windows, so you must include all of the DLLs in order for your program to run on all supported versions of Windows).

---

Good luck forcing customers on locked-down corporate networks into requiring a Windows Update. That is not a safe option.

So, autodesk, who should I send my bill to for working this out for you and documenting it in your shipped product that I paid US$5,000 for?

For a thread that was escalated on its first day, there has been ZERO response from Autodesk ... or anyone. For the folks watching, this is encouraging, eh? You might want to rethink that RealDwg thing. If I knew then what I know now... 😕

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I'm getting this error on my server too when trying to load the Acdbmgd.dll. Were you ever able to fix this?

Thanks,

Julie

[CADbloke]

Hi Julie

Sorry about the delay - this forum software is rubbish so I didn't see this.

You need to install those runtimes. You can with install the relevant Windows update or install them manually. I added them to my installer so I could be sure they are there but if it is your server then you obviously have more control over it.

That's if this was the problem you were having. There are an infinite number of reasons you would get that error. The other one that messed me around is missing one of the MSM modules if you are using Wix Installer for RealDwg. Not even Autodesk know which ones are really necessary for specific`scenarios so you just need to install the whole kitchen sink. Yes, wonderful, isn't it?

cheers

Ewen

[MattKincaid]

I found the youtube video below pretty helpful for getting started.  It doesn't tell you everything you need to know, but it's pretty good.  I'd also like to add that I could not agree more with the general points of the original post :).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJUkH0DOjvc

[CADbloke]

https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/content/problem/6111/visual-studio-2017-universal-c-runt... may explain a better way to install the Universal CRT

I'm running Visual Studio 2017 and I found newer versions in C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Professional\Common7\IDE\Remote Debugger\x64

[viktorPQXHW]

Thank you for your message! I thought that I had some local difficulties with realDWG installer, but it turned out everybody has them. 

Is there a way to completely avoid the installer? Or creating it is the only way?

Your kind feedback is appreciated.

[CADbloke]

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@viktorPQXHW wrote:

Thank you for your message! I thought that I had some local difficulties with realDWG installer, but it turned out everybody has them. 

Is there a way to completely avoid the installer? Or creating it is the only way?

Your kind feedback is appreciated.

---

Nope, you need to use a Wix installer because of Autodesk's MSM modules the installer references. There is no escape.

Have a look at https://github.com/oleg-shilo/wixsharp - I will be migrating to this when I next hit a brick Wix wall. I wish I had started there, C# is easier to manage than a cluster--- of XML files.

[CADbloke]

Just for comparison, installing a .NET Classic OpenDesign app is a simple xcopy install, no merge modules, no registry action, just xcopy. They're smaller too, about 1/4 of the size of a RealDwg app. Did I mention easier?