Running your packaged image
The basics of running your packaged image are described under Simple Packaging. In the example, nodialog was used to launch the example and the .ini file from the development was used along with the packaged image as parameters. It was run within the same VAST Platform installation which generated the packaged image.
Now is the time to describe how to design a target environment in which to run your packaged image.
First, review the components of a command such as nodialog –iepappl –ini:abt.ini. in addition to the packaged image itself specified in the –i parameter.
Choose how to start your packaged image.
Use | if |
abt.exe | You want to run on Windows, your application has a GUI and you want a splash screen |
abt or es | You want to run on Linux, your application has a GUI and you want a splash screen |
nodialog.exe | You want to run on Windows, your application has a GUI and you do not want a splash screen |
nodialog | You want to run on Linux , your application has a GUI and you do not want a splash screen |
esvio.exe | You want to run on Windows , your application has a no GUI and you do not want a splash screen |
abtnx or esnx | You want to run on Linux , your application has a no GUI |
abtntsrv.exe | You want to run on Windows, your application has a no GUI and you want to run as a Windows NT Service |
(For more on files required at runtime See Redistributable Runtime Files.)
On Linux, the VAST Runtime zip, contains a bash script called 'installPrereqs' that installs any dependencies on Linux that you may need, like libc or motif.
Execute that script to install the needed dependencies.
Execute that script to install the needed dependencies.
In order to run your packaged image, you need an .ini file in addition to this image file.
Choose | if |
newimage\abt.ini | Your application has a GUI |
newimage\esvio.ini | You want to run on Windows and Your application is headless |
newimage/abtnx.ini | You want to run on Linux and Your application is headless |
If the packaged image is to be run in the development environment, the abt.ini in the same directory as that packaged image could be copied and renamed to match. This would have all the changes to the .ini file which were needed to run the user application in the development environment, but it would also have entries specific to software development.
Setting up to run
Where can you choose to run your packaged image? There are at least two choices:
1. the development environment which produced the packaged image;
2. a separate context which does not rely on the development environment.
Running the packaged image from the development environment is suitable for quick level testing. The best place to extensively test your runtime image is in a target environment within a separate context such as the VAST Runtime (available on the Instantiations download page) which uses a preconfigured directory tree of needed files. It is the better context for testing
•because it excludes the files only needed to support development;
•because it provides a solid foundation from which to build up the resources needed for more resource intensive user applications;
•because it separates the development environment from the target environment.
Pick the VAST Runtime with the same version and bitness as that of the VAST Platform Development Image which produced the reduced runtime image.
If you choose to run in the VAST Runtime, you must move the packaged image to the root of the decompressed VAST Runtime tree. The ini file you choose will be under the VAST Runtime directory, not in the VAST installation.
Once you locate the proper .ini file, copy it to the same directory as your packaged image, and then rename it to match the packaged image file.
Open a command terminal and change directory to the directory with the packaged image.
For Windows:
To run in the development environment, the command terminal must be a VAST command terminal, which is available through a shortcut on the Start menu or through Environments ‘open command window’ menu item in the context menu any selected environment.
Running a packaged image with a User Interface
You run your newly packaged application by starting the executable from a command terminal with your packaged image file name as the image parameter:
e.g.: Development Environment nodialog -iepappl
e.g.: VAST Runtime
For Windows:
bin\nodialog.exe -iepappl
For Linux (UNIX):
newimage/nodialog -iepappl
The use of nodialog indicates the packaged image has a user interface. The parameter -i tells the executable to use the named image rather than the default image name abt.icx. The lack of -ini on the command line indicates the presence of an .ini file named epappl.ini.
Running a headless packaged image
If your application has no user interface, you run your packaged image by starting the executable esvio.exe (or abtnx or esnx on UNIX) with your packaged application file name as the image parameter.
The Hello World example is such a headless application. It outputs a string “Hello world from Smalltalk” to the console. If hello.icx is the reduced runtime image generated by the packager, and hello.ini is the .ini file from the newimage directory, the command line is as follows
For Windows:
esvio –ihello.icx -lCON
For Linux (UNIX):
esnx –ihello.icx
For more information on packaging and running the Hello World example and other headless user applications, see Server Guide.
Last modified date: 04/19/2022