Creating a package in some steps

This page explains you how to create a functional package in some steps. This is an interesting tutorial for beginners who want to discover the basic functions of Paquet Builder.

Do not hesitate to check the animated tutorials too: go to http://www.gdgsoft.com/pb

We also recommend you to use Package Express to start new projects and to automatically fill in the different basic fields.

Start a new project by clicking on New. A window appears: you have the choice between four package types. For this tutorial, we will create a Standard package. Click on the icon button near the "Standard Package" label and select OK. You can also change the compression method if you wish it.
Paquet Builder automatically displays the Basic Information page. You need to enter the title for your package, something like "My Archive Tutorial". If the company information fields are blank, please also fill in them (you should enter default information in the Environment Options).
Click on Manage files to compress (or press CTRL+F): the File Manager will be displayed. With the Add button, select Add files and in the shell dialog, select one or more files you wish to compress into your package. Press OK to close the manager.
Now click on Set main destination folder: the related page is displayed. In the "Default Folder" field, you can specify where you would like to extract the files by default. The default choice is %MYDOCDIR%: this variable identifies the "My Documents" path on the destination computer. Enter the following value: %MYDOCDIR%\My Archive Tutorial. When you run your package, the package will display something like: "c:\my documents\My Archive Tutorial" as the default folder.
Click on Modify welcome screen and then on Edit. In the Rich Text Pad editor, you can enter a welcome message such as "Welcome! This will unpack the files for My Archive Tutorial". It's up to you. Press OK to save changes.
Click on Edit final screen and Edit. As previously, enter a sentence like "My files were successfully unpacked! Press Close to exit". Press OK to save changes.
Now press CTRL+B (or click on the Build panel, then Set Package Filename): the compilation page will be displayed. Enter the output filename for your package (the executable file you will distribute) in "Package Filename".
Press the "Compile" button (or CTRL+F9) or "Build" on the toolbar. Paquet Builder will compile your package and display the compilation log. Click on "Run" on the toolbar. Your package should be executed.
Now you can start customizing it with all other features like adding a readme, creating shortcuts, specifying your own icon for your package or even working with custom actions.

Do not hesitate to navigate through the different help topics using the contents tree on the left.

Several other tutorials or samples can be accessed using the "Help" menu command in Paquet Builder.