Dear Alaska Support Team,

There are a couple of issues with the recent WAA installation package for 
Xbase++ 1.90.355 (SL-1).

1) The actually used directory structure is different from what the
   (readme file) documentation says. The second part, which is installed
   in the User's "Documents" folder isn't placed in a subdirectory tree
   named: "\ALASKA\WAA1W32\" but instead in a single subdirectory named:
   "...\Alaska Web Application Adaptor\".

   In addition, a third folder named "SessionData" is created -- besides 
   the documented "LogFiles" and "Samples" folders -- in that directory.

   Also, instead of the User's "Documents" folder a better location for
   this data would be the user's "Application Data" folder (CSIDL_APPDATA)
   or even better "Local Settings\Application Data" (CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA).

2) The Readme and Licence files are only supplied in RTF format, instead
   of a plain text format, even though they don't contain any kind of
   formatting. That means that they can't be easily viewed without using 
   a program (like Word or WordViewer), which is able to show RTF files.

-- Andreas

---                                                                      ---
  Andreas Gehrs-Pahl              E-Mail: GPahl@CharterMI.net
  415 Gute Street                     or: Andreas@DDPSoftware.com
  Owosso, MI 48867-4410               or: Andreas_Gehrs-Pahl@CrimeCog.com
  Tel: (989) 723-9927           Web Site: http://www.Aerospace-History.net
---                                                                      ---

Hello Mr Gehrs-Pahl,

Thank you for pointing us on the issues mentioned. Also, thank you for
the very clear and complete description.
In fact the documentation was not synced with what is installed and
used by default.

To cover the first part of your description I have opened PDR 6302:

http://www.alaska-software.com/scripts/waa001.dll?WAA_PACKAGE=PUBLICDTS&WAA_FORM=DISPLAYPDR&PDRID=6302

PDR 6303 describes the documentation gap of the directory sessiondata:

http://www.alaska-software.com/scripts/waa001.dll?WAA_PACKAGE=PUBLICDTS&WAA_FORM=DISPLAYPDR&PDRID=6303

Regarding the location of the stuff that goes to the documents folder
now: The folder "Application Data" is the perfect place to hold data
that is used by an application that can be run by different users on
a machine. However there are several issues to be taken into consideration.

1) The user needs write permission on that folder. Without the required
   permission the application (WAA) works quite well, however all data
   is written to the shadow copy for that user. This can be covered when
   write permissions are assigned while the package is installed.
   However, the user running the WAA then requires appropriate credentials

   To cover this, the installation package could create a user-group
   to which the user running the WAA needs to be member.

   We felt that the entire topic is not easy to explain when the alternative
   to have a per-user installation is a solution for this.

   For a per-user installation the users documents folder is the perfect
   place (platform conform) to maintain the WAAs data.

   Please note that the entire topic raises only because the WAA does
   not run as service - otherwise things would be easier and more
   platform conform.

2) There is no MSI installer conform place where application data can
   be maintained for an application that can be run from different
   users and that place can be browsed via the explorer. This means
   that such files as logfiles and WAA samples go to a directory
   that can not be easyly found by the users using the Microsoft file
   Explorer.

Note that the arguments above is not targeted to experienced professionals
who know perfectly the requirements to deal with the topics above.

On the other hand, we have introduced the new environment variable
WAA_CONFIGURATION with which the location to where the WAA writes all his
stuff can be manipulated. This provides great flexibility to the
professionals who understand all the side effects when proper credentials
are not maintained.

Hope this helps to understand our motivation that made us to choose the
users documents folder for WAA data.

Regarding the RTF file format: We have not suspected any issue with that
since all Windows installations come with an application that can read
RTF documents. Do you feel that a readme must be provided in txt
format? Your opionion (and the opinion of all others who discover this
thread) is welcomed.




Andreas Gehrs-Pahl schrieb:
> Dear Alaska Support Team,
> 
> There are a couple of issues with the recent WAA installation package for 
> Xbase++ 1.90.355 (SL-1).
> 
> 1) The actually used directory structure is different from what the
>    (readme file) documentation says. The second part, which is installed
>    in the User's "Documents" folder isn't placed in a subdirectory tree
>    named: "\ALASKA\WAA1W32\" but instead in a single subdirectory named:
>    "...\Alaska Web Application Adaptor\".
> 
>    In addition, a third folder named "SessionData" is created -- besides 
>    the documented "LogFiles" and "Samples" folders -- in that directory.
> 
>    Also, instead of the User's "Documents" folder a better location for
>    this data would be the user's "Application Data" folder (CSIDL_APPDATA)
>    or even better "Local Settings\Application Data" (CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA).
> 
> 2) The Readme and Licence files are only supplied in RTF format, instead
>    of a plain text format, even though they don't contain any kind of
>    formatting. That means that they can't be easily viewed without using 
>    a program (like Word or WordViewer), which is able to show RTF files.
> 
> -- Andreas
> 
> ---                                                                      ---
>   Andreas Gehrs-Pahl              E-Mail: GPahl@CharterMI.net
>   415 Gute Street                     or: Andreas@DDPSoftware.com
>   Owosso, MI 48867-4410               or: Andreas_Gehrs-Pahl@CrimeCog.com
>   Tel: (989) 723-9927           Web Site: http://www.Aerospace-History.net
> ---                                                                      ---

   Andreas Herdt
   Alaska Software

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