Welcome to SPIS TWebCompress and TWHCompress v2.0

Web Site File Management and Deployment Utility Components
V2.0 May 1998
(c) 1997-8 South Pacific Information Services Ltd All Rights Reserved

See below for installation instructions. Please send all feedback abut TWebCompress or TWHCompress to software@spis.co.nz.

And please see the WARNING at the end of this file. These are powerful tools, but VERY dangerous if misused...

=== Files provided in this package:

== Part One -- general purpose component and sample application

WEBCOMPR.TXT -- full description of the TWebCompress remote site
administration component  -- please read this for the most comprehensive description of what this is all about!

WEBCOMP.PAS/.DCR -- source of the TWebCompress component

WEBDEPLY.DPR and WCSITEF.PAS/.DFM -- source of a sample standalone
application for running on your Web server.

WEBDEPLY.TXT -- documentation for the sample application.

== Part Two -- WebHub version of component and sample application
(WebHub is an excellent site automation framework for Delphi available from
http://www.href.com)

WHCOMPR.TXT -- full description of the TWHCompress WebAction component for WebHub -- please read this for the most comprehensive description of what this is all about!

WHCOMP.PAS/.DCR -- source of the TWHCompress component

WPANEL.*  -- A WebHub "drop-in" panel which provides a server-side user interface for TWebCompress for:
* direct user interface operations
* remote control via HTML
* remote control via FTP (and/or our SPIS WebQUEUE application -- http://www.spis.co.nz/webcentr/webqueue.htm)

WC.HTM -- sample chunk file for use with the panel above

Note: Both TWebCompress and TWHCompress also require our TCompLHA component (http://www.spis.co.nz/compLHA.htm) -- you'll need to download and install this into Delphi.  NOTE that until you register your version of TCompLHA,  registration reminder dialogs will pop up in the Web site
application when Gather or Deploy requests are made to it. If you don't notice
the dialog, this can make it seem like the application is "freezing" when it is really just waiting for your click on an OK button.

=== Installation

* Place all these files in a directory in a suitable directory, e.g.  \delphi\WC

* Ensure WebCompr.PAS/.DCR or WHCompr.PAS/.DCR and the TCompLHA components are on your library path and install onto your component palette as for any component

== TWebCompress users:
Just load and try the WebDeply project

Read the warning at the end of this file, then move on to WEBCOMPR.TXT for an overview of TWebCompress, its features, properties and events, and how to go about using it via the sample application.

== TWHCompress users (WebHub):

*  Create a new WebHub application with whatever panels and features you want, and add the WCPANEL example to it -- these lines should go in the appropriate places in the project DPR file:
a) Near the end of the Uses section:
     wcpanel in 'wcpanel.pas' {fmAppWebCompress},
b) Before the fmWebAppMainForm.Init:
     Application.CreateForm(TfmAppWebCompress, fmAppWebCompress);

* Add the WC.HTM file to your application's list of chunk files (in its INI file)

Now read the warning below, then move on to WHCOMPR.TXT for an overview of TWHCompress, its features, properties and events, and how to go about using it via the sample WebHub panel.

=== NOW A WARNING:

THESE UTILITIES INVOLVE THE UNCONFIRMED EXPANSION OF (USUALLY) FULLY-PATHED ARCHIVES.

What does this mean? It means that, if you put some files into an archive (with full paths), then at some point expand that archive on the same drive, you will unconditionally OVERWRITE existing files with matching same names/locations with the contents of the archives. If the archived files are out of date, you can imagine the possible consequences. Therefore:

a) USE the security features such as OriginPath which prevent this from happening to directories outside a certain ("safe") tree

b) ASSUME THE SYSTEM IS BUGGY, or at least not yet fully understood by you as you experiment with it

c) NEVER TEST IT WITH FILES OR DIRECTORIES OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE in archives. Use silly names and purely temporary (though valid) locations for your testing

d) Once things seem to be working as expected, and you're ready to adjust for "live" settings, BE SURE TO BACK UP the live files with which you perform on-site testing!

Enjoy!

NB: For a ready-made application which handles the offsite portion of these
tasks, see SPIS WebQueue: http://www.spis.co.nz/webcentr/webqueue.htm
