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Choosing One of the Three Types of Distribution Units

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You can create three types of distribution units with the Microsoft development environment. These are:

  • Cabinet files (.cab) for the download and installation of components on Web pages. Cabinet files can contain multiple files and are compressed.

  • Self-extracting setup executable files (.exe) that package your application (in compressed form) into an executable file that installs the application on the user's computer.

  • Zip Archive Format files (.zip) for downloading applets on Web pages. Zip files package multiple files in a single, uncompressed Zip Archive file format supported by many browsers.

Packaging a Cabinet Distribution Unit

The cabinet file is an efficient way to package components on Web pages. These components, which can be multiple files, are compressed into a single cabinet file. When Microsoft® Internet Explorer opens an HTML page that references components in the cabinet file, the cabinet file is downloaded and installed on your user's computer.

Cabinet file packaging has two key features: Multiple files can be stored in a single cabinet (.cab) file; and data compression is performed across file boundaries, significantly improving the compression ratio. Additionally, .cab files generated by the Microsoft development environment contain an Open Software Distribution (.osd) file that describes the contents of the .cab file, allowing Internet Explorer to install the contents of the cabinet file.

Packaging a Setup Executable Distribution Unit

The self-extracting setup file provides a mechanism to package your application (in compressed form) into a single executable file. When run, the setup file installs the application on the user's computer.

The setup file installs the files that make up the applications on the user's computer, and creates a Windows Start menu item so that your user can start the application. The setup file also installs an uninstalling program so that the user can remove the application using the Windows Control Panel Add/Remove Programs dialog box.

Packaging a Zip Archive Format Distribution Unit

The .zip file provides a mechanism to package applets on a Web page so that they can be downloaded and run by Internet Explorer and many other Web browsers. In the Microsoft development environment, Zip Archive files package multiple files into a single, uncompressed Zip Archive file. When the Web browser opens an HTML page that references applets in the Zip Archive, the Zip Archive file is downloaded to the user's computer.