Application Suites: To Thinapp all, part or none of it ?

[mobcdi]

This is more of a general question than about a specific suite of software.

Given a suite of applications { app X, app Y, app Z} where a user might need to start in app X but need to use app Y during a project to complete a specific task what would be the best way to go about packaging it All apps could be the starting point for a project i.e there isn't 1 master application with sub components

Capturing it as 1 thinapp seems the easiest but then is it more difficult to update it later on if updates for released on an app by app basis?

Any rules of thumb about suites of applications and how, where to start when thinapping them?

[Lakshman]

In your case, you can try Application Link (AppLink) where you package application A and application B separately and linking those two.

Please have a look here on AppLink:

http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2011/03/the-power-of-applink.html

[mobcdi]

I've seen it mentioned when it came to thinks like java runtimes and dotnet frameworks but does it work as well when linking full applications?

[Lakshman]

1. If you are breaking down the application suites to application A, application B and application C, you can capture all three of them separately and AppLink whatever the required application. This way it becomes easier to update every application separately without altering the other applications.

2. If you are capturing the suite as one ThinApp, you need to capture the updates for every application and update the ThinApp. AppLink is not suggested for linking full application.

Hope this helps.

[mobcdi]

So Applink is really useful for things like FlashPlayer but not recommended for more complex/larger applications?

I was reading the Thinapp deployment guide pg30 and it said about applinking

1 Create the package with the component that you want to link, build the package as an .exe and then rename the file to a something other than an .exe extension to prevent users from running that package directly. A .Dat extension will be used for this example, AdobeFlashPlayer.Dat

2.Create the capture of the originating package with the component already installed, for example, Mozilla Firefox.

3.In the originating package, Mozilla Firefox, open the package.ini file and edit the following line in the [Build Options] section:

4.RequiredAppLinks=AdobeFlashPlayer.Dat

5.Place both packages in the same directory, locally or in the central fileshare.

If i were to rename app y.exe to app y.dat users wouldn't be able to execute app y directly because there wouldn't be a entry point (no .exe) Is that correct or am I confusing 2 topics and if i package as .msi and have thinreg register the applications would that merge the  separate thinapps into a flexible suite?

[pbjork]

What's being discussed in the Deployment guide is just an example.. You can very well AppLink to .exe data containers.. You can use AppLinking between two, what could be called complex applications.. It is a very flexible feature and to fully understand it I encourage you to learn it in-depth.. It has conflict resolution functionality so you must understand it to be successful in using it..

I would recommend you to start here:

http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2011/03/the-power-of-applink.html