Creo 3 Help Install dir weirdness

[davehaigh]

I think the Creo help installer for 3 is still stuck in the Creo 2 mindset.

By default the install path is the same as the Creo 3 install. In my case:

C:\ptc\Creo 3.0\M110

Using the default path, this is where the installer places the help folders:

C:\ptc\Creo 3.0\M110\Creo 3.0\help\creo_help_pma

You get two Creo 3.0 folders. I doubt this is what PTC intended.

If you try to eliminate the extra Creo 3.0 folder using this install path:

C:\ptc

The installer places the help folders here:

C:\ptc\Creo 3.0\help\creo_help_pma

I believe the intent would/should have been to have the installed path here:

C:\ptc\Creo 3.0\M110\help\creo_help_pma

But there's no way to achieve that installed path using the installer.

[TomU]

I feel your pain.  I just rearrange everything after installation (and set the necessary config options and environment variables so it works.)

(This is for a network installations.  For local installs I just leave everything wherever PTC wants to stick it.)

[davehaigh]

I opened up a call with PTC on the issue. I can't believe that they really intended to install the help files in this convoluted path:

C:\ptc\Creo 3.0\M110\Creo 3.0\help\creo_help_pma

He said he would talk to the developers.

I can work around it, I just want to make sure my installed location is as clean and logical as possible before I stage it out there on LANDesk for hundreds of folks to install.

[TomU]

Be aware that there is a known issue with the locally installed help files for M110 not working with Creo.  I wonder if it's due to this path issue...

https://support.ptc.com/appserver/cs/view/solution.jsp?source=subscription&n=CS248661

[MartinHanak]

Hi,

I would say that C:\ptc\Creo 3.0\M110 is not your Creo 3.0 M110 installation directory. I am almost sure that you used C:\ptc directory. This explains your problem.

MH

[TomU]

I think PTC intent is to have the help files installed in a non-version specific location.  This way only one copy of the help files would need to be installed for many different versions of Creo.  I believe this is why the "Creo 3.0\help" portion is hardcoded into the installer.

What makes the M110 installer more confusing is that it automatically sets the help files install path to the Creo loadpoint.  This did not happen in earlier versions.  Instead of "C:\Program Files" it now defaults to "C:\Program Files\PTC\Creo 3.0\M110" (where Creo was installed.)  This then causes the help files to end up in "C:\Program Files\PTC\Creo 3.0\M110\Creo 3.0\help"

To David's point above, if you really do want the help files to be inside the M110 folder, you have to manually move them.  There is no way to get the installer to do it since it adds on the hardcoded "Creo 3.0\help" to whatever path you enter.

[MartinHanak]

Hi,

on my PC I also need to have a couple of different Creo installation. To separate them to  I use installation directories like:

• D:\PTC\CR3_M060
• D:\PTC\CR3_M070
• D:\PTC\CR3_M080
• D:\PTC\CR3_M100

MH

[rkassmeyer]

David,

The installation can be controlled by xml files, if you are okay with installing without the GUI.

Find the example xml files in the <media>/pim/xml folder.

Copy and edit the xml files you need to use (I copied them to my C:\ folder for simplified use shown below, but obviously you would put them on a network drive somewhere)...

Change:

  <PROPERTY name="[INSTALLBASE]">[PROGRAMFILESx86]/PTC</PROPERTY>

to

  <PROPERTY name="[INSTALLBASE]">C:/PTC</PROPERTY>

or if you use Program Files (and not Program Files x86) like we do:

  <PROPERTY name="[INSTALLBASE]">[PROGRAMFILES]/PTC</PROPERTY>

Change:

  <PROPERTY name="[LP]">[INSTALLBASE]/Creo 3.0/help/creo_help_pma</PROPERTY>

to

  <PROPERTY name="[LP]">[INSTALLBASE]/Creo 3.0/[SHIPCODE]/help/creo_help_pma</PROPERTY>

After saving changes, use the xml files in command line from <media> folder (note stacking multiple xml files, also note that xml files should be absolute path or UNC path):

setup.exe -xml "C:\creohelppma.xml" -xml "C:\creohelpdma.xml"

Rich K