Create a simple Self-Extracting package with Paquet Builder (beginners)

Paquet Builder has so many features that you may feel lost when you begin with it. This quick tutorial explains you how to create a functional package in some steps. This is interesting for beginners who want to discover the basic functions of Paquet Builder.

Goal: add source files to a package and create the latter.

1. Start Paquet Builder and choose "New Package"

2. Choose "Standard Package" and validate

3. Enter the title for your package and company information if required

Paquet Builder automatically displays the About your package page. Enter the title for your package, something like “My Archive Tutorial”. If the company information fields are blank, please fill in them too.

4. Click File Manager to add source files to your package

4.1 Choose Add and how you want to add files. Drag and drop from Windows Explorer is also possible

4.2 After adding files, close the File Manager

5. Choose the destination folder for unpacked files

In the “Default Destination Folder” field, you can specify where you would like to extract the files by default. The default choice is %MYDOCDIR%: this variable identifies the “My Documents” path on the destination computer. Enter the following value: %MYDOCDIR%\My Archive Tutorial. When you run the package, the latter will display something like: “c:\users\My user\my documents\My Archive Tutorial” as the default folder.

6. Create a "Welcome Screen" to tell your users what will happen when they run the package

You can also click Edit and, in the Rich Text Pad editor, you can enter a welcome message such as “Welcome! This will unpack the files for My Archive Tutorial”. It’s up to you. Press OK to save changes.

7. Provide the full path to the Self-extracting installer executable (EXE file) that will be created and that you will distribute to your users.

When you click "EXE output configuration" in Build, the compilation page is displayed. Enter the path to the folder where the package file should be created (the executable file you will distribute) and its filename in “Package Filename”.

8. Click Build Now to create the Self-Extracting EXE file

9. After compilation, the EXE file is ready for distribution. You can also test it on your computer by clicking Run

10. When you start the Self-Extracting EXE file made with Paquet Builder, you see the Welcome screen you have just edited previously

11. And you are prompted for the destination folder as expected

Of course, a lot of options can be customized such as "Paquet Archive" or the images that appear in the wizard.