AT_INTERACTIVE_EXIT type command for BEFORE an installation?

[Ghreyfain]

I was recently asked why mods display the readme after you've installed a mod, when it's too late to choose which components you want to install.  I was looking through the readme to see if there was any sort of command I could stick in the ALWAYS section to pop the readme up before installation, and couldn't find anything.

What're people's thoughts on a command something like BEFORE_INSTALLATION commandToRun?  It strikes me as something quite obvious, so I'm surprised it hasn't come up before.  Then I had second thoughts and figured maybe there was some reason NOT to have it that I'm just not thinking of.

Disclaimer: Very tired at the moment, so this post might not be the most coherent or intelligent thing I've ever written.  Not that the bar's been set very high during the best of times, but hey.

[the bigg]

I'm not a programming expert, but I think that what you ask is not easily doable. I somewhat have the feeling that a process has to come to an halt before he can spawn another. Or, something like that.

Moreover, it'd have to happen before starting a component, something that isn't very good - unless you added a component to the beginning of the mod, called "Display Readme" or something like that. This is bad, since newbies who lack the ability of getting a clue will happily skip reading the readme altogether.
As for happening before language/component selection, why don't you include that in the lame-ass, Windows-lazy-like auto-update, auto-run, auto-ass-swiping user-friendly auto-installing bat you run at the end of your beloved NSHIT NSIS installer?

[devSin]

There's no way to evaluate the commandToRun process (i.e., WeiDU would have to kick back for an indeterminate length of time until an indeterminate process finished executing or the magic word was spoken). I suppose WeiDU could launch the commandToRun as a child process, and then track the pid, but I'm hearing that doesn't go over too well on Windows.

auto-ass-swiping

Who swiped my ass?! Give it back! :D

[the bigg]

Ack, wrong word again 
please search-and-replace "swipe" with whatever word (or expression) could mean "clean with the use of paper" and is appropriate for the situation portrayed.
BTW, in Italian that expression means that it's doing too much work instead of the user.

[Idobek]

Both NSIS and SFX-RAR can be manipulated enough to display a readme (most easily using the license window).

[Ghreyfain]

Good thinking, since this question was actually brought up concerning an NSIS installer.

[Caedwyr]

Ideally, Weidu would load the readme after language selection (so you could distinguish between multiple language readmes).  I seem to recall suggesting a feature like this about 6 months or so ago, but was told then that it wasn't needed and no one would use it.  /shrug.

[the bigg]

Good thinking, since this question was actually brought up concerning an NSIS installer.

NSIS runs a bat, yes...? And so do SFX-RARs, right...?
In this event, if the readme is located at somedir/filename.ext, then you can add this line prior to standard bat:
somedir\filename.ext
Since calling a file from the prompt (= from launching a bat) by calling his complete filename (eventual path, name and extension) is equivalent to double-clicking it. If the name has spaces, pad with double quotes, EG
"somedir\file name.exe"

BTW, resolved the mystery: it's "ass-wiping" NSIS, not ass-swiping 

[devSin]

Ideally, Weidu would load the readme after language selection

If WeiDU was left sitting at the prompt, this wouldn't be a big deal. Come up with something more specific about how this should work and see if you can sell Wes on the idea.