WiseToNSIS Converter

Project Overview

WiseToNSIS is a Delphi 12 application that converts Wise Install scripts (.wse) to NSIS scripts (.nsi/.nsh). It provides both CLI and GUI interfaces with an assisted/interactive conversion approach.

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Quick Reference

Build Commands

# Build GUI application
msbuild WiseToNSIS.dpr

# Build CLI application
msbuild WiseToNSISCLI.dpr

# Build all projects
msbuild WiseToNSIS.groupproj

# Run tests
msbuild test\WiseToNSIS.Tests.dpr

CLI Usage

# Basic conversion
WiseToNSISCLI.exe input.wse output.nsi

# Batch conversion
WiseToNSISCLI.exe -b -o output_dir *.wse

# With options
WiseToNSISCLI.exe --verbose --report report.txt input.wse

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Directory Structure

WiseToNSIS/
├── WiseToNSIS.dpr              # GUI application
├── WiseToNSISCLI.dpr           # CLI application
├── WiseToNSIS.groupproj        # Project group
├── src/
│   ├── core/                   # Conversion engine
│   │   ├── WSE.Parser.pas      # Lexer/parser for .wse
│   │   ├── WSE.AST.pas         # AST node classes
│   │   ├── WSE.Flags.pas       # Binary flag interpreters
│   │   ├── NSIS.Generator.pas  # Script generator
│   │   ├── NSIS.Mapper.pas     # Command mapping (visitor)
│   │   ├── NSIS.Pages.pas      # nsDialogs page template generator
│   │   └── Converter.Engine.pas # Main orchestrator
│   ├── cli/                    # CLI-specific
│   │   ├── CLI.Runner.pas      # Command-line runner
│   │   ├── CLI.Options.pas     # Argument parsing
│   │   └── CLI.Reporter.pas    # Console output
│   ├── gui/                    # GUI-specific
│   │   └── Main.Form.pas       # Main application form
│   └── common/                 # Shared utilities
│       ├── Conversion.Types.pas
│       └── Conversion.Registry.pas
├── test/                       # DUnit tests
│   ├── WiseToNSIS.Tests.dpr
│   ├── Parser.Tests.pas
│   └── Mapper.Tests.pas
├── doc/                        # Documentation
│   └── Wise-to-NSIS-Conversion-Guide.md
├── templates/                  # Sample, reference, and NSIS templates
│   ├── WantClasses.pas
│   └── WiseSample.wse
└── ISResources/                # Wise and NSIS software files (zipped)
    ├── NSIS.zip
    └── Wise.zip

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Architecture

Core Flow

.wse file → TWseLexer → TWseParser → TWseDocument (AST)
                                           ↓
                                    TNsisMapperVisitor
                                           ↓
                                    TNsisScript → .nsi file

Key Classes

Class	Purpose
TWseParser	Parses .wse files into AST
TWseDocument	Root AST node
TWseBlock	Base block class (30+ subclasses)
TNsisMapperVisitor	Visitor that transforms AST to NSIS
TNsisScript	NSIS script builder
TNsisPageGenerator	Converts Custom Dialogs to nsDialogs pages
TConverterEngine	Main orchestrator

Block Type Hierarchy

TWseNode
├── TWseDocument
└── TWseBlock (abstract)
    ├── TWseGlobalBlock
    ├── TWseSetVariableBlock
    ├── TWseIfWhileBlock
    ├── TWseInstallFileBlock
    ├── TWseEditRegistryBlock
    ├── TWseServiceBlock
    ├── TWseWizardBlock
    ├── TWseCustomDialogBlock
    └── ... (30+ block types)

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Conversion Mapping

Variable Conversion

Wise	NSIS
%VAR%	$VAR
%MAINDIR%	$INSTDIR
%_SYS_%	$SYSDIR
%_WIN_%	$WINDIR
%TEMP%	$TEMP
%PROGRAM_FILES%	$PROGRAMFILES

Command Mapping

Wise Command	NSIS Equivalent
Set Variable	StrCpy
If/While Statement	${If} / ${While}
Install File	SetOutPath + File
Edit Registry	WriteRegStr / WriteRegDWORD
Display Message	MessageBox
Start/Stop Service	SimpleSC::* (with timeout/error handling)
Execute Program	ExecWait / Exec
Create Directory	CreateDirectory
Delete File	Delete / Delete /REBOOTOK
Parse String	StrCpy / ${StrStr} / StrFunc.nsh
Get System Info	System::Call (kernel32, user32)
Custom Dialog Set	nsDialogs page templates

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Key Implementation Details

Block Registration (Conversion.Registry.pas)

Uses a dynamic registry pattern inspired by WAnt:

initialization
  RegisterBlocks([
    TWseGlobalBlock,
    TWseSetVariableBlock,
    TWseIfWhileBlock,
    // ...
  ]);

Visitor Pattern (NSIS.Mapper.pas)

The mapper uses the visitor pattern to transform each block type:

procedure TNsisMapperVisitor.VisitBlock(ANode: TWseBlock);
begin
  if ANode is TWseSetVariableBlock then
    MapSetVariableBlock(TWseSetVariableBlock(ANode))
  else if ANode is TWseIfWhileBlock then
    MapIfWhileBlock(TWseIfWhileBlock(ANode))
  // ...
end;

Flag Interpretation (WSE.Flags.pas)

Wise uses binary strings for flags. The flag interpreter parses these:

function GetFlagBit(const AFlags: string; ABitIndex: Integer): Boolean;
// e.g., "00010101" - bit 0 is rightmost

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Testing

Running Tests

# GUI test runner
test\WiseToNSIS.Tests.exe

# Console test runner
test\WiseToNSIS.Tests.exe -c

Test Files

• Parser.Tests.pas - Tests for WSE parsing
• Mapper.Tests.pas - Tests for NSIS mapping

Integration Testing

Test against real .wse files in .\templates\:

• WiseSample.wse
• etc.

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Items Requiring Manual Review

Most Wise commands are now fully converted. These items may still require review:

1. Custom Dialog Events - Complex dialog event scripting (INIT/VERIFY/UPDATE)
2. Custom Script Items - VBScript/JScript embedded scripts need manual conversion
3. Include Scripts - Referenced .wse files need separate conversion
4. VBScript Expressions - Complex expressions in If/While statements
5. Service Pack/Processor Type - System info requiring WMI queries

Fully Automated Conversions (Previously Manual)

• Custom Dialog Sets - Now converted to nsDialogs page templates
• Parse String - Position and pattern-based splits now use StrFunc.nsh
• Get System Info - 12+ system info types now use System::Call
• Delete File with Reboot - /REBOOTOK flag properly handled
• Service Operations - Timeout and error handling now included

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Coding Standards

• Follow Delphi 12 conventions
• Use strong typing with generics
• RTTI enabled on AST classes for potential reflection
• Visitor pattern for extensibility
• Comprehensive error handling with issue tracking

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Reference Files

Purpose	Path
Conversion guide	.\doc\Wise-to-NSIS-Conversion-Guide.md
Sample .wse files	.\templates\WiseSample.wse
Wise reference	.\ISResources\Wise.zip
NSIS reference	.\ISResources\NSIS.zip
WAnt (registry pattern)	.\templates\WantClasses.pas