[MacTUG] Typo in Packages resulted in one (and only one) Office app not installing!

[Donald Duff-McCracken]

In Packages.app I created an installer which installed the new Office 15.23 package, the volume serializer and the current updates.

My postinstall script was as follows –

#!/bin/bash
# Determine working directory
install_dir=`dirname $0`
# Install unlicensed Office 2016
/usr/sbin/installer -dumplog -verbose -pkg $install_dir/"Microsoft_Office_2016_Installer.pkg" -target "$3"
# Install Office 2016 Updates
/usr/sbin/installer -dumplog -verbose -pkg $install_dir/"Microsoft_AutoUpdate_3.8.16120900_Updater.pkg" -target "$3"
/usr/sbin/installer -dumplog -verbose -pkg $install_dir/"Microsoft_Excel_15.29.16121500_Updater " -target "$3"
/usr/sbin/installer -dumplog -verbose -pkg $install_dir/"Microsoft_OneNote_15.29.16120900_Updater.pkg" -target "$3"
/usr/sbin/installer -dumplog -verbose -pkg $install_dir/"Microsoft_Outlook_15.29.16120900_Updater.pkg" -target "$3"
/usr/sbin/installer -dumplog -verbose -pkg $install_dir/"Microsoft_PowerPoint_15.29.16121500_Updater.pkg" -target "$3"
/usr/sbin/installer -dumplog -verbose -pkg $install_dir/"Microsoft_Word_15.29.16121500_Updater.pkg" -target "$3"
# Install Office 2016 Volume License Serializer
/usr/sbin/installer -dumplog -verbose -pkg $install_dir/"Microsoft_Office_2016_VL_Serializer_2.0.pkg" -target "$3"
exit 0

There was a typo in that it was supposed to be
/usr/sbin/installer -dumplog -verbose -pkg $install_dir/"Microsoft_Excel_15.29.16121500_Updater.pkg" -target "$3"

I would have thought that that this error would have just not have installed the 15.29.16121500 update for Excel (leaving it at 15.23) but it deleted the existing 15.23 Excel app! I have to admit I looked at my postinstall script for a bit before I noticed this, as I was looking more looking for some sort of errant “rm –rf” type statement than an error in one of the install lines. (I assumed if I errored in the 15.23 install, nothing would have installed, and if I errored in the updates, that particular app would not have updated.)

I am not going to waste any time trying to figure out why this happened (and encourage you not to), I just thought it was interesting and for a heads up for those that use Packages that once again errors can be “interesting”! ;-)
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Donald Duff-McCracken
Technical Services Manager
Mapping, Analysis & Design
Faculty of Environment
University of Waterloo
(519) 888-4567 x32151
https://uwaterloo.ca/environment-computing/about/people
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