LICK is a method to install Linux distributions from inside Windows. It can install directly from an ISO file, bypassing the need to burn it to a CD. Additionally, it installs a bootloader (either GRUB4DOS or GRUB2), so that the user doesn't need to do so themselves.

LICK also includes a library, liblick, that can be used in other projects. It is released under the MIT licence. This documentation describes liblick.

Useful headers

lick.h : Include this file, and all other headers will be included.
install.h : The main file to interact with. Installs, uninstalls, and lists distribution installations.
boot-loader.h : Installs and uninstalls the GRUB boot loader.
id-utils.h : Check if an id is valid.
drives.h : Lists system drives.
system-info.h : Get information about the system.

Outline of a Program

Below is a summary of what the LICK CLI interface does to use liblick. To see an example of how to use the following functions, see src/cli.c in the LICK source code.

Setup

Use get_system_info and get_lickdir to get information about the system and the lick configuration directory, respectively.
Use get_loader to get the system loader. [1]
Use list_installed to get a list of installed distributions.

[1]: Due to how the bootloader of Windows ME works, you should use check_loader_me_patch to check if the suggested patch has been installed. If not, you should prompt the user to do so.

Pre-installation of a Distribution

Optionally use gen_id and gen_name to convert an ISO file path to a valid ID and name, respectively.
Use is_valid_id to check if an ID is valid. Any name is valid.
Use all_drives to get a list of all system drives, and use drive_t.path to get their names. You might want to suggest the drive lickdir_t.drive, which LICK is installed on.

Installation of a Distribution

If check_loader returns false, use install_loader to install GRUB.
Use install to install the distribution. If you want to show a progress bar, use install_cb

Uninstall a Distribution

Use list_installed to get a list of all installed distributions.
Uninstall one using uninstall.
If this is the last installation, you may want to use uninstall_loader