Cubic

Adding files to the ISO

Asked by ax6

I'd like to add some files to the generated ISO (i.e., not to the live filesystem, but to the filesystem in the disc).
The files aren't needed by the live distribution, so they don't belong in the boot directories; I'm looking to put in stuff like a README so that I can find it whenever I plug the drive (or insert the disc, if I burn it to an actual DVD) into a machine that is already running.

Is there any way to do this other than simply extracting the generated .iso, adding the files and repackaging it?

Thanks in advance!

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Cubic PPA (cubic-wizard) said (last edit ): 		#1

You can add the files before Cubic generates the ISO.

There are three options:

[1]
If you want to work inside Cubic...

On the Options page, click on the Preseed tab in the header bar. Then, click on the "preseed" directory in the left panel. Finally, copy files, create a new file, or create a new directory using the buttons at the left of the header bar.

When you mount your generated ISO, your new folders or files will appear inside the "preseed" directory, in the root directory of the ISO.

[2]
If you want to work inside Cubic...

On the Options page, click on the Boot tab in the header bar. Then, click the "Show all files" toggle button in the header bar (it is next to the "<Back" button). Select the folder in the left panel where you would like to add your files. Finally, copy files, create a new file, or create a new directory using the buttons at the left of the header bar.

When you mount your generated ISO, your new folders or files will appear inside the "boot/grub" or "isolinux" directories, in the root directory of the ISO.

[3]
You can also work outside Cubic...

Launch Cubic.

After the Project page, but *before* the Generate page, open a file browser such as Nautilus and simply copy your files to:

    <your cubic project>/custom-disk

Do this *before* clicking the "Generate" button, and Cubic will include your files on the generated ISO.

When you mount your generated ISO, your new folders or files will appear in the root directory of the ISO.

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ax6 (aaaaaa123456789) said : 		#2

Since the files I'm adding are unrelated, I'd rather not place them in directories with specific purposes (like preseed, boot or isolinux).

I take it from your answer that there is no way to add a file at an arbitrary location within Cubic? If so, would you consider adding this feature for a future release?

Thanks for your help!

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Best Cubic PPA (cubic-wizard) said : 		#3

Inside Cubic, you can not add a file at an arbitrary location.

I've thought about adding such a feature.
We would also need the ability to delete files or rename files.
With these capabilities, a person could easily remove or alter important files on the disk, and this would either cause errors in Cubic or result in non-working ISOs.

I did ensure the files in <your cubic project>/custom-disk are writable by a non-root user, so if you really want to, you can change those files outside of the Cubic application.

In the future, I may add some ability to manage certain files from inside Cubic.

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ax6 (aaaaaa123456789) said : 		#4

Thanks Cubic PPA, that solved my question.