That is very much not a good design. The Windows Installer an create shortcuts just fine. And uninstall them and roll them back and handle all the other scenarios you need to think about when putting a file (like a shortcut) on disk. This is a very bad suggestion below.
All you need is to set the directory for the shortcut correctly. That may (but doesn't seem like it should) a custom action to find the path... but once the directory is set, let the Windows Installer do the heavy lifting of actually creating the shortcut. -----Original Message----- From: Pavan Konduru [mailto:pavan.kond...@accelrys.com] Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 12:59 PM To: General discussion about the WiX toolset. Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Adding Application Shortcut to Specific User's Startup Folder. You can use a Custom action to set a shortcut in the user directory. I am assuming your installer is per machine, hence all shortcuts are in the general start menu but you just need one shortcut that must be created in the user profile? I see that you got the directory structure(that is for Wind 7 ) but isn't the start menu different for different windows OS flavors?Win 2003 server has this structure: C:\Documents and Settings\<User>\Start Menu\Programs I did something like this and it worked (but you would have to handle the deletion manually during uninstall) WshShell shell = new WshShell(); string shrtcutLnk = "App.lnk"; IWshShortcut MyShortcut; pathString= Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.StartMenu); MyShortcut = (IWshShortcut)shell.CreateShortcut(pathString + shrtcutLnk); MyShortcut.TargetPath = ""; MyShortcut.Arguments = " "; MyShortcut.WorkingDirectory = ""; MyShortcut.Description = "Launch blah blah"; MyShortcut.IconLocation = "MyIco.ico"; MyShortcut.Save(); This line of code returns the current users startmenu folder, which in mycase was: pathString= Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.StartMenu); "C:\\Users\\pavan.konduru\\AppData\\Roaming\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Start Menu" --Pavan -----Original Message----- From: Walter Dexter [mailto:wfdex...@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 9:56 AM To: General discussion about the WiX toolset. Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Adding Application Shortcut to Specific User's Startup Folder. I'll have to look into <SetDirectory ..../>. That looks cleaner than my custom action route. On Fri, Feb 21, 2014 at 5:06 AM, <paul.chor...@stfc.ac.uk> wrote: > Walt, > All working for install & uninstall now thanks to your prompting & > explanation of the directory attribute. > > For future reference:- > > I also tried using the WindowsVolume supplied property to get to the > root of things in a drive letter independent way. This resulted in an > error. I then saw this link by Ravikumar Gopinath:- > > > http://windows-installer-xml-wix-toolset.687559.n2.nabble.com/Error-us > ing-WindowsVolume-predefined-folder-td3313078.html > > So using this seems to provide a drive letter independent solution:- > > <SetDirectory Id="WINDOWSVOLUME" Value="[WindowsVolume]"/> > > <Directory Id="TARGETDIR" Name="SourceDir"> > <Directory Id="WINDOWSVOLUME"> > <Directory Id="UsersDir" Name="Users"> > <Directory Id="User1Dir" Name=user1"> > <Directory Id="AppdataDir" Name="Appdata"> > <Directory Id="RoamingDir" Name="Roaming"> > <Directory Id="MicrosoftDir" Name="Microsoft"> > <Directory Id="WindowsDir" Name="Windows"> > <Directory Id="StartmenuDir" Name="Start Menu"> > <Directory Id="ProgramsDir" Name="Programs"> > <Directory Id="StartupDir" Name="Startup"> > </Directory> > </Directory> > </Directory> > </Directory> > </Directory> > </Directory> > </Directory> > </Directory> > </Directory> > </Directory> > </Directory> > > <DirectoryRef Id ="StartupDir"> > <Component Id="CMP_MyAppStartupShortcut" Guid="GUID Here" > KeyPath="yes"> > > <Shortcut Id=" MyAppStartupShortcut " Name="MyApp" > Description="Launch MyApp" > Target="[ProgramDir]MyApp.exe" WorkingDirectory="ProgramDir" > Icon="icon.ico"/> > > </Component> > </DirectoryRef> > > Cheers, > Paul > > -----Original Message----- > From: Walter Dexter [mailto:wfdex...@gmail.com] > Sent: 20 February 2014 16:16 > To: General discussion about the WiX toolset. > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Adding Application Shortcut to Specific > User's Startup Folder. > > I was just coming in to correct the path... > > The problem you're having is that the Directory attribute is supposed > to be the ID of a directory, not the path to a directory. > > Here's how I'm dealing with absolute paths. My standard disclaimer > with WiX advice is that I first used WiX in November and I still don't > feel like I know what I'm doing, so there may be a much easier way to do > anything. > > > <CustomAction Id="CA_SetCDrive" Directory="C_DRIVE" Value="c:\" /> > > <InstallExecuteSequence> > <Custom Action="CA_SetCDrive" After="CostFinalize" /> > </InstallExecuteSequence> > > <Directory Id="TARGETDIR" Name="SourceDir"> > <Directory Id="C_DRIVE" Name="CDrive"> <Directory Id="DIR_PROGRAMDATA" > Name="ProgramData" > > <Directory Id="DIR_MICROSOFT" Name="Microsoft" > <Directory > Id="DIR_POINTOFSERVICE" Name="Point of Service" > > <Directory Id="DIR_CONFIGURATION" Name="Configuration" /> > </Directory> </Directory> </Directory> </Directory> </Directory> > > Then, assuming you got all the rest of your values right, you would have: > > <Shortcut Id="MYShortcut" Name="MyApp" > Description="Launch MyApp" > Target="[ProgramDir]MYApp.exe" WorkingDirectory="ProgramDir" > Icon="icon.ico" Directory="DIR_CONFIGURATION"/> > > and your shortcut would land in c:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Point of > Service\Configuration. (Not a sensible place to put a shortcut, of > course, but it's the snippet I could steal easily.) > > I assume that you have an <icon .... /> element with Id="icon.ico" > because I think that's an ID as well. I've never done a shortcut or > icon in WiX, though. We don't even have the explorer shell running. We > have a custom shell that has it's own way of doing Startup and RunOnce. > > Good luck- > > Walt > > > > On Thu, Feb 20, 2014 at 8:47 AM, <paul.chor...@stfc.ac.uk> wrote: > > > Hello Ilir, > > > > Thanks for your response, how do I add a shortcut to that path in > > WIX (C:\Users\<TheUser>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start > > Menu\Programs\Startup)? > > > > Cheers, > > Paul > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Ilir Bekteshi [mailto:ilir...@gmail.com] > > Sent: 20 February 2014 13:22 > > To: General discussion about the WiX toolset. > > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Adding Application Shortcut to Specific > > User's Startup Folder. > > > > If you want your Shortcut to appear in Startup folder for everyone > > then put it in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start > > Menu\Programs\Startup > > > > For a specific user then > > C:\Users\<TheUser>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start > > Menu\Programs\Startup > > > > > > > > > > On Thu, Feb 20, 2014 at 1:06 PM, <paul.chor...@stfc.ac.uk> wrote: > > > > > Hello, > > > > > > I have a kiosk type PC system, that on boot up, automatically logs > > > on a special restricted user account with a preconfigured password. > > > My application then launches automatically using a shortcut > > > present in only that special users Startup folder. The > > > installation scope is per machine as other users may need to run > > > the application from time to time for diagnostic purposes. The > > > application installation is always done using an admin account. > > > > > > In the past using VS2010:- > > > > > > 1. The solution MS "Setup Project" installed all of the common > > > features successfully. > > > > > > 2. I utilized the MS "Installer Class" which through some c# code > > > created an application shortcut in the special user's startup > > > folder during installation and removed it during uninstallation. > > > > > > With the demise of the above VS2010 features in later VS versions > > > I have just over the last two weeks looked at WIX as an alternative. > > > So far the WIX project will successfully install & uninstall the > > > common features successfully, that is DLL, EXE files and some > > > simple all user application shortcuts on the desktop and start menu. > > > > > > After searching for ages, I cannot determine how to set a startup > > > shortcut in just the special user account. From my searches this > > > does not appear to possible just using the basic WIX. > > > > > > I would really appreciate some directional guidance. Maybe a "C# > > > custom action project" should be used? Or a batch file? > > > > > > Cheers, > > > Paul > > > > > > > > > -- > > > Scanned by iCritical. > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > -- > > > -- > > > -------- Managing the Performance of Cloud-Based Applications Take > > > advantage of what the Cloud has to offer - Avoid Common Pitfalls. > > > Read the Whitepaper. > > > > > > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=121054471&iu=/4140/ostg. > > > clktrk _______________________________________________ > > > WiX-users mailing list > > > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > > -- > > -------- Managing the Performance of Cloud-Based Applications Take > > advantage of what the Cloud has to offer - Avoid Common Pitfalls. > > Read the Whitepaper. > > > > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=121054471&iu=/4140/ostg. > > clktrk _______________________________________________ > > WiX-users mailing list > > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > -- > > Scanned by iCritical. > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > > -- > > -------- Managing the Performance of Cloud-Based Applications Take > > advantage of what the Cloud has to offer - Avoid Common Pitfalls. > > Read the Whitepaper. > > > > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=121054471&iu=/4140/ostg. > > clktrk _______________________________________________ > > WiX-users mailing list > > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > -------- Managing the Performance of Cloud-Based Applications Take > advantage of what the Cloud has to offer - Avoid Common Pitfalls. > Read the Whitepaper. > > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=121054471&iu=/4140/ostg. > clktrk _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > -- > Scanned by iCritical. > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > -------- Managing the Performance of Cloud-Based Applications Take > advantage of what the Cloud has to offer - Avoid Common Pitfalls. > Read the Whitepaper. > > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=121054471&iu=/4140/ostg. > clktrk _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Managing the Performance of Cloud-Based Applications Take advantage of what the Cloud has to offer - Avoid Common Pitfalls. Read the Whitepaper. http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=121054471&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Managing the Performance of Cloud-Based Applications Take advantage of what the Cloud has to offer - Avoid Common Pitfalls. Read the Whitepaper. http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=121054471&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Managing the Performance of Cloud-Based Applications Take advantage of what the Cloud has to offer - Avoid Common Pitfalls. Read the Whitepaper. http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=121054471&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
