I have a very simple application installer that needs to add an action to the shell menu of all files (HKCR*\shell), and I've run into a brick wall: how do I insert the installed path of the application into a registry value? I've tried everything I can think of:
[Path]
[ApplicationFolder]
[ApplicationPath]
[InstallPath]
[InstallRoot]
[InstallFolder]
[InstallTarget]
[TargetPath]
I even tried adding one that I know works in other places ([Manufacturer]) to make sure that the bracket-values syntax actually works in the Registry (it does).
Anyone know, or at the least, have any ideas that I haven't tried?
The one you are looking for is [TARGETDIR]
Related
Our application is deployed to the target machine with an msi file. All works nicely. Our tester has gone through his plan, and one of the tests requires deleting the application's configuration file. The application is designed to alert the user with a dialog on startup saying "missing config". However, what happens is that - somehow! - the software starts the installer again and retrieves the missing file from the msi! Which is nice, but not what we want. How do we disable that behaviour?
without going into much depth of the windows installer mechanics (if you interested in that there a plenty of articles about this), the shortcut of the software is probably advertised, which means the windows installer checks if everything is in its place before the software is started.
if you can edit the msi, make the shortcut non advertised.
if you can't, install it with DISABLEADVTSHORTCUTS
e.g. msiexec /i myMsi.msi DISABLEADVTSHORTCUTS=1
please note that this is only a quick (and dirty) workaround,
to fix this proper you need to understand the whole windows installer advertising (also called repair or self resiliency) mechanism.
but explaining all the causes and the mechanism of the repair is far beyond this answer and there are quite some articles and posts about that on the internet (and especially on MSDN and stackoverflow)
There is a more correct answer to this, and it is NOT DISABLEADVTSHORTCUTS. You set the component id to null in the MSI file to prevent repair of that individual file. See ComponentId comments here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa368007(v=vs.85).aspx
Edit the MSI file with Orca to delete the Componenty ID, and write an uninstall custom action to delete the file at uninstall if it's there.
In addition, that's a redundant test. Windows will restore that file for you if it's missing, so the idea that you need a test to notify that it's missing is pointless. The true test should be that Windows will restore the file if it's lost, and your app needs to do potentially nothing about the missing file.
You don't mention what tool you are using to make your MSI but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess Visual Studio Deployment Projects (.VDRPOJ).
One of the (many) horrible things about this tool was that it fails to expose the foundational concept of components. Instead it makes every file a key file of it's own component and hides the existence of the component from you. I say 'was' because Microsoft killed this project type in VS. There are around 50k people complaining on UserVoice to bring this tool back and I'm guessing that 49,990 of them don't know what a key path is.
Windows Installer has a concept called the component rules and each component has a keypath. The keypath teaches MSI how to handle repair scenarios. But your tool has to allow you to be able to control this to make it work.
Windows Installer is functioning exactly the way it's supposed to function. You just aren't up to speed on what that is.
However, if you want to ignore Windows Installer best practices and continue using the tool you use today, the trick is to install the app.config file as a different file. Then have the application copy the file to the real file name on run. Windows Installer won't service what it didn't install.
Several answers have been provided that can work:
You can install the file with a blank guid. Then you need to remove it on uninstall using the RemoveFile feature. You will also run into issues if you want to replace it during an upgrade. Could be tricky at times.
You can disable the advertised shortcut(s), but this affects too much in my opinion.
Finally you can use my suggestion to install a separate non-advertised shortcut to use to launch the application. Such a shortcut bypasses the self-repair check. It may still be invoked by other means such as missing file associations, COM registration or similar, but those are exception states.
However, my preference is that an application can start without a config file present, if at all possible. I always suggest a good startup routine with "internal defaults" available. The startup routine should also degrade gracefully if faced with any file system access denied conditions.
Most importantly you should place this config file in the userprofile so you can generate the file on first launch for the user in question. It can even be copied from a read-only copy in the main installation directory.
When you generate a file from internal defaults and put it in a userprofile location, the file will have no interference with Windows Installer at all. The issues that results is how to clean up user data on uninstall. I discussed this with Stefan Kruger (MSI MVP) at one point, and I agree with his notion that user data is indeed user data and should not be automatically dealt with by your installer at all. Leave it installed, and clean it up via system administrator tools if necessary - for example logon scripts.
This should be pretty simple, but I can't seem to get it. I have a setup project (VS2010) that packages a few dozen image files (along with my SQLite file) and copies them to the user's computer when the program is installed. As these are essentially "stock" images, it's ok if the user deletes them (there is functionality to do so from within the program.) However, after one or more of these images have been deleted, the next time the program starts it gives a "Windows installer" dialog box, and deletes all of the remaining data files!
What I think is happening is the program sees the missing files, assumes the installation has been corrupted, and tries to go into some kind of recovery/uninstall mode. I'd like to know how to indicate in the setup project that the files need to be installed, but may be removed by the user at any time.
I have tried several combinations of File properties, and nothing seems to do quite what I want, which is for my installer to put them where I say and never think about them again. Do I have to reinvent the wheel and do this through a custom action??
EDIT: Transitive and Vital had both been set to True. Setting them to False causes the program to re-add the deleted images back after it has been restarted! I'll probably go with a custom action if I don't get an answer.
When using a file association or advertised shortcut Windows Installer automatically checks if component key paths are missing. If a key path is not found, a repair is trigger to reinstall the component.
Most likely your installer repair process does something that removes the other files.
A solution is to not register your components with Windows Installer. This is done by using a null component GUID and it's not supported by Visual Studio setup projects (it is however supported by most of the other setup tools).
Another solution is to make sure that your image files are not key paths in their components. This is also not supported by Visual Studio.
If you want to use a setup authoring tool which offers more control, you can take a look at this list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_installation_software
I have 2 msi files that I run silently one after the other from win forms application (master installer for that matter). Both of them configured to write to registry to same location,
for example:
HKLM\Software\MyProduct\MSI1
HKLM\Software\MyProduct\MSI2
Now, I run uninstall in reverse order and when uninstall done, MSI1 removed from registry, but MSI2 is stuck there... Is there anything can be done about that without custom action or coding?
This happens because your registry entries use the same component as another product installed on the machine. For example, you copied the setup project of an existing product and used the copy to create an MSI for a different product.
To avoid it, you need to make sure that each MSI uses unique component names and GUIDs. It's not easy in Visual Studio setup projects. You can try editing the project file. If it doesn't work, it's better to start from scratch with a new setup project.
Ok, I found problem in VS2010 (Big Thanks to Cosmin Pirvu) and just will go on and put here the 2 solution options I see so far. But first, the problem:
As I mentioned I have 2 entries:
HKLM\Software\MyProduct\MSI1
HKLM\Software\MyProduct\MSI2
But in code, they look the same because MSI1 and MSI2 being "place holders":
HKLM\Software\MyProduct[ProductName]
So, the name is identical and properties identical this is why we get same component id for both!
Two things (as far as i see) you can do:
Instead of [ProductName] enter actual product name (hard coded)
(What I did is) In registry entry property, in condition field, enter meaningless string (make it really meaningless, so it wont meat reasonable condition, i used guid with leading __).
Thanks for all answers
Hi I have a problem and I need some direction.
I have an old application that have an install shield installer, for which I don't have the installer scripts. Now I want to do a simple patch for that application using Inno Setup.
I was reading the documentation and if I knew the appId I could just append to the same installation the new files. However I don't now what Id that application have. I tried a simple script using the same name but it didn't work either.
Is it anyway of finding the appId to append to that installation?
Can someone point me in the right direction, or is not possible to do it?
The short answer is no, you cannot create an update package that is 100% seamless to the previous Install Shield package. The reason being, whether you know the AppId or not, InnoSetup appends a _is to the end of any AppId given for adding to the registry. Quite a funky action if you ask me but it's the way of the world and let's not forget you're dealing with a free application. They had their reasoning and it is sound, just doesn't make sense for your needs at this point.
You can always do what I did when faced with the same situation:
Find the AppId of the original installation.
a. Under the Control Panel open Add/Remove Programs.
b. Find your application in the list and make a note of the name.
c. Open RegEdit.
*DISCLAIMER: THIS COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR SYSTEM SO BE CAREFUL
d. Open the following registry key: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
e. Click on the first GUID you come to and check the value of DisplayName in the right pane against the name you took note of earlier. If this value matches you've found the AppId - it is the GUID you have selected.
f. Select the next GUID and go back to step 1e until you have a match.
Use this AppId as the AppId you use in InnoSetup but add the word "Update" to your title.
Build and run your installation.
Now you will have two entries in Add/Remove Programs for your application but one is clearly marked update. You've also done the additional leg work to ensure that the AppId is as much a match as possible making it easier for other programs to determine that they're related.
Best of luck in your endeavors!
I'm struggling to find documentation on how the stateSaver/savedState Dictionary works for the Windows Installer, in the Install and UnInstall overrides, can someone help.
In my installers CustomAction I've been writing to registry entries, each time I do I add some of it's detail to the stateSaver.
I had presumed this was taken into account when uninstalling but how?
I think the stateSaver Dictionary is written to file when you install, and on uninstall the content of that file, .InstallState is read and used to install the entries it finds.
My issue is some registry entries remain after uninstall, I don't know why and my lack of understanding of how the Dictionary works is not helping.
Here's an example of what the Install is doing
RegistryKey expressionEvaluatorVersionKey = expressionEvaluatorKey.CreateSubKey(packageVersion);
This is creating a Sub Key for a key added with the Windows Installer.
How should I delete this Sub Key in the uninstall?
I'm not sure installState is your issue. This is just a file containing various key-value pairs, I don't think there's anything intelligent going on in there.
This sounds to me like the (built-in) Uninstaller process could be saying "I need to delete this key but it isn't empty, therefore I'm going to leave it".
Could you possibly put all registry key/entry creation (and by implication all key/entry removal) into the Custom Action dll?
Another problem I have found with installState - and this is why I try to avoid it - is that it is not unknown for people to come along and delete the installState file. Depending on how you've written your Uninstall custom action, this might mean you never get a clean uninstall of your program because you'll get exceptions when you try to read stuff that you expect to be in the dictionary which is missing.
Since you appear to be using a custom action dll already to do this work hopefully my suggestion is not so onerous?