[wix-users] (no subject)

Mon Nov 5 11:04:50 PST 2018

I would still ask why the working directory must be set to this specific
directory. I would design the application to search the per-user directory
it wants to use on a per-user basis and not set the working directory in
the shortcut at all. Requiring the shortcut to set the working directory
correctly for the user still doesn't provide you with a correct solution
for all users and doesn't provide a solution for any invocation of the
application that does not use the shortcut.

--
Edwin G. Castro

On Sat, Nov 3, 2018 at 3:38 PM Todd Hoatson <todd.hoatson at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Edwin,
>   sorry for the delayed reply.  Lots going on, and I needed to think
> through your reply for a while...
>
> > Why should the installer create this directory if the application should
> create this folder?
>
> A very simple reason - the application cannot create this folder.  This
> folder must exist so the installer can set it as the WorkingDirectory when
> it creates the shortcut for the app.  If that folder does not exist at
> install time, how can the shortcut be created?  And if the shortcut can't
> be created with a valid WorkingDirectory, how can my app be run?
>
> > The installer can only create that per-user directory for the user that
> runs the installer.
> > If the application is every run by any other user, then the directory
> will not exist anyway
> > and the application will need to create it itself if the application
> wants to write a file to
> > that directory.
>
> Took me a while to understand your point, but I think I do now.  And I
> think your point is a good one.  I simply don't know how to work around the
> creation of the shortcut if the WorkingDirectory is created by my app...
>
> > If the installer should create the per-user directory, then the ICE
> warning is telling you
> > that the per-user component cannot use a file (directory in this case)
> as the key path
> > but instead it should use a registry key under HKCU as the key path. The
> key path is
> > used as one bit to determine whether a component is installed or not by
> the Windows
> > Installer Engine.
>
> Not sure I understand this one, yet.  Why does the registry play a part in
> this?  Is it because the registry contains a key to indicate what the user
> directory is?  What registry key do I use?
>
> > The other ICE warning suggests you should add the directory to the
> RemoveFile table
> > so that it gets removed at uninstall time *but* the per-user directory
> for the user
> > uninstalling the MSI will be deleted so you could still leave behind
> configuration
> > data behind if other users run the application.
>
> We don't want the directory to be removed.  If the user is doing a
> reinstall or installing a newer version, then we want to pick up any
> pre-existing configuration.  Uninstall should never remove this.
>
> > Should this configuration file really exist on a per-user basis? If yes,
> then you'll likely
> > need to leave them behind at uninstall anyway.
>
> Exactly.
>
> > And since the application will need to create the directory if it
> doesn't exist, then it
> > should just be responsible for creating the directory instead of the
> installer.
>
> No can do, for the above reasons.  Unless you can suggest a way around the
> creation of the shortcut...
>
> thanks,
> Todd
>
> On Fri, Oct 26, 2018 at 3:04 PM Edwin Castro <egcastr at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> The ICE warnings are trying to help you author a correct MSI package but
>> it doesn't know the details of how the application works so the warnings
>> should be ignored intentionally because you've analyzed them and decided
>> they do not apply in your situation. The WiX linker is reporting the ICE
>> warnings as errors likely because you told it to treat all warnings as
>> errors.
>>
>> Why should the installer create this directory if the application should
>> create this folder? The installer can only create that per-user directory
>> for the user that runs the installer. If the application is every run by
>> any other user, then the directory will not exist anyway and the
>> application will need to create it itself if the application wants to write
>> a file to that directory.
>>
>> If the installer should create the per-user directory, then the ICE
>> warning is telling you that the per-user component cannot use a file
>> (directory in this case) as the key path but instead it should use a
>> registry key under HKCU as the key path. The key path is used as one bit to
>> determine whether a component is installed or not by the Windows Installer
>> Engine.
>>
>> The other ICE warning suggests you should add the directory to the
>> RemoveFile table so that it gets removed at uninstall time *but* the
>> per-user directory for the user uninstalling the MSI will be deleted so you
>> could still leave behind configuration data behind if other users run the
>> application.
>>
>> Should this configuration file really exist on a per-user basis? If yes,
>> then you'll likely need to leave them behind at uninstall anyway. And since
>> the application will need to create the directory if it doesn't exist, then
>> it should just be responsible for creating the directory instead of the
>> installer.
>>
>> --
>> Edwin G. Castro
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Oct 26, 2018 at 10:19 AM Todd Hoatson via wix-users <
>> wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>   I have created an installer, and it works.  In spite of the fact that I
>>> get error messages, it still creates a working installer that pretty much
>>> does what I want it to do.  But I would like to understand why I'm
>>> getting
>>> these error messages, and how to fix my WiX code so these error messages
>>> go
>>> away.  (They make my coworkers nervous.)
>>>
>>> Here are the error messages:
>>>
>>> error LGHT0204 : ICE38: Component EmptyWorkingDIR installs to user
>>> profile.
>>> It must use a registry key under HKCU as its KeyPath, not a file.
>>> error LGHT0204 : ICE64: The directory WorkingFolder is in the user
>>> profile
>>> but is not listed in the RemoveFile table.
>>>
>>> Here are (what I believe to be) the relevant lines from my WiX code:
>>>
>>>     <Directory Id="TARGETDIR" Name="SourceDir">
>>>         ...
>>>         <Directory Id="PersonalFolder">
>>>             <Directory Id="WorkingFolder" Name="BART5" />
>>>         </Directory>
>>>     </Directory>
>>>     ...
>>>     <DirectoryRef Id="WorkingFolder">
>>>         <Component Id="EmptyWorkingDIR"
>>>                    Guid="0c25a284-3f3a-491a-96da-3d926a3e5f09"
>>>                    KeyPath="yes" >
>>>             <CreateFolder />
>>>         </Component>
>>>     </DirectoryRef>
>>>
>>> Our application looks for a configuration file in the working folder.  If
>>> it's not there, it uses the default settings, then saves its
>>> configuration
>>> on exit.  So, we simply want the installer to create this empty folder.
>>>
>>> Am I doing this wrong?  It works, but it gives me these errors, which I
>>> would like to eliminate.  Any suggestions?
>>>
>>> thanks,
>>> Todd Hoatson
>>> Mobile: 763-291-3312
>>> Email:   todd.hoatson at gmail.com
>>> www.linkedin.com/in/toddhoatson
>>>
>>> ____________________________________________________________________
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>>> http://www.firegiant.com/
>>>
>>
>
> --
> Todd Hoatson
> Mobile: 763-291-3312
> Email:   todd.hoatson at gmail.com
> www.linkedin.com/in/toddhoatson
>