[wix-users] Way to delete all files during uninstallation of product from installation path

[Bill Wandel]

I tried this and even though I had a RemoveFile entry for a couple of files
in a folder one file was always not removed.

Bill Wandel

-----Original Message-----
From: wix-users <wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org> On Behalf Of
Christopher Painter via wix-users
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2019 7:08 AM
To: WiX Toolset Users Mailing List <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>
Cc: Christopher Painter <chrpai at iswix.com>
Subject: Re: [wix-users] Way to delete all files during uninstallation of
product from installation path

The files are being left their by design as they are user data.  MSI only
uninstalls what it knows about.

If the files are in a fixed, known named set of subdirectories you can use
the RemoveFile element to wildcard delete the contents of each of those
folders.

http://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/xsd/wix/removefile.html

If they are in a non-fixed, unkown named set of subdirectories you can use
the RemoveFilesEx element found in the Util extension.

http://www.joyofsetup.com/2011/01/21/tactical-directory-nukes/
http://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/xsd/util/removefolderex.html

Another note,  if the application is creating it's temp files, log files and
so on under ProgramFiles  then this is probably a design flaw.  If you move
them to a more suitable location such as CommonAppData and TEMP folders
then you won't see anything extra in ProgramFiles and the cleanup
requirement will likely go away.


________________________________
From: wix-users <wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org> on behalf of
Hanumanthaiah, ShashikalaX via wix-users <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2019 5:26 AM
To: wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org
Cc: Hanumanthaiah, ShashikalaX
Subject: [wix-users] Way to delete all files during uninstallation of
product from installation path

Hi,

     I have created a wix installer for one of our products. I had a few
observations during uninstallation step.
     I see that the files created by tool during runtime and which are not
installed during the installation process remain intact.
     I cross verified it by creating a few temp files and folders and I see
they are not getting deleted. So from the observations it looks like
     Wix will keep a tab of files copied during installation and only those
files and folders are getting deleted.  I would like to know if there
    Is a  way to do a clean uninstall i.e deleting all entries of the
product from installation path.

Thanks and Regards,
shashikala


____________________________________________________________________
WiX Toolset Users Mailing List provided by FireGiant
http://www.firegiant.com/

____________________________________________________________________
WiX Toolset Users Mailing List provided by FireGiant
http://www.firegiant.com/