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shortcut to other feature launches wrong app


2 replies to this topic

John S Robinson

John S Robinson
  • Members
  • 9 posts

Posted 16 March 2001 - 18:28

Hello all

I am having tremendous difficulty getting Maple6 to install from
a re-packaged msi built by Wise (wfwi pro 3.1), when deployed to
assigned pcs and used by different logged in users.

To work properly, it needs one per-user setting in an ini file
in c:\program files\...

What I have is a shortcut in the component which has the wmaple.exe
file (the actual app to fire off), which advertises a feature called UserSetup.
Thus UserSetup feature has a single component CurrentUser, which has
a registry key path to an HKCU entry, and changes the
INI file line.

This shortcut activates the installer once eash time a different
user logs in, and modifies the INI file as I wish.  

So far so good.  What happens next is that instead of wmaple.exe
starting, I get an 'Open with' dialog box asking me which app I want
to start 'Maple6User' with.

Now Maple6User is the data for the HKCU key which is the keypath for
the UserSetup's only component.

The MS Installer SDK says of Shortcuts:

Target
The Shortcut target. For advertised shortcuts, this column is an
external key into the first column of the Feature table. The file
launched by the shortcut in this case is the key file of the component
listed in the Component_ column. When the shortcut is activated, the
installer verifies that all the components in the feature are installed
before launching this file. For non-advertised shortcuts, the Target
column contains a property that is expanded into the file or a folder
pointed to by the shortcut. For more information, see the
CreateShortcuts action.

But the shortcut has Component = wmaple.exe, which has key file
wmaple.exe.  What I am seeing is that the keyfile of the component
in the feature referred to by the target is being launched.

So I think the documentation lies - can anybody else throw
any light on this.

Thanks in advance for any clues.

I can repost some more details of anyone wnats - but only on Monday,
it's time to go home now so I just started rbuilkding my test pcs.

John

John S Robinson                              Tel:   +44-1904-433833
University of York Computing Service         Fax:   +44-1904-433740
Heslington, YORK.  YO10 5DD                  email: jsr1@york.ac.uk
www-users.york.ac.uk/~jsr1   -  but I wouldn't bother if I were you


 


John S Robinson

John S Robinson
  • Members
  • 9 posts

Posted 19 March 2001 - 14:50

Hello all - an update of an earlier posting

I am having tremendous difficulty getting Maple6 to install from
a re-packaged msi built by Wise (wfwi pro 3.1), when deployed to
assigned pcs and used by different logged in users.

To work properly, it needs one per-user setting in an ini file
in c:\program files\...

What I have is a shortcut in the component which has the wmaple.exe
file (the actual app to fire off), which advertises a feature called UserSetup.
Thus UserSetup feature has a single component CurrentUser, which has
a registry key path to an HKCU entry, and changes the
INI file line.

This shortcut activates the installer once eash time a different
user logs in, and modifies the INI file as I wish.  

So far so good.  What happens next is that instead of wmaple.exe
starting, I get an 'Open with' dialog box asking me which app I want
to start 'Maple6User' with.

Now Maple6User is the name of the HKCU key which is the keypath for
the UserSetup's only component.

The MS Installer SDK says of Shortcuts:

Target
The Shortcut target. For advertised shortcuts, this column is an
external key into the first column of the Feature table. The file
launched by the shortcut in this case is the key file of the component
listed in the Component_ column. When the shortcut is activated, the
installer verifies that all the components in the feature are installed
before launching this file. For non-advertised shortcuts, the Target
column contains a property that is expanded into the file or a folder
pointed to by the shortcut. For more information, see the
CreateShortcuts action.

But the shortcut has Component = wmaple.exe, which has key file
wmaple.exe.  What I am seeing is that the keyfile of the component
in the feature referred to by the target is being launched.

So I think the documentation lies - can anybody else throw
any light on this.

I have got a bit further by the nasty (but inventive) kludge of
naming the registry key path c:\progra~1\maple6~1\bin.wnt\wmaple.exe
(note the short filenames work, long ones don't).  This does, in fact,
launch the application I want.

I have a further logical problem.  
This works so far:
 user A logs into a rebuilt pc, clicks the shortcut
   the Installer runs and setups up the common .INI file
 user B logs in, clicks the shortcut, the installer runs to do the
   per-user bit, and the INI file is updated to reflect B
but ...
 user A logs in again, and there is nothing to force the installer
   to run, so the INI file still points to user B

What is the best way to make the per-user portion of a deployed app
run *every* time time the shortcut is activated (I would really like every time
the logged in user changes, but I guess that would be much more difficult).

I have tried making a new component with a key file path, and then deleting the file
when the app runs, but I can't get it into a working state.

Any suggestions ?

John