Issue creating/removing startmenu shortcuts with Wix

Question

I'm trying to create a shortcut on the program files menu for my application. However, as my company may have a number of products with their own installers I want to have them in sub folders on the menu where each installer add its products shortcuts to this submenu.

So far I have achieved this but when I uninstall one it leaves its artefacts behind on the startup menu, and if I uninstall all of them it still leaves behind the Company Folder as well as any failed sub menus.

Heres a section of the WIX code which I was attempting to use. I'm using the same code in multiple installers for the different products:

<Directory Id="TARGETDIR" Name="SourceDir">
  <Directory Id="ProgramFilesFolder" Name ="PFiles">
    <Directory Id="CompanyFolder" Name="!(loc.ManufacturerName)">
      <Directory Id="INSTALLDIR" Name="!(loc.ProductName)"/>
    </Directory>
  </Directory>
  <Directory Id="ProgramMenuFolder">
    <Directory Id="CompanyProgramsFolder" Name="!(loc.ManufacturerName)">
      <Directory Id="ProductFolder" Name="!(loc.ProductName)"/>
    </Directory>
  </Directory>
</Directory>

<DirectoryRef Id="CompanyProgramsFolder">
  <Component Id="CompanyProgramsFolderComponent" Guid="{SOME GUID}" >
    <RegistryValue Root="HKCU" Key="Software\!(loc.ManufacturerName)" Name="installed" Type="integer" Value="1" KeyPath="yes"/>
  <RemoveFolder Id="CompanyProgramsFolder" On="uninstall"/>
  </Component>
</DirectoryRef>

  <DirectoryRef Id="ProductFolder">
  <Component Id="ApplicationShortcut" Guid="SOME GUID">
    <Shortcut Id="ApplicationStartMenuShortcut" Icon="Company.ico" Name="!(loc.ProductName)" Description="!(loc.ApplicationDescription)" Target="[INSTALLDIR]MyApplication.exe" WorkingDirectory="INSTALLDIR"/>
    <Shortcut Id="UninstallProduct" Icon="Company.ico" Name="Uninstall !(loc.ProductName)" Description="Uninstalls !(loc.ProductName)"
      Target="[SystemFolder]msiexec.exe"
      Arguments="/x [ProductCode]"/>
    <RemoveFolder Id="ProductFolder" On="uninstall"/>
    <RegistryValue Root="HKCU" Key="Software\!(loc.ManufacturerName)\!(loc.ProductName)" Name="installed" Type="integer" Value="1" KeyPath="yes"/>
  </Component>
</DirectoryRef>

<!-- Set the components defined in our fragment files that will be used for our feature  -->
<Feature Id="MainFeature" Title="!(loc.ProductName)" Description="!(loc.ApplicationDescription)" Level="1">
  <ComponentGroupRef Id="Files" />
  <ComponentRef Id="CompanyProgramsFolderComponent" />
  <ComponentRef Id="ApplicationShortcut" />
</Feature>

Is there a way to get this to work? I'm not to comfortable with what functionality the Registry values are playing here so I may have been naive with my use of them.

Programmer · Accepted Answer · 2014-03-03 10:51:40Z

1

Try the following..it works for me.

 <DirectoryRef Id="ApplicationProgramsFolder">
  <Component Id="ApplicationShortcut" Guid="20BC8446-684B-44F5-A1E3-AF6010EAF37C">
    <Shortcut Id="ApplicationStartMenuShortcut"
        Name="Product Name Installer"
        Description="Product Name Installer"
        Target="[APPLICATIONROOTDIRECTORY]YourExe.exe"
        WorkingDirectory="APPLICATIONROOTDIRECTORY"/>
            <Shortcut Id="UninstallProduct" 
                    Name="Uninstall Product Name"             
                  Target="[INSTALLLOCATION]YourExe.exe"
              Arguments="/x [ProductCode]" Description="Uninstalls Product Name" />
    <RemoveFolder Id="ApplicationProgramsFolder"
     On="uninstall"/>
    <RegistryValue Root="HKCU"
   Key="Software\Solution\Product name"

  Name="installed" Type="integer" Value="1" KeyPath="yes"/>
  </Component>
</DirectoryRef>

Finally, add this component under your product feature as follows (make sure the ID matches above):

<ComponentRef Id="ApplicationShortcut" />

edited Mar 3, 2014 at 10:51

answered Mar 29, 2013 at 10:03

Programmer

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1 Comment

rollsch Over a year ago

What if you want to remove both desktop AND start menu shortcuts. Should you create multiple registry entries and RemoveFolder entries?

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