Blair, thank you very much for your detailed answer. :-)
So if I understand correctly, all I have to do is to set ALLUSERS to 1? Ok, nice. :-) But actually, after decades of seeing lots of installers asking the administrator where the *he* wants the files get copied to, I do not understand why it is up to *the .msi author* to decide about this... (actually I do not see any sense in deciding this *per .msi file* at all, as virtually all currently installed products are installed *per machine* anyways since no Windows before Seven was able to do a pure per-user install, and nobody ever seriously complained about that, and with a decision *per .msi file* chaos is likely to come...: "Hey admin, why can I execute all programs but not this one? Why can everybody but me execute this program? And why did it work on Vista but on Seven it is just vanished from my Start menu?"). For me as a MSI starter this reads like: "You can't do it right. I will fail anyways." ;-) Regards Markus > -----Original Message----- > From: Blair [mailto:os...@live.com] > Sent: Donnerstag, 5. November 2009 12:57 > To: 'General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset.' > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Per User / Per Machine > > Some items' ultimate locations depend on the ALLUSERS value. Some > examples: > > HKCR is really a merge of a key under HKLM and a different key under > HKCU. > If ALLUSERS is set to 1, you get the HKLM registration, otherwise (when > it > is blank) you get the HKCU one. > > The predefined property StartMenuFolder varies its value based on > ALLUSERS > as well. See the following table: > Type of Install REFKNOWNFOLDERID CSIDL > Per-machine CommonStartMenu CSIDL_COMMON_STARTMENU > Per-user StartMenu CSIDL_STARTMENU > > The portion of your authoring for items using those two values are > "easy" > since the actual authoring doesn't change. However, the location of the > binary that the verb and the shortcut point to need to be in a location > that > will be correctly identified, and that location should vary based on > what > value of ALLUSERS you are supporting (if you use ProgramFilesFolder, > for > instance, the location you get will be in a non-profile location that > requires elevation to access, that is, a per-machine location, so you > can't > really use it in a per-user package.) > > -----Original Message----- > From: Markus Karg [mailto:markus.k...@gmx.net] > Sent: Wednesday, November 04, 2009 10:53 AM > To: 'General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset.' > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Per User / Per Machine > > But how to do that, "author the package based on your decision"? > > I mean, I just have two files, one program menu item and one extension > verb. > The .wxs file is more or less a copy of the WiX manual's samples / WiX > tutorial code snippets. > > The WiX manual does not say something about "authoring the packaging > based > on your decision", nor does the WiX tutorial. > > Is it enough to just set the ALLUSERS property, or how is that to be > done > "author the package based on your decision"? > > Sorry for one more silly questions, but I just can't find a How-To for > that. > > Thanks > Markus > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Blair [mailto:os...@live.com] > > Sent: Mittwoch, 4. November 2009 06:47 > > To: 'General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset.' > > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Per User / Per Machine > > > > Sorry if I am confusing you. > > > > I recommend you decide upfront if your installation will be per-user > or > > per-machine. Don't try to make a package that is intended to be > > switchable. > > > > Then author the package based on your decision. > > > > MSI 5 (Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2) is required to make > > workable > > packages that can be switched during installation. However, the > advice > > is > > still: don't do it. Make it one or the other and prevent the one you > > don't > > support. > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Markus Karg [mailto:markus.k...@gmx.net] > > Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 9:28 AM > > To: 'General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset.' > > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Per User / Per Machine > > > > Blair, > > > > now I am more confused than before. On one hand you say, I shall > write > > a > > .msi that is either perUser OR perMachine, on the other hand you say > > that it > > is very hard to do when not using MSI 5 (which is only available on > > Windows > > 7). So for me this reads like: "For a MSI beginner it is impossible > to > > write > > a correctly working setup on any OS before W7.";-( > > > > Regards > > Markus > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Blair [mailto:os...@live.com] > > > Sent: Montag, 2. November 2009 21:43 > > > To: 'General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset.' > > > Subject: Re: [WiX-users] Per User / Per Machine > > > > > > All resources (files, registry entries, etc.) can generally be > > divided > > > into > > > three spaces: those that live in administrator per-machine areas > > > (C:\Program > > > Files, etc.), those that live in the user profile, and those very > few > > > that > > > live in shared document regions. > > > > > > If your installation requires access to administrator-controlled > > > regions of > > > the computer, it should be a pure perMachine and NOT place anything > > in > > > perUser (profile) areas, and vice-versa. Until MSI 5.0 (which is > > > currently > > > only available on Windows 7 AFAIK) it has been extremely difficult > to > > > author > > > a package that can go either way, although it was somewhat easier > > > before > > > Vista/UAC entered the picture. > > > > > > Administrators are supposed to follow author's guidelines when > using > > > advertising to make a program available to users. /ju and /jm don't > > > actually > > > install the software and they don't set ALLUSERS. > > > > > > Also, personally, I haven't found /ju to be very useful: it doesn't > > > provide > > > a place to designate the user to advertise to, and if that user > > doesn't > > > already have admin privileges, the command will fail while if the > > user > > > does > > > have those privileges, the command isn't needed. Then again, maybe > I > > > haven't > > > found the magic incantation yet. > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Markus Karg [mailto:markus.k...@gmx.net] > > > Sent: Monday, November 02, 2009 11:01 AM > > > To: 'General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset.' > > > Subject: [WiX-users] Per User / Per Machine > > > > > > Blair, > > > > > > in a different context you wrote: > > > > > > > It is best to make your installations pure-perMachine or pure- > > > > perUser > > > > and never mix them > > > > > > There is one thing I do not understand in that context: I always > had > > > the > > > impression that it is up to the *administrator* to decide whether > to > > > install > > > a software Per User / Per Machine: Isn't that what msiexec's /ju > and > > > /jm > > > options are good for? > > > > > > Now reading your above comment (and the MSDN chapter about the > > ALLUSERS > > > property) I am a bit confused. > > > > > > If it is up to the .msi *author* to decide about Per User / Per > > Machine > > > (using the ALLUSERS property), for what is /ju and /jm good then? > And > > > what > > > will happen if my .msi file is for Per User, but the administrator > is > > > using > > > /jm (or vice versa)? > > > > > > Thanks > > > Markus > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > -- > > -- > > > ----- > > > -- > > > Come build with us! The BlackBerry(R) Developer Conference in SF, > CA > > > is the only developer event you need to attend this year. Jumpstart > > > your > > > developing skills, take BlackBerry mobile applications to market > and > > > stay > > > ahead of the curve. Join us from November 9 - 12, 2009. Register > now! > > > http://p.sf.net/sfu/devconference > > > _______________________________________________ > > > WiX-users mailing list > > > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > -- > > -- > > > ------- > > > Come build with us! The BlackBerry(R) Developer Conference in SF, > CA > > > is the only developer event you need to attend this year. Jumpstart > > > your > > > developing skills, take BlackBerry mobile applications to market > and > > > stay > > > ahead of the curve. Join us from November 9 - 12, 2009. Register > now! > > > http://p.sf.net/sfu/devconference > > > _______________________________________________ > > > WiX-users mailing list > > > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > -- > > ----- > > -- > > Come build with us! The BlackBerry(R) Developer Conference in SF, CA > > is the only developer event you need to attend this year. Jumpstart > > your > > developing skills, take BlackBerry mobile applications to market and > > stay > > ahead of the curve. Join us from November 9 - 12, 2009. Register now! > > http://p.sf.net/sfu/devconference > > _______________________________________________ > > WiX-users mailing list > > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > -- > > ------- > > Let Crystal Reports handle the reporting - Free Crystal Reports 2008 > > 30-Day > > trial. Simplify your report design, integration and deployment - and > > focus on > > what you do best, core application coding. Discover what's new with > > Crystal Reports now. http://p.sf.net/sfu/bobj-july > > _______________________________________________ > > WiX-users mailing list > > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ----- > -- > Let Crystal Reports handle the reporting - Free Crystal Reports 2008 > 30-Day > trial. 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Discover what's new with > Crystal Reports now. http://p.sf.net/sfu/bobj-july > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Let Crystal Reports handle the reporting - Free Crystal Reports 2008 30-Day trial. Simplify your report design, integration and deployment - and focus on what you do best, core application coding. Discover what's new with Crystal Reports now. http://p.sf.net/sfu/bobj-july _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
