WorkingDirectory is just a name that is closer to the name in the MSI file's shortcut table - WkDir. It helps people see what's going on when the names are similar, that's my assumption why they are similar.
INSTALLDIR is just a convention, TARGETDIR is the Windows Installer directory which is the parent of this, generally the "application folder" configurable by the user. As far as I recall, INSTALLDIR is just the same id as used in the pre-Windows Installer InstallShield projects and happens to have been used ever since. Others can be used. Because there's nothing special about it (unless WiX wants to make it special) it's just a property that may or may not be used, so how can it be validated? If you don't use INSTALLDIR, do you have a directory name for the folder where the target of the shortcut is installed? Unless you used TARGETDIR or the files are in a standard installer folder, there must have been a directory target defined for the files. Phil Wilson On Thu, Dec 5, 2013 at 6:10 AM, <keith.doug...@statcan.gc.ca> wrote: > Several of our packages use unadvertised shortcuts to point to various > files in their installation. However, I have learned that we were setting > the "WorkingDirectory" attribute wrong for them (because I had to replace > one for an application where WorkingDirectory matters). I had followed the > how-to in the documentation and failed to realize that INSTALLDIR was a > user-defined constant, not a Windows Installer or WIX constant; I had > consequently never actually defined it anywhere. Should there be a > validation of this attribute? I now find it funny that an undefined ID will > work here. It seems to simply put in the empty string, which is harmless, > but ... I see WixCop does this when it is run. I guess I wonder why there, > not in (say) light? > > Also, is there any particular reason why the attribute is called > WorkingDirectory and the UI in Explorer uses "Start In"? One of my > colleagues wondered about that. > > > Keith Douglas > Statistics Canada | 170 Tunney's Pasture Driveway, Ottawa ON K1A 0T6 > Statistique Canada | 170, promenade Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa ON K1A 0T6 > keith.doug...@statcan.gc.ca > Telephone | Téléphone 613-951-4405 > Facsimile | Télécopieur 613-951-1966 > Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Sponsored by Intel(R) XDK > Develop, test and display web and hybrid apps with a single code base. > Download it for free now! > > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=111408631&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sponsored by Intel(R) XDK Develop, test and display web and hybrid apps with a single code base. Download it for free now! http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=111408631&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
