Visual Studio Deployment Project - AppData issue

  • Thread starter Thread starter MarketMole
  • Start date Start date
M

MarketMole

Tribe,

I have a .NET setup and deployment project which writes to the Users's
Application Data Folder.

I've got about 20 folders that I want to place here.

Some of them contain files I want every user to have.

I can build the project, create the MSI and install the app just fine.

But when I got to run it, and the /AppData/Roaming/[productname]/
directory is created - NONE of the folders with files in them get
created.

In addition, I've noticed that in the /AppData/Roaming/ directory,
after installation my folders which contain files are installed here -
Surprise Surprise.

How can I get my whole tree of folders, some of which may contain
files, to get placed into the [username]/AppData/Roaming/[productname]
location?

Thanks for any help.

MM.

Leximize your word!
 
What code are you using to create the folders and files, and how are
you "determining" the user's [username]/AppData/Roaming/[productname]
location?
 
MarketMole said:
Tribe,

I have a .NET setup and deployment project which writes to the Users's
Application Data Folder.

I've got about 20 folders that I want to place here.

Some of them contain files I want every user to have.

I can build the project, create the MSI and install the app just fine.

But when I got to run it, and the /AppData/Roaming/[productname]/
directory is created - NONE of the folders with files in them get
created.

In addition, I've noticed that in the /AppData/Roaming/ directory,
after installation my folders which contain files are installed here -
Surprise Surprise.

How can I get my whole tree of folders, some of which may contain
files, to get placed into the [username]/AppData/Roaming/[productname]
location?

Thanks for any help.

MM.

Leximize your word!
.
Click to expand...

Are the files you want to deploy showing up in the correct folders in your
deployment project's file view?

Mike
 
MarketMole said:
Tribe,
Click to expand...
I have a .NET setup and deployment project which writes to the Users's
Application Data Folder.
Click to expand...
I've got about 20 folders that I want to place here.
Click to expand...
Some of them contain files I want every user to have.
Click to expand...
I can build the project, create the MSI and install the app just fine.
Click to expand...
But when I got to run it, and the /AppData/Roaming/[productname]/
directory is created - NONE of the folders with files in them get
created.
Click to expand...
In addition, I've noticed that in the /AppData/Roaming/ directory,
after installation my folders which contain files are installed here -
Surprise Surprise.
Click to expand...
How can I get my whole tree of folders, some of which may contain
files, to get placed into the [username]/AppData/Roaming/[productname]
location?
Click to expand...
Thanks for any help.

Leximize your word!
.
Click to expand...

Are the files you want to deploy showing up in the correct folders in your
deployment project's file view?

Mike
Click to expand...

Patrick, no code is used to create the [username]/AppData/Roaming/
[productname] structure. Simply the fact that I included a "User's
Application Data Folder" in the File System on TargetMachine tree, and
filled it with content which I expect to be placed in this location
upon either installation or first use (apparently).

Mike, the structure I've created in the deployment project's file view
is exactly as I would expect it to be deployed for a user. All is
visible as expected.

Are there restrictions as to what can be made part of a "first run"
AppData directory tree? It seems that every folder that contains files
is NOT copied during first run but IS copied into the root /AppData/
upon installation.

Perhaps using Visual Studio's deployment project setup is not the way
to go. I thought I read about one on SourceForge that MS will be
adopting.

Thanks for your replies.
 
Folders aren't created automatically - if you want 20 folders under User's
Application Data you have to create them and add the files to each
sub-directory. There's no "automatically create the directory structure I
have on my dev machine".

ProductName is case-sensitive, like all Windows Installer properties, so I
assume the spelling you're using is just an example and not exact syntax.
 
But folders ARE created automatically upon first use of the
application.

Put a tree of 20 empty folders in a "User's Application Data Folder"
which points to "AppDataFolder" ( %APPDATA% environment variable), and
when you install the app those folders are NOT created in your /
AppData/Roaming/[ProductName] directory. However, upon first run, this
tree is magically created right where it should be. If you log out and
log in as another user; run the app, this login too will get an
identical tree structure of the 20 folders.

I'm cool with this. Great. Except that the folders must be empty to
get automatically created. Those with subfolders or files will be
ignored.

These folders with files in them, oddly enough, got installed in /
AppData/Roaming/ proper upon original installation.

[VS08 on Win7 64]



Folders aren't created automatically - if you want 20 folders under User's
Application Data you have to create them and add the files to each
sub-directory. There's no "automatically create the directory structure I
have on my dev machine".

ProductName is case-sensitive, like all Windows Installer properties, so I
assume the spelling you're using is just an example and not exact syntax.

--
Phil Wilson




Tribe,
Click to expand...
I have a .NET setup and deployment project which writes to the Users's
Application Data Folder.
Click to expand...
I've got about 20 folders that I want to place here.
Click to expand...
Some of them contain files I want every user to have.
Click to expand...
I can build the project, create the MSI and install the app just fine.
Click to expand...
But when I got to run it, and the /AppData/Roaming/[productname]/
directory is created - NONE of the folders with files in them get
created.
Click to expand...
In addition, I've noticed that in the /AppData/Roaming/ directory,
after installation my folders which contain files are installed here -
Surprise Surprise.
Click to expand...
How can I get my whole tree of folders, some of which may contain
files, to get placed into the [username]/AppData/Roaming/[productname]
location?
Click to expand...
Thanks for any help.

Leximize your word!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Apologies.

1) On first run the APPLICATION was creating the directory tree under /
APPDATA/[productname] NOT some magical win7 process.
2) Because the application was doing this I thought the installation
was supposed to create a location for each user /APPDATA/
[programname]. And therefore I was placing my entire tree at the
Users's Application Data/ location which of course, upon install,
placed the tree in /AppData/Roaming/ just fine.
3) I had assumed (ass out of me really) that because these directories
where showing up that I should not place my tree in a parent folder.
4) Once I DID place my tree in a parent folder inside the setup's
User's Application Data Folder/ everything worked swimmingly.

- File System On Target Machine
- User's Application Data Folder
- - ProductNameHere
- - - product's folder tree here
- - - [more ...]

So, apologies all-round. consider my boot booted.
MM
 
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