problem with icons, CreateShortcut on 64-bit Windows and "C:\Program Files (x86)"

[o___O]

Originally Posted by Anders

NSIS does not touch your strings, blame the windows shortcut API. At least for you main apps shortcut, try not setting the icon directly and just use "" as the icon path

Edit: Another option would be to remove the SLDF_HAS_EXP_ICON_SZ flag and datablock after the shortcut has been created:

After I do this, (on XP) the change shortcut icon dialog displays c:\windows\explorer.exe and not %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe

Neither of these are suitable alternatives, though. The shortcuts I want to specify the icon on are Internet links, the default icon is just ugly and doesn't go with the program. Secondly, NSIS must be involved in this process somehow, because if InstallDir is set to "C:\${APP_NAME}" by default rather than "$PROGRAMFILES32\${APP_NAME}" - one can manually select the "C:\Program Files (x86)" folder during installation and not have this problem (shortcut icon path is correct, icons never vanish). I think the problem has to do with how NSIS is resolving $PROGRAMFILES or handling these Constants and the environmental variables internally (might be specific to InstallDir directive or when or how these variables are used)... Give it another look.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by o___O

I think the problem has to do with how NSIS is resolving $PROGRAMFILES or handling these Constants and the environmental variables internally (might be specific to InstallDir directive or when or how these variables are used)... Give it another look.

InstallDir does not do anything special, $PROGRAMFILES is resolved using a documented shell function the registry and nsis itself does not use environment variables IIRC.

[o___O]

I found more information out about this issue. From the manual:

4.8.1.21 InstallDir
definstdir
Sets the default installation directory. See the variables section for variables that can be used to make this string (especially $PROGRAMFILES). Note that the part of this string following the last \ will be used if the user selects 'browse', and may be appended back on to the string at install time (to disable this, end the directory with a \ (which will require the entire parameter to be enclosed with quotes). If this doesn't make any sense, play around with the browse button a bit.

So the problem is with this behavior in NSIS when InstallDir doesn't end with a \. Disable this feature and the icons and shortcuts are fine.

So..

InstallDir "$PROGRAMFILES32\SCHTHACK PSOBB" has the problem.
InstallDir "$PROGRAMFILES32\SCHTHACK PSOBB\" (disables behavior) doesn't have the problem.

It seems to be something going wrong in this feature when it enumerates and appends "SCHTHACK PSOBB" to the directory selection. For example, a user will choose "C:\Program Files (x86)" as the directory rather than a sub directory, and NSIS will fill in the sub directory to match the last string of InstallDir after the last \, in this case "SCHTHACK PSOBB," making it auto to C:\Program Files (x86)\SCHTHACK PSOBB\. For some reason this breaks CreateShortcut icon association and perhaps other functions in NSIS. What it looks like is Windows is looking in the 64-bit Program Files directory for the icon when this function is enabled, even though the program is really in the 32-bit Program Files folder, which I think is the result of this features functionality mixing up the 64-bit and 32-bit Program Files folders or how it resolves them.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by o___O

making it auto to C:\Program Files (x86)\SCHTHACK PSOBB\.

Are you sure about this? $instdir will normally strip off the \ at the end.

Try:

PHP Code:

strcpy $instdir "c:\temp\"
MessageBox mb_ok $instdir 


[Zinthose]

I'm going to have to confirm with Anders.

I modified the test script and the issue remains.
Can you provide a script that shows the working vs non?

PHP Code:

!define APP_NAME "My App"
OutFile lnkTest.exe
ShowInstDetails show

InstallDir "$PROGRAMFILES32\${APP_NAME}\"

Page directory
Page instfiles

Section
    SetOutPath "$INSTDIR\"
    File /oname=online.exe "C:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD.EXE"
    
    CreateDirectory "$SMPROGRAMS\${APP_NAME}"
    CreateShortcut "$SMPROGRAMS\${APP_NAME}\${APP_NAME}.lnk" "$INSTDIR\online.exe" "" "$INSTDIR\online.exe" "" "" "" "Launches PSOBB"
SectionEnd