Need to store text files in AppData folder

[SteveRussell]

I kind of like the doc comparison. My tiny data files are profiles that record user progress, otherwise meaningless when the application is uninstalled. But they could remain for re-installation.

I have never before dealt programmatically with the appdata file structure, so never had to think about some of these ramifications. I treat the register very carefully, leaving it clean at uninstall. Now I am wondering about the neighborhood rules - Is it considered sloppy to allow some files to remain in appdata when the program is removed?

[MSG]

Originally Posted by SteveRussell

Is it considered sloppy to allow some files to remain in appdata when the program is removed?

That entirely depends on your definition. "Uninstallation" implies you undo the installation, but you can define "installation" as that which the installer created (so, only the original application), or you can define it as everything that comprises and belongs to the installed application (so, both the app and its settings etc).

Note that it may also depend on the size and number of files you're leaving behind. What most uninstallers do is add a checkbox or messagebox option to delete saves/settings along with the application.