From MSI to WiX, Part 26 - Shortcut: To pin or not to pin?

As you may already know, Windows 7 supports setting properties on shortcuts and MSI 5.0 provides MsiShortcutProperty table to enable setting shortcut properties from installation package.

Let's start with updated nonadvertised shortcut sample from Part 10:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<?define APPPATH = "D:\Learning\Wix\ShortcutProperty\ConsoleApp\bin\Debug"?>

<Wix xmlns="https://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi">

  <Product Id="59226dd7-6c8a-41f4-900d-697967752465"

           Name="ShortcutProperty"

           Language="1033"

           Version="1.0.0.0"

           Manufacturer="ShortcutProperty"

           UpgradeCode="256a8e92-2d80-4445-944c-6f3116b2f100">

    <Package InstallerVersion="200" Compressed="yes"

            InstallScope="perMachine" />

    <Media Id="1" Cabinet="media1.cab" EmbedCab="yes" />

    <Directory Id="TARGETDIR" Name="SourceDir">

      <Directory Id="ProgramFilesFolder">

        <Directory Id="INSTALLLOCATION" Name="ShortcutProperty">

          <Component Id="Component1"

                     Guid="{213F41E8-8AD5-4BEA-AFC5-652A02F6596F}"

                     DiskId="1">

            <File Id="ConsoleApp.exe"

                  Name="ConsoleApp.exe"

                  Vital="yes"

                  KeyPath="yes"

               Source="$(var.APPPATH)\ConsoleApp.exe" />

          </Component>

          <Component Id="Component2"

                     Guid="{7D96A205-F60A-4bd2-AB66-9ADDFD49ED56}"

                     DiskId="1">

            <RegistryValue Root="HKCU"

                           Key="Software\ShortcutProperty\ConsoleApp"

                           Name="installed"

                           Type="integer"

                           Value="1"

                           KeyPath="yes"/>

            <Shortcut Id="startmenuNonadv"

                      Directory="ProgramMenuDir"

                      Advertise="no"

                      Name="ConsoleApp"

                      WorkingDirectory="INSTALLDIR"

                      Icon="Icon.exe"

                      Target="[!ConsoleApp.exe]">

              <Icon Id="Icon.exe" SourceFile="$(var.APPPATH)\ConsoleApp.exe" />

            </Shortcut>

            <RemoveFolder Id="DeleteShortcutFolder"

                          Directory="ProgramMenuDir"

                          On="uninstall" />

          </Component>

          </Directory>

      </Directory>

      <Directory Id="ProgramMenuFolder" Name="Programs">

        <Directory Id="ProgramMenuDir" Name="ConsoleApp ShortcutProperty sample" />

      </Directory>

    </Directory>

    <Feature Id="ProductFeature" Title="ShortcutProperty" Level="1">

      <ComponentRef Id="Component1" />

      <ComponentRef Id="Component2" />

    </Feature>

  </Product>

</Wix>

After installing this application on Windows 7 you will notice that "ConsoleApp ShortcutProperty sample" menu in "All Programs" is highlighted (indicating that new program is installed) and if you will right-click on "ConsoleApp" shortcut, you'll see "Pin to Taskbar" and "Pin to Start Menu" in the popup menu.

For my application I don't want users to be notified that new application has been installed and I don't want users to be able to pin my application to Taskbar.  Here is what we need to add to our shortcut component (inside <Sortcut> element):

<ShortcutProperty Id="ShortcutProperty.ConsoleApp"

                 Key="System.AppUserModel.PreventPinning"

                 Value="1" />

<ShortcutProperty Id="ShortcutProperty.ConsoleApp"

                 Key="System.AppUserModel.ExcludeFromShowInNewInstall"

                 Value="1" />

 Sample project is attached.

ShortcutProperty.zip

Comments

• Anonymous
  September 10, 2010
  I have created advertised shortcut with WIX but I see only "Pin to Start menu" menu item. How can I enable Taskbar pinning support? Thanks.