How to: Set up shortcuts, registry values, and other entries
Besides copying files, the starter sets up everything else your application needs on the user's
computer: shortcuts, programs to run before or after installation, conditions, file types, registry
values, and an INI file. Each of these has its own list in the Installation group. The starter
writes files, shortcuts, file types, registry values, and the INI file to the user's profile and under
HKEY_CURRENT_USER, so it doesn't need administrator rights for any of them.
Select a page and add one row per entry; the last row in each list is for adding a new entry. Columns with a fixed set of choices offer exactly the values the starter accepts. The starter defines what each column does, which values are allowed, and what happens when a column is empty; see The project file (format 2), sections Property value, Actions, and Conditions (WKL Bootstrapper documentation). This page shows which part of the project file each list corresponds to and what the Bootstrapper Manager itself does with it.
The lists at a glance
| Page | In the project file | Columns | What Bootstrapper Manager does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shortcuts | shortcuts | Folder, Name, Target, Arguments, Icon, Shortcut key | — |
| Actions | actions | When, Program, Arguments, Once only, Wait, Success codes | Offers the points at which the starter can run an action; writes Once only and Wait only when they differ from the default |
| Conditions | conditions | Type, Value, Expected | Offers the condition types the starter accepts |
| File types | fileTypes | Extension, ProgID, Description, Command, Icon | — |
| Registry | registry | Key, View, Bitness, Value name, Type, Data | One row per value (see below); Import command |
| INI file | ini.values | Section, Key, Value | The file's path is in the INI file field on the General page |
To make sure every launch goes through the starter, so users always get updates, enter [Starter] as
the shortcut's Target.
Check: Trial run on the Projects page lists every shortcut with its full path, such
as shortcut C:\Users\<account>\Desktop\Kassensystem.lnk, and the registry values with a line such as
1 registry key(s) below HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
Enter and import registry values
In the project file, each key has a list of values, but the page shows one row per value. When you
save, rows with the same key, view, and bitness are combined into a single key. A row with no Type
creates a key without values. For the MultiString type, the lines in Data are
saved to the project file separated by \n.
Import reads keys and values from a .reg file exported from Registry Editor (through the
starter, /import-reg). Only what a user is allowed to write is imported: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT becomes
the user's Software\Classes, and WOW6432Node becomes the 32-bit view. A message lists what was
skipped: machine-wide keys, binary values, and deletions.
Technical details
- Order: The lists follow the order of the project file; new entries are added at the end.
- Don't store passwords here. Every user can read the project file, so Check reports INI keys whose names suggest a password as a problem.
- Check identifies a faulty entry by name, for example
registry 'Software\Muster\Kasse' value 'Port': ..., and Bootstrapper Manager marks the row. See How to: Check a project and fix problems.
Related topics
- The project file (format 2), sections Property value, Actions, and Conditions (WKL Bootstrapper documentation): what each column means, its allowed values, and its default
- What the starter writes and reports (WKL Bootstrapper documentation)