Start Menu Shortcut Example

Using a component script to add an entry to the Windows Start menu.

Start Menu illustrates how to use the Component function to add an entry for opening a README file to the Windows Start menu.

Configuring the Example Installer

The installer configuration file, config.xml, in the config directory specifies the text and default values used in the installer:

  • The <Name> element specifies the application name that is added to the page name and introduction text.
  • The <Version> element specifies the application version number.
  • The <Title> element specifies the installer name displayed on the title bar.
  • The <Publisher> element specifies the publisher of the software (as shown in the Windows Control Panel, for example).
  • The <StartMenuDir> element specifies the name of the default program group for the product in the Windows Start menu.
  • The <TargetDir> element specifies that the default target directory is located in the IfwExamples directory in the home directory of the current user (because the predefined variable@HomeDir@ is used as a part of the value). For more information, see Predefined Variables.
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <Installer>
     <Name>Start Menu Shortcut Example</Name>
     <Version>1.0.0</Version>
     <Title>Start Menu Shortcut Example</Title>
     <Publisher>Qt-Project</Publisher>
     <StartMenuDir>Qt Installer Framework Examples</StartMenuDir>
     <TargetDir>@HomeDir@/IfwExamples/startmenu</TargetDir>
 </Installer>

Creating the Example Package Information File

The installer package information file, package.xml, in the meta directory specifies the components that are available for installation:

  • The <DisplayName> element specifies the human-readable name of the component.
  • The <Description> element specifies the human-readable description of the component.
  • The <Version> element specifies the version number of the component.
  • The <ReleaseDate> element specifies the date when this component version was released.
  • The <Default> element is set to true to preselect the component in the installer.
  • The <Script> element specifies the file name of the JavaScript file that is loaded to perform operations.
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <Package>
     <DisplayName>README.txt</DisplayName>
     <Description>A README.txt, accessible through a start menu entry.</Description>
     <Version>1.0.0-1</Version>
     <ReleaseDate>2013-01-01</ReleaseDate>
     <Default>true</Default>
     <Script>installscript.qs</Script>
 </Package>

Adding Entries to Start Menu

In installscript.qs, we use the createOperations() function to call the component::createOperations() function, which creates the Extract operation by default:

 Component.prototype.createOperations = function()
 {
     component.createOperations();

On Windows, we use the component::addOperation function to add a shortcut to the Start menu for opening the readme file:

     if (systemInfo.productType === "windows") {
         component.addOperation("CreateShortcut", "@TargetDir@/README.txt", "@StartMenuDir@/README.lnk",
             "workingDirectory=@TargetDir@", "iconPath=%SystemRoot%/system32/SHELL32.dll",
             "iconId=2", "description=Open README file");
     }
 }

Generating the Example Installer

To create the example installer, switch to the example source directory on the command line and enter the following command:

  • On Windows:
     ..\..\bin\binarycreator.exe -c config\config.xml -p packages installer.exe
    
  • On Linux or macOS:
     ../../bin/binarycreator -c config/config.xml -p packages installer
    

The installer is created in the current directory.

Files: