How to create single RegistryKey and refer to it from many RegistryValue's?

Question

I created a RegistryKey and a RegistryValue nested inside this RegistryKey. Later I created another RegistryValue - not nested inside whatever RegistryKey in WiX's XML scheme. But I want to this second RegistryValue be inside the first RegistryKey actually after the installation complete. So I want to refer from many RegistryValue's to a single RegistryKey. How to do it?

It also requires that various registry values will be inside various components, so I can't put all the registry values inside a single registry key within the WiX scheme.

The example is presented below.

  <Component>
    <RegistryValue
      Root="HKLM"
      Name="ShortcutInstalled"
      Key="SetupAndAccessoryData1"
      Type="integer"
      Value="1"
      KeyPath="yes"
      />
  </Component>
  <Component>
    <RegistryKey
      Id="SetupAndAccessoryData1"
      Action="createAndRemoveOnUninstall"
      Key="SOFTWARE\$(var.Manufacturer)\$(var.ProductName)\SetupAndAccessoryData"
      Root="HKLM"
      >
      <RegistryValue
        Type="string"
        Name="InstallDirectory"
        Value="[ProductDirectory]"
        KeyPath="yes"
        >
      </RegistryValue>
    </RegistryKey>
  </Component>

For now I must fill the Key attribute of the ShortcutInstalled RegistryValue with the same data as in the Key attribute at the RegistryKey. But I don't want to copy and paste it because of refactoring difficulties. I just want to refer to the same registry key. What is the best approach to gain it?

Rob Mensching Rob Mensching · Accepted Answer · 2013-04-19T14:10:07

The RegistryKey element is mostly provided for convenience when you have many RegistryValue elements to nest under a single key. However, it is not necessary to use RegistryKey element since RegistryValue can provide the full path as well. Your example above could also be written like:

<Component>
  <RegistryValue
     Root="HKLM"
     Key="SOFTWARE\$(var.Manufacturer)\$(var.ProductName)\SetupAndAccessoryData"
     Name="ShortcutInstalled"
     Value="1"
     Type="integer" />
</Component>
<Component>
  <RegistryValue
     Id="SetupAndAccessoryData1"
     Root="HKLM"
     Key="SOFTWARE\$(var.Manufacturer)\$(var.ProductName)\SetupAndAccessoryData"
     Name="InstallDirectory"
     Value="[ProductDirectory]"
     Type="string" />
  </RegistryValue>
</Component>

It's mostly a matter of preference. Alternatively, if you need to refer to the same registry key in many Components then you could use a preprocessor variable to store the common part of the path, then use it across many RegistryValue elements. For example, we could modify the above to look like:

<?define CommonReg = "SOFTWARE\$(var.Manufacturer)\$(var.ProductName)\SetupAndAccessoryData" ?>
<Component>
  <RegistryValue
     Root="HKLM"
     Key="$(var.CommonReg)"
     Name="ShortcutInstalled"
     Value="1"
     Type="integer" />
</Component>
<Component>
  <RegistryValue
     Id="SetupAndAccessoryData1"
     Root="HKLM"
     Key="$(var.CommonReg)"
     Name="InstallDirectory"
     Value="[ProductDirectory]"
     Type="string" />
  </RegistryValue>
</Component>

How to create single RegistryKey and refer to it from many RegistryValue's?

1 Answers