Start Menu Shortcut Example | Qt Installer Framework Documentation 4.10.0

- Qt Installer Framework Documentation
- Tutorials and Examples
- Start Menu Shortcut Example
- Qt Installer Framework 4.10.0

# 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 sets the application name and adds it to the page name and introduction text.
- The `<Version>` element sets the application version number.
- The `<Title>` element sets the installer name and displays it on the title bar.
- The `<Publisher>` element sets the publisher of the software (as shown in the Windows Control Panel, for example).
- The `<StartMenuDir>` element sets the name of the default program group for the product in the Windows Start menu.
- The `<TargetDir>` element sets the default target directory location to be within the `IfwExamples` directory in the home directory of the current user (because it uses the pre-existing variable `,` @HomeDir@, as 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 sets the human-readable name of the component.
- The `<Description>` element sets the human-readable description of the component.
- The `<Version>` element sets the version number of the component.
- The `<ReleaseDate>` element sets the date of release for this component version.

- 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

This creates the installer to the current directory.

Files:

- startmenu/config/config.xml
- startmenu/packages/org.qtproject.ifw.example/data/README.txt
- startmenu/packages/org.qtproject.ifw.example/meta/installscript.qs
- startmenu/packages/org.qtproject.ifw.example/meta/package.xml
- startmenu/startmenu.pro