How do I add a shortcut for my worksheet application?

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

BSegE@newsgroups.nospam - 03 Dec 2006 18:00 GMT

Hello Everyone,

I have developed a custom worksheet application using VSTO 2005.
The setup project is running fine and I would like to add a desktop
shortcut to launch the custom Excel workbook.

Adding a desktop shortcut is not a problem with a more traditional
application because the primary output is also the executable file
you want to run. However this is not the case when VSTO is used
to build an Excel workbook customization. The primary output is
(at least be default) the deployed application library (dll).

Is there a way to add a desktop shortcut for the Excel workbook
itself (xls) to the application setup project?

I would also like to use a custom Icon for my shortcut. How can I do
this?

Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Bob

Reply to this Message

Calvin Willman - 04 Dec 2006 04:03 GMT

Bob,

Glad you managed to sort out all your problems with the installer.

To add a shortcut, simply create a new shortcut, pointing to the path of the
spreadsheet as you intend it to be on the production machine... add it to
the User's Desktop folder in the File System tab. Right-click the User's
Desktop folder... Add... File... then browse for the shortcut you've made.

For the custom icon, you might need to include the .ico file to the
application folder or some other location on the end users file system,
otherwise, you'll end up with an iconless shortcut.

Calvin

On 3/12/06 18:00, in article part1of1.1.$gnFECCWuRHgpw@ue.ph,

> Hello Everyone,
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
> Bob

Reply to this Message

BSegE@newsgroups.nospam - 04 Dec 2006 12:33 GMT

Hi Calvin,

I was able to add the icon file to the application folder without
any problem. However, the development environment would
not allow me to select and add a shortcut file I had created to
the application folder.

Any more ideas?

Bob

Reply to this Message

Calvin Willman - 04 Dec 2006 17:36 GMT

Hmmm... Something doesn't seem quite right... As I'm able to work with
shortcuts... I've got one for a url on a project I'm working on now...
Possibly because it's a url maybe... Let me test it with a file shortcut.

Calvin

On 4/12/06 12:33, in article part1of1.1.Aj52GcwvALCE2A@ue.ph,

> Hi Calvin,
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Bob

Reply to this Message

Calvin Willman - 04 Dec 2006 17:57 GMT

Hi Bob,

On the file system tab of the Setup project, you have "User's Desktop" as
one of the possible folders in the treeview. If you don't see it...
Right-click "File System on Target Machine" to add a "new special folder".
Assuming you haven't done this already.

If you select this, on the right hand side you should have a list for the
contents pane... Right-click in there, select the option "create new
shortcut" then... Select application folder from the drop-down of dialog box
you get... Then Add file button becomes active.. Click that, and navigate to
you're file, or shortcut you've created, which I would manually put in the
project folder, before all of this.

Given the project is an excel file... Not an exe.. It's a bit of a fiddle to
have a custom icon for the shortcut, rather than setting the icon on an exe.

Anyway... Hope this makes sense.

Calvin

On 4/12/06 12:33, in article part1of1.1.Aj52GcwvALCE2A@ue.ph,

> Hi Calvin,
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Bob

Reply to this Message

BSegE@newsgroups.nospam - 05 Dec 2006 00:22 GMT

Hi Calvin,

Yes.... But when I navigate to the shortcut in my project folder and select it,
it does NOT appear in the File name: box at the bottom of the dialog window.
And, when I select the Open button, the dialog window closes with no
apparent change.

Bummer.......

Bob

>Hi Bob,
>
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>
>Calvin

Reply to this Message

How do I add a shortcut for my worksheet application?

Free Magazines