Visual Studios deployment: creating an application icon on the desktop 1

[GregFiore]

How is a Visual Studios generated deployment project set up to place an icon on the clients desktop during the installation of a windows application? A custom Icon is sucessfully being installed in the ADD/Remove programs area on the clients machine. The Icon file (.ico) is being installed with the application's .exe, and setup.exe files in the clients programs folder, but does not appear on the desktop with the application as its target.
Please describe in detail how to set it up:
ie: In the FILE SYSTEM(My app) deployment project setup window, etc. etc.
Thanks for any help you can give me!
Greg Fiore

 

[TipGiver]

Right click on Setup1 (at project explorer) -> View -> File System.
Right click on User Desktop -> Add -> Shortcut. (or something similar, i dont remember)

I suppose the you added a setup Project and also added the primary output.

 

[GregFiore]

Thank You TipGiver.
I am now able to get an Icon on the desktop after installation from a CD. However the ICON's target is
the application folder that the app is in, not the app itself!! Clicking the ICON on the desktop opens the Application folder showing the executable, which, when clicked opens the app. I would like it to execute the app.
In VS file setup, I can only point to the application folder and not the executable in the folder??? No files??
Clicking the application folder in the ICON properties window and choosing the target folder "the application folder" doesn't show any files present? However when looking at the application folder itself during setup, the executable is there.
Trying to change the icon's target properties in VS deployment setup, changes the icon's file name???
Just need to know how to set the target for the icon, which is now being installed on the desktop, to the executable?

 

[TipGiver]

Dont worry. Nothing went wrong. You should have changed a little the shortcut's properties. An easier way:
- Delete the shortcut you created. (not need of keeping it)
- At File System (Setup1) click Application folder. The contents will appear at right side. Right click the exe file (Primary output from WindowsApplication1(Active)) and click "Create Shortcut to Primary...".
- Drag and Drop it at the "User's Desktop

 

[GregFiore]

Dear TipGiver,
Thank you very much. Your method worked great! I spent
hours reading books, and the WEB trying to figure out how to do it!!!

Thanks again.
Greg Fiore

 

[TipGiver]

Very glad that helped.
Thanks