Installer - Registry Editing Issues - Bug?

[Wart]

I'm having trouble trying to set up some registry keys in an installer using LabVIEW 2011.  The issue is that I create a registry structure, but when I open the installer again my registry structure is different from what it was when I saved it.

Couple of screen shots showing what I created (before I click OK), and what I get after I open the installer (What I View).  I did this twice with a new project each time and got slightly different results.  Also attached is the project.

When I open the project file in a text editor it looks like all the registry folders are there.  In my production project with keys everything also seems to be intact, just that I can't see it on the screen to edit it.

This almost forces me to enter all of the registry information correctly the first time, because I may or may not be able to come back later and edit things.

[Peter-R]

Hey Wart, 

Were you able to make progress on this issue? I'm going to take a look at what's going on right now. 

Best,

[Wart]

No real progress, other than me duplicating the problem several times.  I've tried two different machines and run into the same issue on both. 

Something else I have observed is that when folders are missing the values from the missing folders end up other places..  So like the values for ODBC Data Sources might end up in the Enignes folder under p_DB1.

The whole thing is very frustrating when I forget to enter a value, or forget to set one as unlocked.  I can look at the project file and try to edit things there, but that occastionally results in two blank blocks on the registry setup screen.  Usually I just roll back my changes after that and start to look for a work around.

[Peter-R]

It's a heirarchy issue. I've recreated the problem on my machine and notice, after careful inspection, that LabVIEW had only re-arranged the folders so that within the same heirarchy, they appear in alphabetical order. I did this with the project you sent, as well as one of my own. The folders aren't missing, just re-arranged, correct? See my attachments, I have the same "problem" with funky folders, but you can see it's just alphabetizing the folders. 

Also, What version of LabVIEW are you running? 

Does this make sense? I can clarify if not, hope this solves your issue! 

Best,

[Wart]

They are missing though.

While things do get rearranged (and that could be part of the issue) my original picture (how I created the entries) has two seperate entries for Engines and Jet - one below c_DB1 and one below p_DB1.  In the second picture (How I view it after I open it again) the entry for c_DB1 and ODBC Data Sources have switched spots.  p_DB1 is still at the bottom, but is now missing the Engines and Jet folder that should be under it.  Just try counting the number of folders in each of my pictures.

Edit: I'm using LV2011.

[Peter-R]

I created the exact folders you did and had the same "disappearing folder" problem. Searching through LabVIEW's help pages, I found the following on the Registry Page (Installer Properties Dialog Box) :

Avoid creating registry keys that other applications already create because duplication might result in unexpected behavior.

Use this page of the Installer Properties dialog box to create and configure custom registry keys for the installer build. The structure of the Registry page is similar to the Windows Registry Editor.

Try renaming the "duplicate folders" so that they are unique. ie, "Engines" becomes "p_Engines", and "Jet" becomes "p_Jet". 

[Wart]

Your links didn't work, but I found the info here:

http://zone.ni.com/reference/en-XX/help/371361H-01/lvdialog/registry_page/

Renaming the folders isn't an acceptable solution for me though.  The example I provided shows a rough outline for configuring two databases named c_DB1 and p_DB1.  Each database uses a copy of the Engines and Jet folder to keep settings for each database connection, so they both have to be created with the same name.

I can look at writing some code to handle creating these keys and running this code after the install runs, but I'd love to see this get fixed eventually.

[Peter-R]

Sorry about the bad links, I didn't mean to create them and am having trouble editing them. 

I found the page searching "Registry Page" in LabVIEW help. 

I will look into this further

[Wart]

I think it's also worth noting that it says to avoid creating keys that OTHER applications already create.  To me that means to not try to write to and edit keys that already exist because I might not get the results I expect.  There's really nothing about not creating duplicate names in different places.

[Peter-R]

Were you able to find a workaround?