1

Our program is writing log files into %APPDATA%\MyProgram.

  • Should our program be responsible in the uninstaller to remove these files?
  • Are there any guidelines on how to work with the APPDATA folder?
  • Is it possible to move files from \MyProgram into \MyOtherProgram?

I am using INNO setup, so there might be some functionality there that I haven't discovered yet.

Marnix
  • 6,384
  • 4
  • 43
  • 78
  • 1
    I prefer to view userprofile files as user data, and I hence leave them alone during uninstallation. This is especially important in cases where people might reinstall your application after having uninstalled it. Bugs are common in data cleanup features and can cause massive havoc and unexpected deletion of files during upgrade scenarios. I like to do folder migrations in the user profile via the application itself, and not via the setup. That way all users can clean up their user profile on application launch. You generally can't clean all userprofiles during installation scenarios. – Stein Åsmul Oct 10 '18 at 09:57
  • 1
    Understandable, but doesn't that mean that a client's APPDATA folder will become cluttered? Is the user responsible for using some 3rd party tools that attempt to clean up the folders? – Marnix Oct 10 '18 at 10:02
  • 1
    I guess most people clean up by rebuilding the whole computer, or the IT department run scripts to clean out as they desire on their own. To me it is a matter of what you can actually do in a setup, and that is highly limited (especially what you can safely do). You could provide IT pros with a cleanup tool yourself, but I would rather document the files in the folder and how to clean up properly. – Stein Åsmul Oct 10 '18 at 10:12
  • If the log files are of a temporary nature, maybe you could store them somewhere else? I have seen people store logs in the temp folder. A bit extreme. What about a network share? There are many options, but hard to discuss without knowledge of the tool - obviously. – Stein Åsmul Oct 10 '18 at 10:19

0 Answers0