Property Not Resolved for Shortcut Name

[#1]

Summary

When a property is used for a shortcut name the value of that property will not be resolved during the installation.

Synopsis

When a property is used for a shortcut name the value of that property will not be resolved during the installation.

The value of the shortcut name will be stored as a String and in some circumstances some strings can resolve properties - this article will discuss the differences between String values and help us understand that not all Strings are made equal.

Discussion

The Value of Strings is stored in the MSI table and the specific table which stores Shortcuts names can be viewed here:

InstallShield Installation Designer > Direct Editor > 'Shortcut' Table > 'Name' Column

Microsoft goes on to discuss the Shortcut table in more detail in the MSDN article referenced below, and explains that the "Name" column is a Filename datatype. Upon further investigation of the "Filename" column datatype, the article informs us that they are unable to resolve properties.

A "Formatted" datatype is however able to resolve properties, which is referenced in the article listed below.

Unfortunately the columns of MSI tables are created and designed by Microsoft and the ability to alter the column datatype is not possible.

Additional Information

Microsoft MSDN article on the Shortcut table:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa371847(v=vs.85).aspx

Filename Datatype information:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa368590(v=vs.85).aspx

Formatted Datatype information:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa368609(v=vs.85).aspx