Be careful when installing VS add-ins in localized Windows versions
When installing add-ins for Visual Studio, a number of different paths can be used. One of them is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\MSEnvShared\Addins - in a default installation of a US English Windows. Obviously a proper installer would use Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.CommonApplicationData) to make sure the path is correct for the current system and for the current language. For example, for a German system the result would be C:\Dokumente und Einstellungen\Alle Benutzer\Anwendungsdaten\Microsoft\MSEnvShared\Addins.
Now, the funny thing is that a part of the path is stored by Visual Studio verbatim. To be precise, VS stores the path as %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\MSEnvShared\Addins, as you can see in VS using Tools/Options/Add-in/Macros Security.
Obviously they forgot that the Application Data part wouldn’t be called that in a localized version of Windows. So if you want to install your add-in into that path, you should make sure you fiddle around with it to create a mixed-language version, which fits the template used in the VS settings.
Because of things like that, I’m running the English version of Windows, even though I’m from Germany too. They usually get it right, but sometimes you run into an oversight like this an then you are screwed. Patches and tools are also usually released for the English version first and some tools never get localized.
Stefan
Comment by Stefan — 2/2/2006 @ 9:26 am - 2 years, 6 months ago
Probably a good idea, but we can’t depend on all our customers to do the same thing
Comment by Oliver Sturm — 2/2/2006 @ 9:29 am - 2 years, 6 months ago