Summary

When updating a directory with a new value, how to update subdirectories automatically

Synopsis

When updating a directory with a new value, how to update subdirectories automatically

Discussion

When updating directories with a new value, such as INSTALLDIR, usually, the first thing comes to mind is to use a Set Property custom action. However, if there are components that have a destination set to a subfolder of INSTALLDIR, the destination path does not change. For example, in the folder structure below, if INSTALLDIR is changed with a Set Property custom action, none of the child directory will be updated.

INSTALLDIR
---->CHILDFOLDER1
------------> CHILDFOLDER3
---->CHILDFOLDER2
------------> CHILDFOLDER4

Instead of using a Set Property custom action to update an install path, use a Set Directory custom action instead. Once a directory is updated, all other directories that contains the updated directory will be updated with the new value.