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Feature request #579: REQUEST: Display Uninstall button even if no previous install detected

Kind feature request
Product Install
When Created , updated
Status open
Reporter Fraser Speirs
Tags no tags

Description

The #1 support question I get about installation is "How do I uninstall it". I think that people don't understand that the installer can uninstall because they don't see the uninstall button when they first install the software.

If it would be possible to configure Install to show a disabled Uninstall button on first-install, just to educate the user that uninstallation is possible, that would be a great help.

Comments

  1. Greg Hurrell

    I'll look into this today Fraser and let you know if it looks feasible. In the meantime, I think one change that would greatly cut down on your support requests would be if you renamed your installer bundle from, for example: 

     Install FlickrExport.app

    To:

     Install/Uninstall FlickrExport.app

    If anything, I think that would have a greater effect than modifying the way the "Uninstall" button works... In any case, will add more once I've reviewed the code.

  2. Greg Hurrell

    Created an attachment (id=133) uninstallation dialog

    Unconditionally enabling the "Uninstall" button is probably not too difficult. But it then becomes necessary to handle the case where the user clicks on the button even though there is nothing to uninstall, and so the uninstall table view which lists the uninstallable files is empty.

    Attaching a screenshot of one way that this case might be handled. Note that most of the strings are in Spanish because my system runs in Spanish, but the newly added strings are still in English.

    Not really sure I like this, but it may be the only way to do it.

  3. Fraser Speirs

    Obviously I don't know how Install works internally but I'm guessing that, when you read the configuration, you must have some code that hides the Uninstall button if no previous install is detected?

    All I'm really looking for is that Install would disable the button (i.e. [button setEnabled: NO]) rather than hiding it when no install is detected. I don't think that it's necessary to have the Uninstall button enabled at all times.

    Thanks.

  4. Greg Hurrell

    Ah, thanks for the clarification, Fraser. Showing the button in a disabled state is considerably easier than allowing the user to click on it and having to throw up a dialog as shown in the screenshot.

    I'll fire a build with this over to you for testing if you'd like.

  5. Greg Hurrell

    As this change is fairly conservative, I don't think there's any need for it to be optional. Rewording the summary to that effect.

  6. Greg Hurrell

    Created an attachment (id=134) tool tip screenshot

    To avoid confusion, I've added a tool-tip when the "Uninstall" button is visible but disable. Screenshot attached.

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