Appdata Roaming installation with Visual Studio deployment

Question

Im looking for the following information to decide whether to install my application in the Local or Roaming folder:

Using the Visual Studio setup project, say I install my application into the Roaming folder (like Dropbox, for instance)

• Then is it not meant to be moved to other computers that the same domain user logs onto?
• From my limited testing, the Roaming folders are not moved across? e.g. I have a bunch of folders on Computer A that do not exist on Computer B for the same Active Directory user?
• If the folders do roam somehow, then what happens to the Add Remove programs entry?

Answer 1

You included some links in your post, but you didn't really read them. Perhaps this article will be more clear: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh464917(v=vs.85).aspx

Basically, Local folder should contain files which will be used only on the current machine. In the Roaming folder you can install files which support user profile roaming (accessing the user profile from another machine).

So it all depends on what type of application you are installing:

• If it's contained and can function with only the user profile files, then you can use the Roaming folder.
• If it has dependencies specific to the current machine, use the Local folder.

Regarding Add or Remove programs, your application entry should be available for roaming profiles if its installed per-user.