Why [ProductCode] can be expaneded while [ProductName] can not?

Question

I have WiX code like this:

<DirectoryRef Id="MyShortcutsDir">
    <Component Id="CMP_StartMenuShortcuts" Guid="62A9F5D2-F9D9-4F9B-8382-D470E11B2332">
        <Shortcut Id="docEng" Name="UFCOM user guide - ENG (pdf)" Target="[INSTALLFOLDER]UFCOM user guide - ENG.pdf" />
        <Shortcut Id="docChs" Name="UFCOM user guide - CHS (pdf)" Target="[INSTALLFOLDER]UFCOM user guide - CHS.pdf" />
        <Shortcut Id="UninstallShortcut" Name="Uninstall [ProductName] ~ [ProductVersion]" Target="[System64Folder]msiexec.exe" Arguments="/x [ProductCode]" Description="Remove UFCOM from your Windows" />
        <RemoveFolder Id="RemoveMyShortcutsDir" On="uninstall" />
        <RegistryValue Root="HKCU" Key="Software\Newland Auto-ID\UFCOM" Name="installed" Type="integer" Value="1" KeyPath="yes" />
        <!-- On Win7, these shortcuts(.lnk) resides in "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\UFCOM" -->
    </Component>
</DirectoryRef>

But I find that [ProductCode] can be expaneded while [ProductName] can not, why is it so? Then how to reference product name define in element?

<Product Id="*" Name="UFCOM Driver 1.3.6" ... >
</Product>

Answer 1

Property names in square brackets are only expanded by the MSI installer for data in Formatted column types in the MSI database. The expansion happens when the product is installed.

In the Shortcut table in the MSI database:

• The Arguments column is type Formatted, so [ProductCode] will be expanded when the product is installed.
• The Name column is type Filename, so [ProductName] and [ProductVersion] will not be expanded when the product is installed.

You could use WIX properties, which are expanded during the WIX build process. For example:

<?define ProductName='My Product Name' ?>
<?define ProductVersion='X.Y.Z' ?>

<Shortcut Id="UninstallShortcut" 
     Name="Uninstall $(var.ProductName) ~ $(var.ProductVersion)" 
     Target="[System64Folder]msiexec.exe" 
     Arguments="/x [ProductCode]" 
     Description="Remove UFCOM from your Windows" />

Answer 2

Properties in brackets are expanded in "formatted" attributes. For shortcuts, Shortcut table defines that Arguments is formatted but the Name is not.

You may define a variable

  <?define MyProductName = "UFCOM Driver 1.3.6" ?>

and then use it in both Product/@Name and Shortcut/@Name:

<Product Name="$(var.MyProductName)"

<Shortcut Name="Uninstall $(var.MyProductName)"