Shortcuts offer a big convenience for users, allowing them to launch applications and open directories without having to search through their C: drive to get to them. During installation, we can add shortcuts to the Windows Start menu, the user's desktop, or any other directory we choose. Shortcuts can be customized with icons and labels, and they can even specify command-line switches to pass to the target application.

We can also create a special type of shortcut, called an advertised shortcut that acts as a link to a feature that we haven't installed yet. When the user clicks on the shortcut for the first time, the feature will be installed on demand. In this chapter, we'll explore several types of shortcuts that are commonly used.