Use .rc strings in fewer places for installer util.

chrome/installer/util/BUILD.gn

 # Copyright 2014 The Chromium Authors. All rights reserved.
 # Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
 # found in the LICENSE file.
 
 import("//build/config/chrome_build.gni")
 import("//testing/test.gni")
 
-# Generally you should depend on this target, see below for discussion.
-group("util") {
-  public_deps = [
-    ":with_no_strings_some_things_wont_work",
-  ]
-  if (is_win) {
-    public_deps += [ ":strings" ]
-  }
-}
-
+# This file deliberately has no default "util" target so dependants have to
+# specify with the ":with_no_strings" or ":with_rc_strings" variants. Random
+# code that ends up getting linked into chrome proper should depend on the
+# ":with_no_strings" variant. Other standalone apps will need to decide if they
+# need the resource strings or not.
+#
 # chrome/installer/util has generated strings on Windows. These appear as
 # Windows resources and are fairly large (~200KB). They are generated by the
 # ":generate_strings" target and compiled by the ":strings" target.
 #
 # Some code, like the Windows chrome.exe (the small bootstrap binary, not
 # all of chrome.dll) code uses installer_util functions without calling any
 # functions that use the strings. And historically in the GYP build the strings
 # resource had to be manually linked, so the strings never ended up being in
 # chrome.exe and everything was fine.
 #
-# However, this is obviously a fragile and confusing situation. If you depend
-# on this target rather than going through the ":util" version that links the
-# strings above, anything that uses localized strings won't work. There is
-# no definition of what works and doesn't work, and this may also change over
-# time. As an example at the time of this writing, chrome.exe calls
-# BrowserDistribution::GetRegistryPath. This function doesn't use any strings,
-# but lots of other functions in BrowserDistribution do use localized strings.
+# Other code, like chrome.dll links to installer util, and hooks up a
+# TranslationDelegate which overrides the strings retrieved from the resources
+# with grit pak strings.
+#
+# In both of these cases, link to the ":with_no_strings" variant. However, this
+# is obviously a fragile and confusing situation. In the "I don't use strings
+# at all case", there is no definition of what works and doesn't work, and this
+# may also change over time. As an example at the time of this writing,
+# chrome.exe calls BrowserDistribution::GetRegistryPath. This function doesn't
+# use any strings, but lots of other functions in BrowserDistribution do use
+# localized strings.
 #
 # Ideally, this should be cleaved in two parts: the main "installer util" and
 # some kind of mini installer util that just contains the functions needed by
-# chrome.exe and any other clients that don't need the strings.
-static_library("with_no_strings_some_things_wont_work") {
+# chrome.exe and any other clients that don't need the strings. It's likely
+# we would still need the variant with no strings for when chrome.dll replaces
+# all strings with its own versions.
+static_library("with_no_strings") {
   deps = [
     "//base",
     "//chrome:strings",
     "//chrome/common:constants",
     "//components/variations",
     "//content/public/common:result_codes",
   ]
 
   # The constants target checks the Chrome distribution from this target. Both
   # targets have to be linked together in practice.
@@ skipping 164 matching lines @@
   } else {
     sources = [
       "master_preferences.cc",
       "master_preferences.h",
       "master_preferences_constants.cc",
       "master_preferences_constants.h",
     ]
   }
 }
 
+# Use this version of installer_util to link to the generated strings in .rc
+# format.
+group("with_rc_strings") {
+  public_deps = [
+    ":with_no_strings",
+  ]
+  if (is_win) {
+    public_deps += [ ":strings" ]
+  }
+}
+
 action("generate_strings") {
   visibility = [
     ":strings",
-    ":with_no_strings_some_things_wont_work",
+    ":with_no_strings",
   ]
   script = "prebuild/create_string_rc.py"
 
   if (is_chrome_branded) {
     grdfile = "//chrome/app/google_chrome_strings.grd"
   } else {
     grdfile = "//chrome/app/chromium_strings.grd"
   }
 
   inputs = [
@@ skipping 67 matching lines @@
       "set_reg_value_work_item_unittest.cc",
       "shell_util_unittest.cc",
       "test_app_registration_data.cc",
       "test_app_registration_data.h",
       "uninstall_metrics_unittest.cc",
       "wmi_unittest.cc",
       "work_item_list_unittest.cc",
     ]
 
     deps = [
-      ":strings",
-      ":util",
+      ":with_rc_strings",
       "//base",
       "//base:i18n",
       "//base/test:test_support",
       "//chrome:other_version",
       "//chrome/common",
       "//chrome/installer/setup:lib",
       "//chrome/installer/test:alternate_version_generator_lib",
       "//components/variations",
       "//content/public/common",
       "//testing/gmock",
       "//testing/gtest",
     ]
 
     # TODO(GYP) manifest: $(ProjectDir)\\installer\\mini_installer\\mini_installer.exe.manifest
   }
 }  # is_win