Book Image

WiX 3.6: A Developer's Guide to Windows Installer XML

Book Image

WiX 3.6: A Developer's Guide to Windows Installer XML

Overview of this book

The cryptic science of Windows Installer can seem far off from the practical task of simply getting something installed. Luckily, we have WiX to simplify the matter. WiX is an XML markup, distributed with an open-source compiler and linker, used to produce a Windows Installer package. It is used by Microsoft and by countless other companies around the world to simplify deployments. "WiX 3.6: A Developer's Guide to Windows Installer XML" promises a friendly welcome into the world of Windows Installer. Starting off with a simple, practical example and continuing on with increasingly advanced scenarios, the reader will have a well-rounded education by book's end. With the help of this book, you'll understand your installer better, create it in less time, and save money in the process. No one really wants to devote a lifetime to understanding how to create a hassle-free installer. Learn to build a sophisticated deployment solution targeting the Windows platform in no time with this hands-on practical guide. Here we speed you through the basics and zoom right into the advanced. You'll get comfortable with components, features, conditions and actions. By the end, you'll be boasting your latest deployment victories at the local pub. Once you've finished "WiX 3.6: A Developer's Guide to Windows Installer XML", you'll realize just how powerful and awesome an installer can really be.
Table of Contents (23 chapters)
WiX 3.6: A Developer's Guide to Windows Installer XML
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Removing registry values


When it comes to uninstalling your product, you don't need to worry too much about the registry keys you've created. Windows Installer will make sure that all components, including registry keys, are cleaned up. However, in case you want to remove items from the registry that you didn't create—perhaps they were created by one of your other products—WiX provides a way to do it.

Two elements are used to remove data from the registry: RemoveRegistryKey and RemoveRegistryValue. We'll cover both in the following sections.

Remove all keys recursively

You'll use the RemoveRegistryKey element when you want to remove a key from the registry and all of its sub keys. It must be placed inside a Component element, as in this example:

<ComponentGroup Id="RegistryComponents" 
                Directory="INSTALLLOCATION">

   <Component Id="CMP_RemoveRegistryKey" 
              Guid="3B0C6FD9-D73A-4CE9-8053-BBBB2BE8716B" 
              KeyPath="yes">
      <RemoveRegistryKey...