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

Preparing a major upgrade


A major upgrade is a full installation package that removes any older versions of the same product. To create one, you'll need to do the following:

  • Change the Product element's Id attribute to a new GUID

  • Increment the Product element's Version attribute

  • Add and configure a MajorUpgrade element

We'll go over each step. Before we get to that, let's make an MSI that will install the old software—the software to update. You can use the following markup in a new WiX project called OldInstaller.

You may recall that you can use an asterisk (*) for Id in the Product element, and WiX will choose a new GUID for you each time you compile the project. You can do that here, if you choose to. However, we will use a hardcoded GUID to draw attention to that we are definitely changing it during a major upgrade. As you'll see, we will not be changing it when making a minor upgrade or small update:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Wix xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com...