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

The Fragment element


Up to this point, we've been adding all of our WiX elements to the Product.wxs file. When your installer packages hundreds of files, you'll find that having all of your code in one place makes reading it difficult. You can split your elements up into multiple .wxs files for better organization and readability. Whereas your main source file, Product.wxs, nests everything inside a Product element, your additional .wxs files will use Fragment elements as their roots.

The Fragment element doesn't need any attributes. It's simply a container. You can place just about anything inside of it, such as all of your Directory elements or all of your Component elements. For the next example, add a new WiX source file to your project and place the following markup inside it. Here, we're using the same ComponentGroup that we discussed earlier. You can call the file Components.wxs, and it should look something like the following code snippet:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?&gt...