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

WiX standard dialog sets


The wizards that come prebuilt with WiX won't fit every need, but they're a good place to get your feet wet. To begin with, use the Add a Reference screen in Visual Studio to add a reference to WixUIExtension.dll. It can be found in the bin directory of the WiX program files.

Adding this reference is like adding a new WiX source file. This one contains dialogs. To use one you'll need to use a UIRef element to pull the dialog into the scope of your project. For example, this line, anywhere inside the Product element, will add the "Minimal" wizard to your installer:

<UIRef Id="WixUI_Minimal" />

It's definitely minimal, containing just one screen.

It gives you a license agreement, which you can change by adding a WixVariable element with an Id value of WixUILicenseRtf and a Value attribute that points to a Rich Text Format (.rtf) file containing your new license agreement:

<WixVariable Id="WixUILicenseRtf"
             Value="newLicense.rtf" />

You can also override...