The trouble with any bit of code is handling the logistics of getting it from development to production. How do we work on it in our favorite IDE initially and then allow it to be built elsewhere? Perhaps on a build server that doesn't have access to the IDE?

WiX solves this problem for its own code by allowing it to be built using a variety of workflows. As part of the WiX toolset, we get the compiler and linker needed to create an MSI installer. If we're using Visual Studio then we also get project templates that use these tools on our behalf so that the entire build process is effortless. If we're trying to fit WiX into an automated deployment pipeline, we can either call the compiler and linker from the command line or use ready-made MSBuild tasks.

The recipes in this chapter are designed to get you comfortable when working with a WiX project in Visual Studio and also building it in various ways outside of the IDE. This way, you'll know how to get it from development to production with ease.