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

Installing special-case files


In the following sections, we'll take a look at installing files that are different from other types that we've talked about so far. Specifically, we'll cover how to install an assembly file (.dll) to the Global Assembly Cache and how to install a TrueType font file.

Adding assembly files to the GAC

The Global Assembly Cache (GAC) is a central repository in Windows where you can store .NET assembly files so that they can be shared by multiple applications. You can add a .NET assembly to it with WiX by setting the File element's Assembly attribute to .net. The following example installs an assembly file to the GAC:

<DirectoryRef Id="MyProgramDir">
  <Component Id="CMP_MyAssembly" 
             Guid="4D98D593-F4E0-479B-A7DA-80BBB78B54CB">
    <File Id="File_MyAssembly"
          Assembly=".net" 
          Source="MyAssembly.dll"
          KeyPath="yes" />
  </Component>
</DirectoryRef>

Even though we've placed this component inside a...