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 syntax of conditions


There are several types of conditions examined in this chapter and all use the Condition element to house their logic. The meaning of this element changes depending on where it's placed relative to other elements and which attributes it uses. We'll discuss three types: launch conditions, feature conditions, and component conditions.

Launch conditions check for prerequisites at the beginning of the installation and prevent it from continuing if their requirements aren't met. They're placed anywhere inside either the Product element in your main.wxs file, or a Fragment element in a separate file. Feature conditions and component conditions are child elements to Feature and Component elements, respectively. Both prevent a specific feature or component from being installed if a condition isn't satisfied.

First, we'll take a look at the generic syntax of conditional statements and then move on to discussing each of the three types.

Condition syntax

Conditions contain statements...