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

Attributes common to all controls


Placing a Control element inside a Dialog element adds a new control to that window. You'll use its Type attribute to specify which kind of control it is: PushButton, Text, and so on. Beware that these names are case sensitive. "Pushbutton" isn't the same as "PushButton" and will give you an install time error.

Positioning and sizing are always the same: Use the X and Y attributes to place your control at a specific coordinate on the window and the Width and Height attributes to size it. You must also always give it an Id attribute that uniquely identifies it on that dialog. So, you can have two buttons with the same ID if they're on two different dialogs, but not if they're on the same dialog.

Disabling or hiding a control is straightforward. Set the Disabled attribute to yes to prevent the user from interacting with it. Similarly, set Hidden to yes to hide the control. You can also toggle these values at install time. Place a Condition element inside the...