I'd like to achieve more granularity when producing final installer for my program.
For the sake of example, lets assume this is called: The Program. It consists of Client and Server.
In this example, we have 5 projects.
Client.csproj
Server.csproj
ClientInstaller.wixproj
ServerInstaller.wixproj
Bundle.wixproj
Everything's perfect if I just build the installer with through Bundle project. But how I'd like it to happen is to first build the Client and Server (separately) to run the tests and in case of success - produce artifacts, which then will be used by Budle to produce final installer.
Currently I'm doing this successfully with just Client, msbuild Client.csproj /p:OutputPath=$binariesPath produces the output in specified location, then
msbuild Bundle.wixproj /p:OutputPath=$installerPath /p:LinkerBindInputPaths=$binariesPath consumes this output and produces installer at $installerPath
I tried multiple LinkerBindInputPaths like /p:LinkerBindInputPaths=$binariesPath\Client /p:LinkerBindInputPaths=$binariesPath\Server, but this did not seem to work.
Perhaps I could squeeze one more step and build each installer. That allows me to get separate MSI for each component.
Currently each MSI is strictly related to its installer project:
<MsiPackage Id="Client" SourceFile="$(var.ClientInstaller.TargetPath)" Vital="no" /> <MsiPackage Id="Server" SourceFile="$(var.ServerInstaller.TargetPath)" Vital="no" />
So my question is: How to build Bundle.wixproj so that I can override MSI source file location with custom one, where the output of my previous builds is located?
Going from this answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/15985524/552448
<Wix>
<Bundle...>
<BootstrapperApplicationRef Id='WixStandardBootstrapperApplication.HyperlinkLicense' />
<Chain>
<MsiPackage SourceFile="prereq1.msi" />
....
<MsiPackage InstallCondition='NOT VersionNT64' SourceFile='path\to\x86.msi' />
<MsiPackage InstallCondition='VersionNT64' SourceFile='path\to\x64.msi' />
</Chain>
</Bundle>
</Wix>
All the projects in my solution target "Any CPU", with the exception of the bootstrapper and the MSI package, thus I'm using a shared cabinet to avoid doubling the final size of the bootstrapper.
I know I have to build the MSI with x86, then with x64 and finally build the bootstrapper. Did this manually and it works.
However, I'd like to automate these steps.
I've been trying to add a Prebuild event to the Bundle wixproj file, something along the lines of
$(MSBuildBinPath)\msbuild "$(SolutionDir)MyMSI\MyMSI.wixproj" /p:Platform=x86;Configuration=Release
$(MSBuildBinPath)\msbuild "$(SolutionDir)MyMSI\MyMSI.wixproj" /p:Platform=x64;Configuration=Release
However, this fails with this error:
The OutputPath property is not set for project 'MyLibrary.csproj'. Please check to make sure that you have specified a valid combination of Configuration and Platform for this project. Configuration='Release' Platform='x86'. You may be seeing this message because you are trying to build a project without a solution file, and have specified a non-default Configuration or Platform that doesn't exist for this project.
I'd like to make it work without having to go through all the projects in order to add the combination of platform/configuration. After all, this works if I right click MyMSI and choose build.
Surely I must be missing something.
It was pretty obvious - create two separate MSI projects - one with x86, the other with x64, both using the same files.
I have written a managed wix bootstrapper using WPF. The actual installation steps requires chaining of multiple msi's/exe's and batch files.
<Chain>
<MsiPackage SourceFile="xxx"/>
<ExePackage Id="Test" SourceFile="..\TestBatch.bat" Vital="yes"/>
<MsiPackage SourceFile="yyy"/>
</Chain>
During the execution of each package, a message should be displayed (preferably from the bootstrapper UI) indicating which msi/exe package/ batch file is being executed currently.
In short, a ProgressText is needed in the bootstrapper How can I make this happen?
Another question: I do not want all the msi's to be packaged into the bootstrapper exe. This is because: Each time an msi is changed we would like to ship only the updated/modified msi and not the entire bootstrapper exe. Is there a way to do this?
Two answers, one suggestion:
To get messages back during the MsiPackages being installed, handle the BootstrapperCore.ExecuteMsiMessage event. The event args there will contain a Message that contains the data you are looking for.
To configure how the packages are compressed or not, use the Compress attribute. You can either mark the entire Bundle/#Compress='no' or mark each package Compress='no' (or 'yes' if you want to go that way).
--
Suggestion: Be sure to add DetectCondition to the ExePackages so Burn will know if the ExePackages are already present or not.
I am using WiX Burn to make my installer, i am bundling one exe and one msi.
And the exe needs an properties file at the time of install.
Is there a way to copy the file using burn, i tried Payload but it is not working.
Can i know the location throguh any Bundle variable where my file is copied.
Thanks
Ravi S
Make sure you are specifying the properties file as the payload for the exe and not for the bootstrapper. For example, in your bundle, your chain may look something like this:
<Chain>
<MsiPackage SourceFile="MyInstaller.msi" Id="MyInstaller" Cache="yes"/>
<ExePackage SourceFile="MyExe.exe" Id="MyExe" Cache="yes">
<Payload SourceFile="OtherFile.properties" Id="Properties"/>
</ExePackage>
</Chain>
Also, as a sanity check, which version of WiX are you using? If you are using an older build (such as RC0), you could try updating to the latest weekly build.
Update:
In WiX 3.6 it does not appear that you can get the absolute path of a payload file. There are two bugs/feature request open right now regarding the issue that are deferred to WiX 3.7:
Add burn variable to cache path - ID: 3557446
Change working folder to the cache folder - ID: 3538846
One workaround would be to use burn to write your own bootstrapper application and then programmatically determine the working directory and set the appropriate parameters, but that would be a lot of work for this one issue.
I wand to construct an MSI which, in its installation process, will deploy itself along with its contained Files/Components, to the TargetDir.
So MyApp.msi contains MyApp.exe and MyAppBootstrapperEmpty.exe (with no resources) in its File Table.
The user launches a MyAppBootstrapperPackaged.exe (containing MyApp.msi as a resource, obtained from the internet somewhere, or email or otherwise). MyAppBootStrapperPackaged.exe extracts MyApp.msi to a temp folder and executes it via msiexec.exe.
After the msiexec.exe process completes, I want MyApp.msi, MyBootstrapperEmpty.exe (AND MyApp.exe in %ProgramFiles%\MyApp folder so MyApp.exe can be assured access to MyApp.msi when it runs (for creating the below-mentioned packaged content).
MyAppBootstrapper*.exe could try and copy MyApp.msi to %ProgramFiles%\MyApp folder, but would need elevation to do so, and would not allow for its removal via Windows Installer uninstall process (from Add/Remove Programs or otherwise), which should be preserved.
Obviously (I think it's obvious - am I wrong?) I can't include the MSI as a file in my Media/CAB (chicken and egg scenario), so I believe it would have to be done via a Custom Action before the install process, adding the original MSI to the MSI DB's Media/CAB and the appropriate entry in the File table on the fly. Can this be done and if so how?
Think of a content distribution model where content files are only ever to be distributed together with the App. Content is produced by the end user via the App at run time, and packaged into a distributable EXE which includes both the App and the content.
MyApp's installer must remain an MSI, but may be executed by a Bootstrapper EXE. The installed MyApp.exe must have access to both MyApp.msi and EXE is to be "assembled" at runtime by the App from a base (empty) MyAppBootstrapper.exe, which is also installed by the MSI, and the content created by the end-user. The EXE's resource MSI must be the same as that used to install the App which is doing the runtime packaging.
WIX is not to be installed with MyApp.
There can be no network dependencies at run-/packaging- time (i.e. can't do the packaging via a Webservice - must be done locally).
I am familiar with (and using) Custom Actions (managed and unmanaged, via DTF and otherwise).
Add an uncompressed medium to your wxs like this:
<Media Id='2'/>
And then create a component with a File element like this:
<File Source='/path/to/myinstaller.msi' Compressed='no' DiskId='2' />
This will make the installer look for a file called "myinstaller.msi" on the installation medium, in the same folder as the msi that is being installed. The source path above should point to a dummy file, it is only there to appease wix.
Edit: The following sample test.wxs demonstrates that it works. It produces a test.msi file which installs itself to c:\program files\test. Note that you need to put a dummy test.msi file in the same folder as text.wxs to appease wix.
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<Wix xmlns='http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi'>
<Product
Name='ProductName'
Id='*'
Language='1033'
Version='0.0.1'
Manufacturer='ManufacturerName' >
<Package
Keywords='Installer'
Description='Installer which installs itself'
Manufacturer='ManufactererName'
InstallerVersion='100'
Languages='1033'
Compressed='yes'
SummaryCodepage='1252'/>
<Media Id='1' Cabinet='test.cab' EmbedCab='yes'/>
<Media Id='2' />
<Directory Id='TARGETDIR' Name="SourceDir">
<Directory Id='ProgramFilesFolder'>
<Directory Id='TestFolder' Name='Test' >
<Component Id="InstallMyself">
<File Source="./test.msi" Compressed="no" DiskId="2" />
</Component>
</Directory>
</Directory>
</Directory>
<Feature
Id='Complete'
Display='expand'
Level='1'
Title='Copy msi file to program files folder'
Description='Test'>
<ComponentRef Id="InstallMyself" />
</Feature>
</Product>
</Wix>
Having one .MSI package launch another .MSI package from "within" itself is called a nested install, and it's bad juju (see Rule 20). Windows Installer has some global data that it uses to manage the current install, and it doesn't handle well multiple installs at the same time. For the same reason, if you start one install and then try to start another while the first is still in progress, you'll usually see a pop-up to the effect of "another install in progress, please wait until it's done".
You can have a program, usually called a bootstrapper (I think that's what you're referring to) which is itself not an install package, but which contains an install package (such as an .MSI or an .EXE) as a resource, possibly compressed. The action of the bootstrapper program is to extract/expand the resource to a file, commonly in a %TEMP% directory, then either launch the extracted .EXE or run MSIEXEC on the extracted .MSI. The bootstrapper can contain multiple resources and extract+install them one by one, if you need to install prerequisites before the main package. Or you can ship multiple packages as separate files, and have the bootstrapper execute/install them directly from the distribution media one by one, or copy them down to the target machine and run the series of install from there, or...
WiX itself does not get installed, no. It's a tool with which .MSI packages can be built. The WiX project has on its wishlist a generic bootstrapper program, but it hasn't been implemented yet. There are other bootstrappers available, e.g. this one.
You won't need a custom action -- in fact, since the bootstrapper isn't itself a Windows Installer installation package, "custom action" has no meaning to it. And, if you're familiar enough with CAs to know about managed/unmanaged/DTF, then you know enough to avoid custom actions whenever you can. (grin)
I think it's much easier for your bootstrapper to extract MSI file to some predefined location rather than to the temp folder. For example, to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\My Company\My Product Install Cache. After installation finishes bootstrapper would leave MSI file sitting there. If at some stage user decides to reinstall your product Windows Installer will be able to locate source MSI file.
Also, add path to this file to RemoveFile table so that it gets deleted on uninstall. You can use RemoveFile element in WiX for that.
So if I understand, then I think I would have the app create a transform (MST) that has the content files and apply that to the base MSI. I'm still not convinced that I understand though. :)
I'd configure the MSI cache path to a known location.
Then at runtime if you need to "edit" the MSI use VBScript or similar.
But still, I ask WHY!?!
I am also working on a way to deploy multiple MSI files. I have a bootstrapper.exe program that bundles the MSI files and runs them one at a time. This solves my problem for most cases.
The case it does not solve is GPO (Global Policy Object) distribution of the install. GPO requires a dot-msi file to run an install.
To do this here's what I did which almost solved the problem (but not quite). I put the dot-msi files in the file table of an installer and put my bootstrapper in the binary table and run it from a custom action inserted after InstallFinalize in the InstallExecuteSequence. Of course the bootstrapper won't be able to run other MSI's because the top level MSI holds the _MSIExecute mutex.
It was pretty easy to get a little further. I made the bootstrapper return control to the top level installer and continute. And then I added a WaitForSingleObject call to wait for the top level install to finish, and the bootstrapper can then continue to finish the install.
My problem is that the GPO installation happens at boot time and the top level install completes before the sub installers are done and GPO reboots the machine.
The toplevel install also returns a success status when the install may actually fail later on.
I'm still looking for a way to block the top level install from completing until after the bootstrapper completes.