Are there any good references/examples for WiX Burn 3.6 custom UI?
I googled around, but they are broken pieces of the information.
The WiX installer itself is a good example and the source is freely available via CodePlex (WiX 3.6 Beta). Check out the WixUX project, which is the bootstrapper for the WiX 3.6 install. Another Stack Overflow question is Custom WIX Burn Bootstrapper user interface?, describing how to get started.
Or if you get the latest weekly WiX releases, the project has been renamed to WixBA. See src\Setup\WixBA.
Yes, they are scattered all over. I am using Visual Studio 2010 to maintain my Product.wxs with a separate WXS file for the UI. Basically I've downloaded WiX Edit to design the UI.
A good start is to download the WiX source which has WXS UI files you can load into WiX Edit to see how they work. You can download the source from here.
What I did was to copy one of the WixUI files to my project in Visual Studio 2010. When you download the source they can be found under wix36-sources\src\ext\UIExtension\wixlib. In here you will find:
WixUI_FeatureTree.wxs
WixUI_InstallDir.wxs
WixUI_Advanced.wxs
WixUI_InstallDir.wxs
WixUI_Minimal.wxs
WixUI_Mondo.wxs
You can tell from this the dialog flows. However there are the individual dialog files in here such as:
CancelDlg.wxs
BrowseDlg.wxs
You can load these into the Wix Edit to preview the dialog. You should get a better understanding.
Additionally, the main Wix Page can be found at Wix Toolset.
I have ordered the Wix book, WiX: A Developer's Guide to Windows Installer XML, from Amazon which I hope will help me understand this more. £30.99 in the UK. Hopefully, this book will be money well spent. There is one review with five stars so fingers crossed.
Related
I am trying to create an installer with Wix and Visual Studio 2019. I am a Wix newbie so I just started to get something really simple working, from scratch. Therefore, I read this explanation. I use Windows 10 build 19042.
Creating the winforms project does work fine for me but the next project does not. This is because of this step.
Choose the Windows Installer XML node in the Project types tree,
then select Setup Project
I can find Wix projects.
And I installed the Wix toolset.
So creating a very simple installer should be very simple. But in fact, it is not as I fail to do one tutorial step referring to a project type I cannot find.
You can help in these ways:
Tell me what to do the make sure the Windows Installer XML node
becomes visible.
Provide the step to do the same without the Windows Installer XML node.
And logically, I double checked if the Windows Installer XML node is really not there. And it really is not.
VS2017 vs VS2019: I guess that explanation was written for Visual Studio 2017 - which is quite different for the "New Project" dialog. You can select "WiX" in the drop down button that says "All languages" in that dialog
WiX Project Types: Just double click the "Setup Project for WiX v3" - this is the project type that creates an MSI. The "Bootstrapper Project for WiX v3" is for making setup.exe bundles.
WiX Downloads: For the record, make sure you have installed both WiX itself and the WiX Visual Studio Extension. It looks like you already have (just mentioned for others who see this).
WiX Training: I have a few answers on WiX crash course and training material:
Short WiX sample links
Long WiX Tips and Tricks and samples links
A few selected examples from github (there are more WiX projects at the root level):
https://github.com/glytzhkof/WiXDefaultDialogsSample
https://github.com/glytzhkof/WiXLaunchConditionTest
Can someone help me understand how WiX works? I have a directory structure which I would like to create an installer for. I have generated the for the directory structure with heat.exe and when I build the setup project it generates an .msi file but I don't think it installs anything.
Maybe someone can walk me through the steps of generating a .msi installer.
Any advise is appreciated,
Thank you
If you're using Visual Studio:
Install the WiX Toolset V3 Visual Studio plugin.
Install the Wax interactive editor.
Build your project if you haven't already.
Add a new project to the solution containing the project you want to create an installer for.
Choose the template Setup Project for WiX v3.
Name the installer. A personal convention is the name of the project plus ".Setup"
A Product.wxs file will open up. Change the Manufacturer="" value to something like your company name or your name. Keep the file open.
Go to Tools -> WiX Setup Editor
On the left under Root Directory choose InstallFolder
Under Projects to install, choose the project you want to install.
In the red area to the right, you'll see a list of files. These are the output results of your build from step 3.
Click the plus sign next to files you want to copy. They should turn white and change to a Resolved state.
This might look daunting, but you're just telling it what to copy--which would be your project's executable, configs, dll libraries, and images it's dependent upon.
You typically want to copy everything. If there are dll's you know you don't need, it's better to remove them as a dependency from the Visual Studio.
Notice the Product.wxs has changed. It now has the files you checked off in the Setup Editor GUI added to the <Wix><Fragment><ComponentGroup> section. Save that file.
Close the Setup Editor.
Build the setup project you just configured.
Open Windows explorer and go to that project's bin/Debug or bin/Release folder, depending on what mode you built in. There you'll see the .msi that you can copy to where you need.
To make an update, make the necessary changes and then change the version number in that project's Properties -> Application -> Assembly Information. Then also change it in Product.wxs <Wix><Product.Version>. Then just build your setup project again.
Good tutorial here:
http://wix.tramontana.co.hu/
http://www.codeproject.com/Tips/105638/A-quick-introduction-Create-an-MSI-installer-with
They should get you started.
If you learn something about the MSI log that will also help - install the MSI with a command line that includes /L*vx
And "doesn't install anything" should be easy to check - are there are any files installed, or did it create an entry in Programs&Features?
WiX is a language (XML/XSD) that serves as a way of authoring (compiling) Windows Installer (.MSI) databases. WiX doesn't install anything, MSI does.
I maintain an open source project called IsWiX. The concept is simple. IsWiX provides additional WiX project templates (scaffolding) and graphical designers to assist you in creating installer. Then as you gain knowledge of WiX and MSI you can make additional tweaks of the WiX XML by hand and go beyond what IsWiX currently knows how to author.
Here's a video showing how to author, build and test an MSI to deploy an IIS website in a mere 3 minutes.
Update: IsWiX has tutorials now.
After a few 'false starts' trying to learn WiX from online tutorials I noticed that on http://wixtoolset.org/ there is a link to the book "WiX 3.6: A Developer's Guide to Windows Installer XML". You can buy it pretty inexpensively in E-book form from Packt, or also Amazon if you like the easy interface with Kindle.
I found this book to be VERY helpful with every little step regarding the .msi creation process. The book will guide you to create your first .msi in the very 1st chapter! Granted, you have to continue a little more to have a fully functioning .msi, but given the complexity of Wix, this book is terrific. It may not be for the gurus among us, but for those of us who need a little more help to understand the material it's wonderful. I've seen many posts speak to the 'steep learning curve' regarding WiX and it is a complicated process to create a valid .msi, but this book goes a long way toward making that learning curve very bearable.
If you are using the build system 'cmake', then you can use cpack to generate .msi file by setting the cpack generator to wix.
What worked for me best, was this fantastic tutorial video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Yf-eDsRrnM
Its best selling points for me was
independent of visual studio version
it describes deploying a .NET (Core) app also
it focuses on what an average app's installer should be capable of (including heat, icon, background image and banner)
you don't have to learn another layer on wix
it gives you good practices on easy package generation and future maintenance
it gives an installer project template which you can reuse: https://github.com/angelsix/youtube/tree/cecd38ea3d5eea11cc75fc0123297ffc3b5e662b/C%23%20General/Windows%20Installer%20Wix%20DotNet%20Core/ConsoleApp1.Installer
I am trying to call a msi inside wix bootstrapper program.It is working properly at the time of installation.And selected features are installed properly.But after installation i am trying to modify the installed features.In the control panel there is change button.But when i click it then it is showing a dialog with Repair, uninstall, cancel buttons.There is no modify button for modifying the features of installer.
Please specify the solution if any.
code inside Bootstrappertheme.wxl is
<!-- Modify dialog -->
<String Id="ModifyHeader">Modify Setup</String>
<String Id="ModifyNotice">[WixBundleName] is already installed on this machine. If it's not working correctly, you may repair it. You may also uninstall it.</String>
<String Id="ModifyRepairButton">&Repair</String>
<String Id="ModifyUninstallButton">&Uninstall</String>
<String Id="ModifyCloseButton">&Cancel</String>
The wix standard bootsrapper application does not currently support msi feature selection. Currently, the only way to get it is to create a custom bootstrapper application. People have asked about this on the WiX mailing list multiple times. Rob Mensching is the project leader, and Bob Arnson currently manages the 3.x branch.
This guide: Writing Your Own .Net-based Installer with WiX is the best resource I know about for building one in WPF. The actual WiX source code is very helpful as well. It's a very big task though.
I don't have a sample project to share with you, but the blog post I mentioned above does have a section "HANDLING CURRENT & FUTURE STATE" which describes how to do this. I think it really is a terrific resource.
Also, see this question: Custom WiX Burn bootstrapper user interface?
Burn GUI
Burn GUI is very different from MSI-GUI. Here is an older, similar answer
Please also see comments in these answers:
On customized GUI
Changing text color to Wix dialogs
Custom WiX Managed Bootstrapper Application
MSI File
What dialog set are you using for the MSI files? Have you tried enabling the advanced dialog set? I haven't tried it yet: http://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/wixui/dialog_reference/wixui_advanced.html
WixUI Dialogs:
http://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/wixui/dialog_reference/wixui_dialogs.html
Tutorial:
http://wix.tramontana.co.hu/tutorial/user-interface/ui-wizardry
It might be possible to use Orca (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255905) to edit the MSI and resave it so that it, without special configuration in wix, automatically has the Modify option in Programs and Features. When creating an MSI from scratch (using InstallShield for example), the user can specify which options are available. There should be a way to edit the file to accomplish the same thing.
When you open up the "Change" feature from the Programs and Features menu, it reruns a cached version of the MSI installer in maintenance mode. Regardless of what program is bootstrapping the MSI (wix vs InstallShield), the MSI is the only thing that Windows knows about. If it is not configured to have a Modify option, it won't have it.
I have to write an installer and want to use Wix. The documentation on the website is not working and I like learning by example. Does someone know an open source project with good WiX source files, preferable for Wix version 3.0 or 3.5.
SharpDevelop is one of the bigger ones that I know that uses WiX. I also have a project called IsWiX that sits on top of WiX to author Merge Modules. IsWiX uses WiX/IsWiX itself to do it's own installer so there are some examples there. Finally there is a new WiX book out that you might want to purchase and read through.
WiX: A Developer's Guide to Windows Installer XML
TortoiseSVN uses WiX and there is a blog outlining some issue they had.
Edit: TortoiseSVN Blog: On Major Upgrade Problems with WiX
A few Codeplex projects that use Wix:
Wix, of course
SytleCop
TortoiseHg
VisualHg
There's a open source WIX Sample projects available here, which were very helpful in getting me started.
And don't forget to check out the Powerpoint slide(s) in the slides folder.
I found it really valuable in getting me started with WiX compared to the Wix Tutorial on the Wix website or the Packtpub books.
https://github.com/rstropek/Samples/tree/master/WiXSamples
we are looking to automate an MSI generation for a product we are developing. Currently we have MSBuild building out the source to a network location, this is fine for testing but when it comes to releasing the software we will need to wrap it in an MSI.
The software is all .Net bar 1 COM component that will need registered on each machine it gets installed to.
What I was wondering was how to integrate Wix with MSBuild so that a new wix script will get generated along with an MSI that is able to handle fresh and upgrade installs.
Any help with this is very much appreciated.
Thanks,
Brendan
Sure, there are tasks in MS Build that can do all you need to build an MSI from WiX. Can you integrate this on a build / integration server?
Newer builds of Wix actually include a file called "wix.targets", which should get you started.
Also check out these fine articles on the topic:
Building with Wix.Targets (by Heath Stewart)
Wix Target for MSBuild (by Willem Meints)
Automate Releases With MSBuild And Windows Installer XML (by Sayed Ibrahim Hashimi) (Web archive link for archived msdn magazine)
They cover the topic in much more detail and are extremely helpful to get started.
You should download and install Votive. This will create a Visual Studio project file which you can use with MSBuild to create a WiX-based MSI.
There is also a topic in the WiX manual about how to integrate with MSBuild called Using WiX with MSBuild.