I'm using WiX, and would like to know the .wxs necessary to take a file and install it to every available sub-directory of a particular location. This could mean 0 or more final installation locations, determined at install time based on the currently existing directory structure. For example, if I started the install with:
\target
\subdir-1
\subdir-2
Then at the end of the installation my file would be in \subdir-1 and \subdir-2. If on the other hand these directories did not exist on the system when the install was started, my file would not be installed at all and no sub directories would be created.
Afaik this is not possible with WiX (because it is basically against the nature of MSI to install a component into several locations).
You could either
create a different component for each subfolder, or
use a custom action to copy the component to all subfolders.
In the latter case you should also provide a corresponding CA for uninstallation which removes all the files from the subfolders again.
EDIT: Seems my above answer is not totally correct. MSI supports duplicating files using the DuplicateFile tables and WiX 3.0 also provides a mechanism called "smart cabbing". Both are mentioned in a blog post by Aaron Stebner.
Not without a custom action, you need to write a custom action that will do that.
The latest and greatest in custom actions is the DTF (and here) framework that comes with Wix3.
If you are targeting Vista (or Win2k8, not sure about Win2k3), you can use mklink.
Related
I have a per-machine WiX installer (InstallScope="perMachine" InstallPrivileges="elevated") and I need to create a folder and copy a few files to the Documents folder of each user running the application. At the moment I install the files to a personal folder of the current user, but that's wrong and I get the ICE91 verification warning:
ICE91: The file 'SomeFile' will be installed to the per user directory 'SomeDir'
that doesn't vary based on ALLUSERS value. This file won't be copied to each
user's profile even if a per machine installation is desired.
I want the files to be automatically copied to the Documents folder of each user. Could someone post the step-by-step instructions how to do that?
UPDATE: I will be on holiday until September, during that time I will not be able to respond to any comments.
Windows Installer will do this - it's what advertised shortcuts will do. If you install a file to a user specific folder location and a different user logs on, then that file will be missing for that user and repair mechanism of the advertised shortcut repair will install it from the original MSI file. In your case the PersonalFolder property is the user's Documents folder.
To arrange this, the file must be the keypath of a component, and that component must be in a feature with an advertised shortcut. When the shortcut is used the component and containing feature are checked for "self healing" and the missing file installed. This works for users that don't yet exist. Older Office installers once did this to install user-specific items such as templates.
The MSI must obviously be available for this to work, and there is no mechanism to remove the files at uninstall time.
An alternative (or if there are no advertised shortcuts) is to add code to the app that calls MsiProvideComponment (or equivalent p/invoke) passing the ProductCode, feature name, Component id (of that documents file) and use INSTALLMODE_DEFAULT, which will install the file if it's missing as documented here:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa370356(v=vs.85).aspx
and it will be missing and therefore will be installed for a user who has not run the app before.
Why would you want to do this this way? What if there are 10000 (just for example) users on the machine? You want to copy the files to all 10000 documents folders taking up potentially GBs of space (depending on the size if the files copied)? If these are configuration options needed by your app, the app itself should create default files in the user's documents location on the first run if they are not present otherwise load the settings from these files. You should not put the default files there for every single user on the machine at install time.
This approach also fails for new users added after you install. How will they get the files in their documents folder? Do they have to reinstall the product?
Consider a per machine install of per user installers with shortcuts that interested users could launch. For example, templates.msi, examples.msi.
I try to create a wix installer that has the need to create a file in the programme folder after Installation. For doing so, I have created a custom action, but I now have the following problem:
In order to write the file, I need to know the installation directory from session["INSTALLDIR"], which is only available if the action is executed "immediate".
However, if i run "immediate" after "install files", the target directory does not yet exist. If I run "deferred", it exists, but i cannot access session["INSTALLDIR"].
If I run "immediate" after "InstallFinalize", I can get the variable and the directory exists, but I am not elevated and hence not allowed to write the file.
What is the correct combination for writing a file to the installation directory?
You need to use CustomActionData to access property values from a deferred CA. You need something like this
or
another answer
Beyond using a built in extension for custom actions instead of writing your own, the next level would be how can I move complexity / custom actions out of the installer?
One thought is to write it to the registry instead. Another thought is for the application reading the value to be able to determine installation directory on it's own. One possibility is reflection to get the location another possibility is to query the MSI API for where the product is installed.
My msi install and uninstall a shared resource: IIS virtual directory "MyTeamServices". And it works very well except it removes that virtual directory during uninstall process even if somebody have created nested virtual directories (not by using installers, just "by hands"). When I expect to see standard behavior of WiX processing HDD folders : if there are "unaccounted" files inside - do not remove folder.
Could you get me ideas how to solve this little problem (and not by using "permanent" attribute)?
Particularly:
1) How to work with WiX sources to understand what is standard behavior during uninstall of WebVirtualDir (and may be patch it)? I see the ParseWebVirtualDirElement but that not make me closer to IIS management actions. Where they are, how to dig out them?
2) I could also write custom action that could alarm if virtual directory contains something unexpected "inside", but where to call it, and how then skip WebVirtualDir uninstall ? Component can be uninstalled but the actions of WebVirtualDir uninstall process should be skipped... Or I should play there with msi "features",e.g Move this component to feature and then somehow to skip feauture's uninstallation?
See the answer in the linked question.
It brings reference count into IIS virtual directory - they won't be deleted if it is used by another product.
I have a problem which is related to the execution of CopyFile on change/repair when using WIX to make a msi setup.
I have a feature which has a component which copies/moves a file from the source folder to a folder already present somwhere inside a users system. It is not the folder of my application. I am only moving this file and not installing it to the the target. This feature works fine if I install it using a complete setup. But when on initial install I chose not to install this feature and then try to install it during a " change " all other custom actions/components inside the feature are executed/installed except for the CopyFile component. This is critical to my setup and if it does not get copied my setup will fail.
Just wondering if anyone found a solution to a similar problem or ever came across a similar issue?
The component which contains the CopyFile operation is configured incorrectly. It should have an actual file or registry entry as a key path.
Although Windows Installer uses components to manage resources, the component key path is main factor which decides if the component is installed or not.
So a component without a resource as a key path will never be installed and the CopyFile operation it contains will never be executed.
In the WIX I have a dialog where the user could select a folder [CUSTOM_FOLDER] from local machine, after the setup is finish I must give share to that folder and copy some files to it.
How could I archive this using WIX 3.5?
AFTER the setup is finished you want to install more files? Why not just simply install them during the process. That point aside, you can create as many empty folders as your heart desires during the installation process, then using CustomAction elements you can add the files after the installation has completed successfully. As for "give share to that folder" I have no idea what you are talking about. Please expand on that and I will try my best to answer it.