CODEWITHSUNDEEP
wixinstallationwindows-installer
fschoenm
fschoenm

Reputation: 1410

How to create a registration-free installer with WiX (manifest-based)

I'd like to create an installer package to install registration-free COM components (with manifest files included). This would be more or less a self-extracting archive to place some files in a target directory given as commandline argument, but it would also need to check or install some other redistributables like VC++ or DirectX.

The package is supposed to be used in another applications's installer as some kind of redistributable package itself. It should not be registered in the "Program and Features" dialog of Windows but has to be removed with the application. Ideally there should be no changes to the Windows registry.

So far I haven't been very successful. Can anyone please provide me with some hints regarding this use case?

Upvotes: 0

Views: 502

Answers (2)

PhilDW
PhilDW

Reputation: 20800

If you are really creating a redistributable to be used by other products, sometimes a merge module is the appropriate solution. They build their MSI files and include your merge module.

Otherwise, reg-free COM is in theory an easy install because you're just installing manifest files and Dlls etc. However I don't understand how that could be used by other apps because (IIRC) a client app exe needs your manifest and Dll in their install folder, so how can they do that when they are not installed yet? Or even if they are installed how can you find them? So that goes back to the merge module idea so they include your merge module and install an exe, your manifest and your Dll in the same location. When they uninstall so do your files.

Upvotes: 0

Christopher Painter
Christopher Painter

Reputation: 55620

You've got about a dozen different questions in that one question. Start with just creating a simple MSI that successfully installs your files and your manifest. Create a COM client to test it. You can also put AppSearch and LaunchConditions in your MSI to detect your dependencies and not allow installation if they are missing.

That's about all you should have to do for this simple question. As for the other questions.... if you are a redistributable and someone else is silently installing you then it's their job to handle the installation of the other redistributables. Also if they don't want you listed in Programs and Features they can pass the ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT=1 to your installer and you won't be listed. If they want to uninstall you when they uninstall themselves, that's their problem not yours.

Upvotes: 1

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