MSI wrapper for any installer using Wix

Last time we make windows installer package using MakeMsi compiler. Now we will make same using Wix. Wix is XML based setup compiler for Windows Installer format. We will make simplest as possible setup package wrapping existing installer, InnoSetup for example. First we need make directory tree, required element is TARGETDIR directory.

<Directory Id='TARGETDIR' Name='SourceDir'>

<!-- temp folder -->
<Directory Id='TempFolder'>
   <Component Id='my_setup' 
        Guid='{YOUR-GUID-HERE-8148-2F82D9E7B4AE}'>
        <File Id="mysetup_exe" Source="mysetup.exe" /> 
   </Component>
</Directory>

Component is required element to describe File entry, and it should be referred in Feature.

<Feature Id="MainApplication" Title="Main Application" Level="1">
    <ComponentRef Id="my_setup" />
</Feature>

For choose destination folder for wrapped package we will describe Directory inside Program Files folder.

<!-- PF folder -->
    <Directory Id="ProgramFilesFolder">
        <Directory Id="INSTALLLOCATION" Name="MyApp" />
    </Directory>

To assign this directory from Windows Installer dialogs we will describe Property.

<Property Id="WIXUI_INSTALLDIR" Value="INSTALLLOCATION" ></Property>

For show dialog we need to use special feature of Wix. It will use simple dialogs sequence including destination folder path.

<UIRef Id="WixUI_InstallDir" />

We will need to describe base properties of our setup package, it should be the root of XML tree.

<?xml version='1.0'?>
<Wix xmlns='<a href="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi'">http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi'</a>>

<Product Id='{YOUR-GUID-HERE-A1BC-F3AB137A3E8A}' 
    Name='My Application' Language='1033' 
    Version='2.0.0.0' Manufacturer='My Company' 
    UpgradeCode='{YOUR-GUID-HERE-A1BC-F3AB137A3E8A}' >

    <Package InstallerVersion="300" Compressed="yes"/>
    <Media Id="1" Cabinet="myprog.cab" EmbedCab="yes" />

Well, anything is looks good, but by default resulting setup package will show License agreement with Common Public License by default. If your package no need to show license agreement, you have to use some trick, adding folowing code:

<UI>
  <UIRef Id="WixUI_InstallDir" />
  <!-- skip licence dialog -->
  <Publish Dialog="WelcomeDlg" Control="Next" Event="NewDialog" 
    Value="InstallDirDlg" Order="2">1</Publish>
  <Publish Dialog="InstallDirDlg" Control="Back" Event="NewDialog" 
    Value="WelcomeDlg" Order="2">1</Publish>
</UI>

And finally we will run wrapped package, describing custom action:

<CustomAction Id="run_setup" 
          FileKey="mysetup_exe"
          ExeCommand="/SP- /SILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /LANG=English 
            /NOCANCEL /DIR=&quot;[INSTALLLOCATION]&quot;" 
          Execute="deferred"
          Impersonate="no"
          Return="check" />

Also need to add this custom action to setup sequence, run only if not installed:

<InstallExecuteSequence>
   <Custom Action="run_setup" Sequence='5401'>NOT Installed</Custom>
</InstallExecuteSequence>

Download

• Download full sample: wrapper.wix.