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I'm currently learning the vagaries of WiX and Windows installer and I've hit a stumbling block.
The project that I'm currently packaging is made up of six discrete chunks. For now let's call them A, B, C, D, E, and F.
Chunk A is a set of common libraries and utilities that are used by every other project. It does not present any end-user functionality.
Chunk B is another set of common libraries and utilities that require functionality provided by Chunk A. This seems odd, but the architecture is beyond my ability to influence or control.
Chunk C is a third set of common libraries and utilities that require functionality provided by chunks A and B. This seems even more odd than before, but I still have no ability to change this.
Chunks D, E, and F, all require the functionality provided by chunks A, B, and C.
If possible, I would like to make sure that there is only one installation of chunks A, B, and C, that are shared across the installations of D, E, and F. I have been given the assurance that chunks A, B, and C will retain stable APIs so that they may be upgraded without breaking the functionality of D, E, or F.
My immediate thought is to create merge modules for the components in A, B, and C, then reference them in the features provided by the separate installers for D, E, and F. This would bloat up the installers, but it would guarantee that the necessary components are installed. Unfortunately, I fear that it would cause problems inside the Windows Installer validation when upgrading.
Another thought that I had was to make a single installer for A, B, and C and require it in the installers for D, E, and F via a ComponentSearch.
Does either idea make sense? If neither idea makes sense, do you have any recommendations for a correct way to do it?
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The WiX tools follow the traditional compile and link model used to create executables from source code. At build time, the WiX source files are validated against the core WiX schema, then processed by a preprocessor, compiler, and linker to create the final result.
Adding a WiX setup project In Visual Studio, open your solution, and add a WiX project to it: go to the Visual Studio main menu and click File -> Add -> New Project to open the Add New Project dialog. Choose the Setup Project item in the Windows Installer XML node, specify the project name and click OK.
Include A+B+C with every installer, and install to common files. Windows Installer will handle the reference counting so that only one copy will exist on disk and remain until the last product is removed. Upgrading will be fine, Windows Installer is designed for this sort of thing :)
However, rather than Merge Modules, I suggest using Wixlibs
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