#Wix toolset visual studio 2022 software#
#Wix toolset visual studio 2022 code#
#Wix toolset visual studio 2022 windows#

WiX dramatically simplifies access to the MSI programming model. Yes WiX is indeed very complex but the complexity isn't the real obstacle for the WiX adoption. InfoQ: Aside from the complexity of the WiX format, what do you feel is the biggest hindrance for WiX adoption? Saying that, a simple translation based DSL on top of Wix# programming model may make some sense and it is actually easy to implement.

Thus the new DSL syntax would only bring a new overhead.

#Wix toolset visual studio 2022 windows#

Wast majority of Windows developers is already comfortable or at least familiar with. However in Wix# case this last step (new syntax binding) wouldn't bring any extra value. And after that the new programming model is typically bound to a new DSL syntax. Such a conversion is usually achieved with high-level generic programming languages (C# in case of Wix#). From the other hand, conversion to a new clean and more intuitive programming model is exactly what WiX is needed. While it is simple to implement it would only map the original WiX syntax one-to-one to a new simpler one and leave the all MSI limitations unaffected. The translation story has very little practical value in case of WiX. The typical DSL story is either a translation of one syntax to another one or a conversion of one programming model to another one. Though there is a less obvious reason for not choosing DLS approach. Then your development team doesn't need a designated WiX-guy, the usual programming skill set is sufficient enough for implementing practically any deployment algorithm. Instead, I wanted C# and your favorite IDE to become a one-stop-shop for the deployment development. Most likely DSL would also require developing Custom Actions in another syntax again.

#Wix toolset visual studio 2022 code#

DSL would mean that developers need to learn yet another syntax and also to suffer from absence of the code assistance tools (e.g.

#Wix toolset visual studio 2022 software#

I wanted the very same developers who creates software to be able to create very quickly and comfortably deployment solutions as well. I wanted to move it closer to the developers. With Wix# I wanted to bring the deployment development back to the main stream programming. The alternative syntax would only address one of many practical limitations of the MSI+WiX combination. Oleg: The objective of Wix# is not to replace XML syntax with a different syntax. InfoQ: Why did you choose to express Wix# in the form of an API instead of a domain specific language? The InfoQ readers may be already familiar with it as I have already described it in my previous interview about CS-Script Notepad++ plugin. Wix# belongs to the CS-Script toolset - an Open Source script engine suite for executing C# scripts. Of course Wix# can handle more complex scenarios (Custom Actions or even custom UI written in WPF or WinForms) but the sample above is a perfect demonstration of what Wix# is really about. The following is a typical Wix# example that demonstrates a Wix# script for building an MSI file for installation of 'My App' product: This also allows homogeneous, simplified and more consistent source code structure.īut what is even more important is that Wix# provides an abstraction layer that hides all the complexity and unintuitive nature of MSI/WiX and allows expressing the deployment algorithm in a more natural way. C++) by allowing both components and behavior to be defined in the same language (C#). Wix# also removes any need to develop MSI sub-modules (Custom Actions) in a completely different language (e.g. The code with a better compile-time error checking and availability of the advanced tools. A 'more manageable syntax' in this context means less verbose and more readable code. Wix# follows the steps of other transcompilers like Script#, CoffeeScript or GWT by using source code of a more manageable syntax (C# in this case) to produce the desired source code of a less manageable syntax (WiX). It solves the common MSI/WiX authoring limitations in a very elegant and yet unorthodox way. Wix# answers many MSI authoring challenges. The typical Wix# source file for building MSI contains plain-vanilla C# code, which uses a C# class structure to define (mimic) WiX entities. Wix# allows building complete MSI setups from a deployment specification expressed with C# syntax. Oleg: Wix# (WixSharp) is a deployment authoring framework targeting Windows Installer (MSI). InfoQ: For the benefit of our readers who haven't heard of it before, what is WiX#? We brought back Oleg Shilo, author of the CS-Script for Notepad++, to talk about Wix#.