[wix-users] CustomAction does not seem to be called from the msi

[Justin Cox]

You should be targeting the CustomsActions.CA.dll. Is it getting built in
your bin\release folder? If not, you need to add it to you assembly and
target that.

On Tue, Feb 7, 2017, 4:15 AM Tom Brezinski <tom.brezinski at viavisolutions.com>
wrote:

> I have two ideas for you...
>
> First is your action might not be getting pulled in.  For WiX to include a
> fragment it has to get tied back into the core <product> somehow.  I
> separate out my actions into their own WXS file / fragment which put them
> out of scope.
>
> In order for them to be part of the install I have to put this at the top
> of the fragment that has the actions:
>         <!-- Bogus folder so we can reference it to pull in this fragment
> -->
>         <DirectoryRef Id="INSTALLFOLDER">
>             <Directory Id="LegacyUpgradeActionsFolder" />
>         </DirectoryRef>
>
> And then inside the fragment that I specify my features I include a Ref to
> that folder:
> <!-- Reference the bogus actions folder so that fragment gets pulled in.
> -->
>         <DirectoryRef Id="LegacyUpgradeActionsFolder"/>
>
> Second idea is change the CustomAction to Execute="immediate" and schedule
> it After="AppSearch" to make sure it happens really early.  I am not sure
> when the Condition element will be evaluated but I am sure it is quite a
> bit before InstallInitialize.  Also I am not sure when firstSequence will
> schedule the action but I know that once the install elevates it is
> difficult to use WcaSetProperty.
>
> If you do not have Orca download it.  Opening your MSI and seeing exactly
> what was built, what order actions were sequenced in, etc is very valuable
> for debugging.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wix-users [mailto:wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org] On Behalf
> Of Urban Olars
> Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2017 2:13 AM
> To: WiX Toolset Users Mailing List <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>
> Subject: [wix-users] CustomAction does not seem to be called from the msi
>
> Hi,
>
> I am trying to learn how to write custom actions in C++ and how to use
> them in my msi installation project. Unfortunately with no luck so far. I
> have looked at numerous examples I have found on internet but still have
> not found out what I am doing wrong. I kindly ask for input from someone on
> this mailing list. Thank you in advance.
>
>
> This is part of the code in my *.wxs file:
> <Binary Id="CAICRoot"
> SourceFile="..\CustomActions\CustomActions\bin\Release\CustomActions.dll"
> /> <CustomAction Id="IronCADRootDirectory" BinaryKey="CAICRoot"
> DllEntry="GetICRootDir" Execute="firstSequence" HideTarget="no" />
>
> <InstallExecuteSequence>
> <Custom Action='IronCADRootDirectory' Before='InstallInitialize'/>
> <RemoveExistingProducts Before="InstallInitialize"></RemoveExistingProducts>
> </InstallExecuteSequence>
>
> <Condition Message="IronCAD root directory not found. Installation
> aborting"> <![CDATA[ICROOTDIR]]> </Condition> ...
> ...
>
>
> This is part of the code in my custom action dll:
> UINT __stdcall GetICRootDir(MSIHANDLE hInstall) { MessageBox(NULL , _T("It
> got called!") , _T("Title") , MB_OK); HRESULT hr = S_OK; UINT er =
> ERROR_SUCCESS; // Initialize WiX Custom Action hr = WcaInitialize(hInstall,
> "GetICRootDir"); ExitOnFailure(hr, "Failed to initialize");
> WcaLog(LOGMSG_STANDARD, "Initialized.");
>
> if (hr == ERROR_SUCCESS)
> {
> LPWSTR lpwString = L"C:\\Program Files\\IronCAD";           // This is just
> for testing. In reality I will look it up in the registry and cut away
> part of the string hr = ::WcaSetProperty(TEXT("ICROOTDIR"), lpwString);
> ExitOnFailure(hr, "Failed to set property"); } ...
> ...
>
>
> My msi project builds without errors but when I run the msi file, it
> always stops at the condition message. Obviously, no property called
> ICROOTDIR has been set. I added code for a message box in the custom dll so
> I should know that the function at least gets called but this message box
> has never showed up so far. My assumption is therefore that I have missed
> something fundamental so the custom dll never even gets called.
>
> I have added the entrypoint in the *.def file of my custom dll project:
> LIBRARY "CustomActions"
>
> EXPORTS
>
> GetICRootDir
>
>
> I haven't learnt yet how to log what is happening but I guess I will have
> to unless someone of you can see right away what the problem is.
>
>
>
> Regards
> Urban Olars
>
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