[wix-users] Custom Action with elevated privilege

Fri Dec 14 09:16:26 PST 2018

It sounds like you are trying to interact with the user for configuration
*after* the installation has completed. If you read the comments made by
Christopher and Jacob carefully, you will see they are expecting you have
already collected the configuration data before the install transaction
begins. In such a case then you have the option to write the data to a
temporary location at install-time that the application can read (and clean
up) to configure itself at first run since, presumably, the application
runs with enough permissions to configure itself. If you were gathering the
configuration *before* the install transaction began, then you could simply
run the configuration executable before InstallFinalize to complete the
configuration. Of course, the configuration executable no longer would
require a UI since all the configuration data has already been retrieved
earlier on. The installer's responsibility is just to pass the data to the
configuration executable. The details of how the installer and the
configuration executable communicate is just a contract between the
installer and the configuration executable. You could use command line
arguments, a temporary file, a temporary registry key, a named pipe, etc.
You have lots of options.

I would encourage you to design your installer to retrieve the
configuration data early rather than as a separate step at the end that
happens after the installer has completed. I would also encourage you to
think about upgrades and how this process should discover the current
configuration settings so that the user doesn't have to provide the
settings on upgrade.

--
Edwin G. Castro

On Fri, Dec 14, 2018 at 8:37 AM Wenzheng Jia via wix-users <
wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org> wrote:

> The config.exe basically is a configuration tool that retrieves the
> settings for a customer and writes them to an ini file. The issue I'm
> having right now is that after the config.exe is invoked, the user can go
> through all the config settings. It's at the time of writing the config
> file to the installation folder, that's where the issue is. It requires a
> higher level of privilege to be able to write the ini file to the
> installation folder.
>
> We currently have an NSIS script to do so. That installer is working as
> expected. We are trying to move to the WiX ToolSet but running into this
> issue. Grantly, I'm still new to the toolset and still trying to figuring
> things out as I convert them.
>
> Wenzheng
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wix-users <wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org> On Behalf Of
> Christopher Painter via wix-users
> Sent: Friday, December 14, 2018 10:01 AM
> To: Hoover, Jacob <Jacob.Hoover at greenheck.com>; WiX Toolset Users Mailing
> List <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>
> Cc: Christopher Painter <chrpai at iswix.com>
> Subject: Re: [wix-users] Custom Action with elevated privilege
>
> I believe we are in 100% agreement.  I don't know what his config.exe is
> doing so it's impossible for me to say what the proper solution is.
>
> ________________________________
> From: Hoover, Jacob <Jacob.Hoover at greenheck.com>
> Sent: Friday, December 14, 2018 9:53 AM
> To: Christopher Painter; WiX Toolset Users Mailing List
> Subject: RE: Custom Action with elevated privilege
>
>
> First run is fine, but it shouldn't require elevation to configure the
> application. There are well defined locations where an application can
> store configs (either per user or per machine) which don't require
> elevation.
>
>
>
> The issue with "but I just want to write this 1 file" is there is nothing
> preventing it from changing anything else.  And typically the installer
> developer and the app developer are different people, so while the 1 file
> may be true today it may not be tomorrow. Hence why if it has to be in a
> restricted location, it should be written/updated by a CA in the installer.
>
>
>
> From: Christopher Painter [mailto:chrpai at iswix.com]
> Sent: Friday, December 14, 2018 9:48 AM
> To: WiX Toolset Users Mailing List <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>
> Cc: Hoover, Jacob <Jacob.Hoover at greenheck.com>
> Subject: Re: Custom Action with elevated privilege
>
>
>
> Handling config in an MSI can be a pain.  Running an EXE after the install
> can be a good compromise.  Usually when I do it  I make it optional and I
> have the make program call it on first run if configuration hasn't
> occurred.  I usually put the configuration data in a registry key or folder
> that doesn't require elevation.   This usually works well.
>
>
>
> I typically only handle configuration in the installer when it's needed to
> execute sql scripts or setup a windows service or application with a
> certain account.  Otherwise I tend to push it to application first run.
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: wix-users <wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org<mailto:
> wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org>> on behalf of Hoover, Jacob via
> wix-users <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org<mailto:
> wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>>
> Sent: Friday, December 14, 2018 9:15 AM
> To: WiX Toolset Users Mailing List
> Cc: Hoover, Jacob
> Subject: Re: [wix-users] Custom Action with elevated privilege
>
>
>
> Why not write a proper CA that can be ran during the installation
> sequence? What is its need for modifying machine state after the
> installation is complete?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wix-users [mailto:wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org] On Behalf
> Of Wenzheng Jia via wix-users
> Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2018 9:15 PM
> To: WiX Toolset Users Mailing List <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org<mailto:
> wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>>
> Cc: Wenzheng Jia <WJia at liaison.com<mailto:WJia at liaison.com>>
> Subject: Re: [wix-users] Custom Action with elevated privilege
>
> I changed the manifest of the configuration executable. Now the event
> doesn't trigger the configuration executable's UI to show up at all. Any
> thoughts?
>
> Wenzheng
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wix-users <wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org<mailto:
> wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org>> On Behalf Of Rob Mensching via
> wix-users
> Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2018 4:01 PM
> To: WiX Toolset Users Mailing List <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org<mailto:
> wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>>
> Cc: Rob Mensching <rob at firegiant.com<mailto:rob at firegiant.com>>
> Subject: Re: [wix-users] Custom Action with elevated privilege
>
> Manifest the executable to require elevation
>
> _____________________________________________________________
>  Short replies here. Complete answers over there:
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>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wix-users <wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org<mailto:
> wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org>> On Behalf Of Wenzheng Jia via
> wix-users
> Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2018 1:56 PM
> To: wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org<mailto:wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>
> Cc: Wenzheng Jia <WJia at liaison.com<mailto:WJia at liaison.com>>
> Subject: [wix-users] Custom Action with elevated privilege
>
> I'm creating an installer to launch an executable after the installation.
> The executable will only be launched when a checkbox is selected on the
> ExitDialog. I hooked up the CustomAction to the Finish button of the
> ExitDialog box. I'm able to launch the executable. But the executable
> doesn't have the elevated privilege. It failed to save the output file to
> the installation folder due to lack of privilege. Is there any way that I
> can accomplish this?
>
> <Property Id="WIXUI_EXITDIALOGOPTIONALCHECKBOXTEXT" Value="Run Wizard to
> configure the Connector config file" />
>
> <Publish Dialog="ExitDialog" Control="Finish" Event="DoAction"
> Value="LaunchFile" Order="999">(NOT Installed) AND
> (WIXUI_EXITDIALOGOPTIONALCHECKBOX = 1)</Publish>
>
>
> <CustomAction Id='LaunchFile' Directory='APPLICATIONFOLDER'
> ExeCommand='[APPLICATIONFOLDER]Config.exe' Impersonate='no'
> Return="asyncNoWait" />
>
> Wenzheng Jia
> Senior Software Engineer
>
> Liaison Technologies
> 3157 Royal Drive | Suite 200 | Alpharetta, GA 30022
> T: +1 888.806.0309 x525
>
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