[wix-users] [Question] Using Wix to pack a MSI file using exe file that depends of a folder

Thu Jul 16 09:03:55 PDT 2020

Hi Bryan,
thank you for your sharing. I will do as you suggest.

I will need more time to study and learn more on how to have a consistent
MSI installer for the project and discuss a little more with QGIS
Development Team. Thank you once again for the help and support.

Best regards,
João Gaspar

Bryan Dam <bryand at recastsoftware.com> escreveu no dia quinta, 16/07/2020
à(s) 14:37:

> The point of a bundle isn’t to just include some extra files, it’s to
> chain multiple separate installers into one cohesive installation.  In your
> use case that would mean using a bundle to install your pre-requisites in
> the required order before installing the main application.  I’d point out
> that if it’s just a matter of installing dependencies and you’re using SCCM
> then I’d highly recommend using SCCM’s built-in dependency capabilities
> over having to maintain a custom bundle to do the same thing.
>
> If you just need certain files to be in certain places (ex. C:\OSGeo4W64,
> C:\Temp\packages) then just use PSADT to do those copies before calling the
> installer. That’s exactly the kind of thing PSADT exists to do.
>
>
> In short, you could probably accomplish this using a bundle but that’s
> definitely what I’d call ‘hard mode’.
>
>         Bryan
>
> *From:* João Gaspar <joao.f.r.gaspar at gmail.com>
> *Sent:* Thursday, July 16, 2020 6:19 AM
> *To:* Bryan Dam <bryand at recastsoftware.com>
> *Cc:* WiX Toolset Users Mailing List <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>;
> Hoover, Jacob <Jacob.Hoover at greenheck.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [wix-users] [Question] Using Wix to pack a MSI file using
> exe file that depends of a folder
>
>
>
> Hi Bryan, thank you for your answer.
>
>
>
> I will give you more about the background process of QGIS installation.
>
> The project has for Windows a standalone installer based on NSIS and a
> Network Installer based on Cygwin.
>
> For my case and in my work and for update versions purpose my IT
> department asks me to prepare for each release an installation that will be
> standard installation for all users.
>
>
>
> The standard installation that we use needs some dependencies that can be
> installed using the network installer with a previous download of the
> packages. If I choose the standalone way it's can be done but needs an
> extra step after installations and need the internet to download the
> missing dependencies.
>
>
>
> After read the answer of Jacob, for my needs the bundle is perhaps the
> best option. I'm trying to understand how to declare on wix the folder with
> packages from network installer with network installer.exe.
>
>
>
> For example having the .exe and the folder with the packages in a C:\temp
> folder I use a normal command line on Windows like this:
>
>
>
> osgeo4w-setup-x86_64.exe -q -k -g -A -d -a x86_64 --local-install --root
> "C:\\OSGeo4W64" -l "C:\\Temp\\packages" -C Libs -C Commandline_Utilities -C
> Desktop
>
>
>
> these parameters are from the installer:
>
> https://trac.osgeo.org/osgeo4w/wiki/CommandLine
>
>
>
> The idea is to use Wix and bundle the exe. and the folder with packages
> into a single bundle.exe. My doubt is using the bundle installation, how
> can I point .exe to an inside folder of packages and assume the parameters
> of .exe network installer.
>
>
>
> For parameters I read about this InstallCommand in
> https://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/xsd/wix/exepackage.html
>
>
>
> Only need to understand how can I integrate the path to the folder inside
> of bundle to the packages folder
>
>
>
>
>
> Best regards,
>
> João Gaspar
>
>
>
>
>
> Bryan Dam <bryand at recastsoftware.com> escreveu no dia terça, 14/07/2020
> à(s) 17:28:
>
> FWIW: On the SCCM side of things there should be no need for PSADT here.
> You would be creating a bundle/bootstrapper/wrapper/chainer EXE that
> ConfigMgr will be more than happy to run and detect.
>
> I'm a little lost on exactly what you are trying to do.  What doesn't
> their installer do that you're trying to work around.  My guess is that you
> want the same set of binary files but support different configurations in a
> way that their own installer does not support.  In this case I'm not sure
> what a bundle that simply passes through parameters gets you. I'd consider
> going all in on PSADT and use that to implement whatever logic you're
> hoping to accomplish.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wix-users <wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org> On Behalf Of
> João Gaspar via wix-users
> Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2020 11:47 AM
> To: Hoover, Jacob <Jacob.Hoover at greenheck.com>
> Cc: João Gaspar <joao.f.r.gaspar at gmail.com>; WiX Toolset Users Mailing
> List <wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org>
> Subject: Re: [wix-users] [Question] Using Wix to pack a MSI file using exe
> file that depends of a folder
>
> Hi Jacob,
> thank you for your answer.
> After you speak about bundle I did a little search and found this to try
> the understand the concept.
> https://www.advancedinstaller.com/wix-bundles.html
>
> And I found this for SCCM to help me in the SCCM part:
> https://psappdeploytoolkit.com/
>
> Do you think this can be combined to have a reasonable solution?
>
> Please correct me if I'm saying something wrong.
>
> I have look for other alternative but I think for me I need more time to
> search and understand this option that is to build the source code from
> QGIS software (https://github.com/qgis with the right dependencies and
> 3rd providers and try to use this:
> https://github.com/giddie/qt-cmake-template to create a MSI installer
> using Wix toolset.
>
> I will try to keep contact as well with QGIS packaging team to understand
> what is the best way.
>
> Best regards,
> João Gaspar
>
>
> Hoover, Jacob <Jacob.Hoover at greenheck.com> escreveu no dia terça,
> 14/07/2020 à(s) 15:49:
>
> >
> > http://robmensching.com/blog/posts/2012/6/25/b-is-for-bundle-and-thats
> > -good-enough-for-me/
> >
> >
> >
> > Use a bundle, use SCCM and a registry detect condition. Bundles can
> > use a /layout which places dependencies in the same folder or
> > subfolder based on authoring to be a source of dependencies. Trying to
> > jam this all in a MSI is fraught with issues, such as
> > https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/msi/concurrent-installa
> > tions
> > and is advised against here
> > https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/msi/windows-installer-b
> > est-practices#do-not-ship-concurrent-installations
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > *From:* wix-users [mailto:wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org] *On
> > Behalf Of *João Gaspar via wix-users
> > *Sent:* Tuesday, July 14, 2020 5:19 AM
> > *To:* wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org
> > *Cc:* João Gaspar <joao.f.r.gaspar at gmail.com>
> > *Subject:* [wix-users] [Question] Using Wix to pack a MSI file using
> > exe file that depends of a folder
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi,
> > I'm giving the first steps with Wix Toolset and I need some help to
> > create MSI installer.
> >
> > I'm using a GIS open source Desktop (QGIS) that have a network
> > installer option that can point to a remote URL with the dependencies
> > packages to install or point to a local folder where these packages
> > are already downloaded.
> >
> > The idea is to create a standard installation based on specific
> > packages to distribute to in different computers based on the same
> packages and .exe.
> > So the idea is to use WiX to pack the .exe and the folder with the
> > packages inside an MSI file.
> >
> > The procedure that I have in mind (and I don't know if is possible) is
> > to prepare Wix configuration to run the .exe file pass the .exe
> > parameters to install the packages that are packed inside of the MSI.
> >
> > This can be helpful for organizations that use QGIS and need to deploy
> > a lot of installations with the same packages. In my case, my company
> > ask me if is possible to have an MSI file because of Microsoft System
> > Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) installation that they have.
> >
> > I read some documentation of Wix toolset and I interpreted that this
> > can be done with custom actions, this is possible? And how can I pack
> > an MSI installer using only the folder with the packages and .exe file?
> >
> > Please correct me if I'm saying something wrong
> >
> > One of my goals at the end of this process is to share this
> > configuration with the QGIS project to help others that need this type
> of configuration.
> >
> > Thank you for your help.
> >
> > Best regards,
> > João Gaspar
> >
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