[wix-users] `File/@Name` doesn't work as expected when nested under `Component/@Directory`

[Armen Michaeli]

Hi Rob,

Thank you for the informative and clarifying answer.

Is WiX being actively developed these days -- does it make sense for me to
consider sending a patch / pull request to attempt to rectify this? It
might break existing WiX clients. Or, perhaps, a different design
altogether is planned in WiX 4?

If none of these options are appealing, I think I may want to generate a
.wixobj with a different tool and just feed it to the WiX linker/binder.

The reason I have come upon this problem is that I want to have less
verbose source files for installations I am authoring. I am starting to
think XML being optimized for hierarchical relationships, isn't much for my
tastes as authoring format in this case where different elements of a
package participate in many-to-many relationships. The WiX linker/binder is
as useful as ever, however -- I'll see if I can (like I said) retain it as
a "backend".

Regards,

On Fri, May 1, 2020 at 6:10 PM Rob Mensching <rob at firegiant.com> wrote:

> Your confusion is understandable. The behavior you are seeing is the
> design although one could absolutely argue for the design you expected. The
> linker will follow references to create the target directory tree but that
> does not affect the build time source location for the files. Build time
> source resolution is passed down only via the immediate XML hierarchy.
>
> ---
> Short replies here. Complete answers here:
> https://www.firegiant.com/services/
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wix-users <wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org> On Behalf Of
> Armen Michaeli via wix-users
> Sent: Friday, May 1, 2020 5:32 AM
> To: wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org
> Cc: Armen Michaeli <armen.michaeli at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [wix-users] `File/@Name` doesn't work as expected when nested
> under `Component/@Directory`
>
> Apologies, there is a typo in the earlier message: the error message [with
> the second snippet] isn't "LGHT0113", it is LGHT0103: "The system cannot
> find the file 'README.txt'."
>
> The file can otherwise be accessed just fine with the first snippet, for
> comparison.
>
> On Fri, May 1, 2020 at 2:23 PM Armen Michaeli <armen.michaeli at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > From what I understand, per the "How To: Specify source files" page
> > <https://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/howtos/general/specify
> > ing_source_files.html> and as briefly touched upon by the "Component
> > Element"
> > <https://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/xsd/wix/component.html
> > >
> > and "File Element"
> > <https://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/xsd/wix/file.html>
> > pages, when a file is specified using the File/@Name attribute, it is
> > effectively accessed by name relative to the directory of the
> > component the file is part of. The component's directory, in turn, is
> > ideally understood (by me) to be either the directory specified by the
> > nearest ancestor Directory element, *or* by the Component/@Directory
> attribute, if present.
> >
> > Needless to say, the following works as expected:
> >
> > <Directory Id="INSTALLDIR" Name="Foobar" FileSource="!(wix.SOURCEDIR)">
> >     <Component>
> >         <File Name="README.txt" />
> >     </Component>
> > </Directory>
> >
> > The following, however, does not:
> >
> > <Directory Id="INSTALLDIR" Name="Foobar" FileSource="!(wix.SOURCEDIR)"
> > /> <Feature>
> >     <Component Directory="INSTALLDIR">
> >         <File Name="README.txt" />
> >     </Component>
> > </Feature>
> >
> > I am surprised. Is the behaviour intended by design, an omission or
> > something else? The "How To: Specify source files" page
> > <https://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/howtos/general/specify
> > ing_source_files.html>
> > says:
> >
> > When you use the File/@Name attribute and don't use the File/@Source
> > attribute, the compiler constructs an implicit path to the file based
> > on the file's parent component directory plus the name you supply.
> >
> > In case of the second snippet above, the component's directory *is
> > specified* (INSTALLDIR), is it not? Why can't the file be found? It
> > seems that WiX only actually wants to use the directory based on
> > element parent-child relationship, not the one created by the
> > Component/@Directory attribute value.
> >
> > I am using candle.exe and light.exe, it is the linker/binder (the
> > latter) that produces the LGHT0113 error.
> >
> > WiX version 3.11.2.4516
> > .NET version 3.1.201 (dotnet --version)
> >
>
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