Wix是用于以编程方式创建此Windows Service安装程序的正确技术吗？

Question

I have 3 components, all built in C# or JS: An agent, an application server, and a website.

This is the operation of the application. The user goes to the website and downloads an agent installer to their computer. This agent installer must install an agent identified by the user's unique ID. The user installs the unique-user-ID agent to their computer. The unique-user-ID agent installs as a Windows Service and reports data to an application server, which feeds data to the website for the user to view.

I need to programmatically create the unique-user-ID agent installer. I figured I could do this by changing a config file before it goes into the agent installer. I could have all of the dlls, config files, etc. set aside in the folder. When the user wants to download an agent, I would record the requesting user's unique ID, put it into a config file, and then create the installer with the edited config file.

My questions are:

1. Will Wix allow me to create an installer for a Windows Service?
2. Can I program when and what to put into an installer made with Wix?

Answer 1

I maintain an open source project called Industrial Strength Windows Installer XML (IsWiX) found on CodePlex .

Windows Installer is perfectly suited to install Windows Services. WiX can author Windows Installer databases but the XML can take awhile to learn. This is where IsWiX comes into the story.

IsWiX offers multi project solution templates that act as scaffolding handling most of the initial decisions a setup developer would have. It then offers graphical designers that allow you to do things like drag and drop files and define services.

Once your installer becomes more complex then IsWiX can handle you simple start coding WiX XML by hand.

I have a video on You Tube that demonstrates:

1) Create a Windows Service in C#/.NET (40 seconds)

2) Create A Windows Installer package using WiX / IsWiX (53 seconds)

3) Install the MSI, Test, Uninstall, Test (43 seconds)

This takes a grand total of 2 minutes 17 seconds. I don't know any other tool in the world that is that fast. I have similar stories for WPF/Winforms desktop applications and IIS/ASP.NET Web Applications.

You can see the video here .

Answer 2

1. Yes
2. Yes

For an example of a wix installer that installs a windows service you can take a look at this post by Chris Schiffhauer - http://www.schiffhauer.com/wix-template-for-installing-a-windows-service/