WiX

{{About|a software installation tool|the website builder tool|Wix.com|other uses|Wix (disambiguation){{!}}Wix|}}

{{Infobox software

| name = WiX Toolset

| logo = WiX logo (2016, black).svg

| logo size = x64px

| logo alt =

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| author = Rob Mensching, Microsoft

| developer = .NET Foundation

| released = {{Start date and age|2004|04|05|df=yes}}

| discontinued =

| latest release version = 6.0.0

| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2025|04|07|df=yes}}

| latest preview version =

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| repo = {{URL|https://github.com/wixtoolset}}

| programming language = C++, C#

| operating system = Windows

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| genre = Software development tools

| license = Microsoft Reciprocal License

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| website = {{URL|wixtoolset.org}}

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Windows Installer XML Toolset (WiX, pronounced "wicks") is a free software toolset that builds Windows Installer packages from XML. It consists of a command-line environment that developers may integrate into their build processes to build MSI and MSM packages. WiX was the first Microsoft project to be released under an open-source license, the Common Public License.{{cite web |last=Lawson |first=Stephen |date=6 April 2004 |title=Microsoft goes open source with WiX tool |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/1580079/microsoft-goes-open-source-with-wix-tool.html |access-date=15 April 2024 |website=Computerworld}}{{Cite web |last=Bisson |first=Simon |date=2021-12-01 |title=Using WiX to build Windows installers |url=https://www.infoworld.com/article/3642378/using-wix-to-build-windows-installers.html |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=InfoWorld |language=en}} It was also the first Microsoft project to be hosted on an external website.

After its release in 2004, Microsoft has used WiX to package Office 2007, SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005/2008, and other products.{{cite web |last=Robbins |first=John |date=18 October 2007 |title=WiX: Hints for New Users (Part 1 of 3) |url=http://www.wintellect.com/blogs/jrobbins/wix-hints-for-new-users-part-1-of-3 |work=Wintellect |access-date=16 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222022121/http://www.wintellect.com/blogs/jrobbins/wix-hints-for-new-users-part-1-of-3|archive-date=22 February 2014}}

WiX includes Votive, a Visual Studio add-in that allows creating and building WiX setup projects using the Visual Studio IDE. Votive supports syntax highlighting and IntelliSense for {{mono|.wxs}} source files and adds a WiX setup project type {{mono|.wixproj}} to Visual Studio.{{Cite book |last=Ramirez |first=Nick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IxD182o_jQMC&q=Windows+Installer+XML+Toolset |title=WiX: A Developer's Guide to Windows Installer XML : Create a Hassle-free Installer for Your Windows Software Using WiX |date=2010-10-18 |publisher=Packt Publishing Ltd |isbn=978-1-84951-373-9 |language=en}}

History

WiX was the first Microsoft project to be released under an open-source license, the Common Public License. Initially hosted on SourceForge, it was also the first Microsoft project to be hosted externally.

On June 6, 2010, WiX moved from SourceForge to CodePlex. On August 14, 2012, Microsoft transferred the WiX copyright to the Microsoft-sponsored Outercurve Foundation.{{Cite book |last=Ramirez |first=Nick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S5VFSs_iKywC&q=Windows+Installer+XML+Toolset |title=WiX 3.6 - A Developer's Guide to Windows Installer XML |date=2012-01-01 |publisher=Packt Publishing Ltd |isbn=978-1-78216-043-4 |language=en}} At the same time, the license was changed from the Common Public License to the Microsoft Reciprocal License. On May 4, 2016, WiX was transferred to the .NET Foundation.

Since Visual Studio 2012, the traditional setup project type has been removed from Visual Studio (available only as an extension since Visual Studio 2013). WiX is a recommended alternative.{{cite web |last=Hodges |first=Buck |date=17 March 2011 |title=Visual Studio setup projects (vdproj) will not ship with future versions of VS |url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/buckh/visual-studio-setup-projects-vdproj-will-not-ship-with-future-versions-of-vs/ |access-date= 22 September 2021}}

Functions

WiX is a toolset designed to build Windows Installer (.msi) packages using the command line. It comes with the following tools:{{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Bruce |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wjcKAwAAQBAJ&dq=Windows+Installer+XML+Toolset&pg=PA961 |title=Professional Visual Studio 2013 |date=2014-03-05 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-83205-9 |language=en}}

Candle: compiles source files into object files
Light: combines object files into a .msi file
Lit: creates libraries that can be linked by Light.exe
Dark: decompiles a .msi file into WiX code
Heat: creates a WiX source file
Pyro: creates Patch files (.msp) without needing the Windows Installer SDK
Burn: coordinates dependency installer