Traditional MSI Installers
Most Electron developers use the official windows-installer to create Windows installers. It does not require Administrator privileges and comes bundled with an automatic updater. If your app targets consumers, it will likely be the better choice.However, if you need to create a traditional MSI the way Microsoft intended for software to be installed, this module is your friend. It creates a standalone MSI that installs your application to
Program Files
or any user-defined
directory, much like the installers for Office, Node.js, or other popular apps.
It allows up- and downgrades. For more details, see:
Should I use this?Look & Feel
Prerequisites
Before using this module, make sure to install the Wix toolkit v3. Only the command line tools are required. If you are using AppVeyor or another Windows CI system, it is likely already installed.npm i --save-dev electron-wix-msi
Usage
Creating an installer is a three-step process:import { MSICreator } from 'electron-wix-msi';
// Step 1: Instantiate the MSICreator
const msiCreator = new MSICreator({
appDirectory: '/path/to/built/app',
description: 'My amazing Kitten simulator',
exe: 'kittens',
name: 'Kittens',
manufacturer: 'Kitten Technologies',
version: '1.1.2',
outputDirectory: '/path/to/output/folder'
});
// Step 2: Create a .wxs template file
await msiCreator.create();
// Step 3: Compile the template to a .msi file
await msiCreator.compile();
Configuration
appDirectory
(string) - The source directory for the installer, usually the
outputDirectory
(string) - The output directory. Will contain the finished
msi
as well as the intermediate files .wxs
and .wixobj
.exe
(string) - The name of the exe.description
(string) - The app's description.version
(string) - The app's version.name
(string) - The app's name.manufacturer
(string) - Name of the manufacturer.
appUserModelId
(string, optional) - String to set asappUserModelId
on the
com.squirrel.(Name).(exe)
,
which should match the id given to your app by Squirrel.shortName
(optional, string) - A short name for the app, used wherever
shortcutFolderName
(string, optional) - Name of the shortcut folder in the
programFilesFolderName
(string, optional) - Name of the folder your app will
upgradeCode
(string, optional) - A unique UUID used by your app to identify
language
(number, optional) - The
certificateFile
(string, optional) - The path to an Authenticode Code
certificatePassword
(string, optional) - The password to decrypt the
certificateFile
.signWithParams
(string, optional) - Paramaters to pass tosigntool.exe
.
certificateFile
and certificatePassword
.extensions
(array, optional) - Specify WiX extensions to use e.g['WixUtilExtension', 'C:\My WiX Extensions\FooExtension.dll']
ui
(UIOptions, optional) - Enables configuration of the UI. See below for
UI Configuration (Optional)
Theui
property in the options passed to the installer instance allows more
detailed configuration of the UI. It has the following optional properties:enabled
(boolean, optional) - Whether to show a typical user interface.
true
. If set to false
, Windows will show a minimal "Windows is
configuring NAMEOFAPP" interface.template
(string, optional) - Substitute your own XML that will be inserted
.wxs
file before compiling the installer to customize the UI
options.chooseDirectory
(boolean, optional) - If set totrue
, the end user will be
false
by default. Without
effect if a custom template
is used.images
(Optional) - Overwrites default installer images with custom files. I
background
- (optional, string) 493 x 312 Background bitmap used on thewelcome and completion dialogs. Will be used as `WixUIDialogBmp`.
banner
- (optional, string) 493 × 58 Top banner used on most dialogs thatdon't use `background`. Will be used as `WixUIBannerBmp`.
exclamationIcon
- (optional, string) 32 x 32 Exclamation icon on the`WaitForCostingDlg` dialog. Will be used as `WixUIExclamationIco`.
infoIcon
- (optional, string) 32 x 32 Information icon on the cancel anderror dialogs. Will be used as `WixUIInfoIco`.
newIcon
- (optional, string) 16 x 16 "New folder" icon for the "browse"dialog. Will be used as `WixUINewIco`.
upIcon
- (optional, string) 16 x 16 "Up" icon for the "browse" dialog.Will be used as `WixUIUpIco`.
Template Configuration (Optional)
This module uses XML bulding blocks to generate the final.wxs
file. After
instantiating the class, but before calling create()
, you can change the
default XML. The available fields on the class are:componentTemplate
(string) - Used for<Component>
elements. One per file.componentRefTemplate
(string) - Used for<ComponentRef>
elements. Again,
directoryTemplate
(string) - Used for<Directory>
elements. This module
<DirectoryRef>
elements.wixTemplate
(string) - Used as the master template.uiTemplate
(string) - Used as the master UI template.backgroundTemplate
(string) - Used as the background template.
Should I use this?
Let's start with what's bad about this: Electron is based on Chromium, and as such, inherintly dependent upon frequent updates. Whenever a new version of Electron comes out, you should release a new version of your app. The default installer for Windows is based on Squirrel, which comes with support for automatic updates. An app that updates itself is fantastic for most consumers. If you are not sure if you need a traditional MSI, chances are that you don't."Young man, creating an installer and dying is easy. Updating it and living is harder."
-- Windows George Washington, 1776
If you are however developing enterprise software, you might find that IT departments don't want automatically updating software. They want controlled rollouts and detailed control over the installation. This is true for universities, hospitals, the military, and many other organizations that have a managed IT infrastructure. Their administrators will expect a "classic" installer - the same way they would install Microsoft Office, Node.js, Photoshop, or any other software. If you see your app being used in those environments, you should push the self-updating package, but have a traditional MSI in your pocket. Bear in mind however that you will need to find a way to get updates to your users without relying on Electron's auto updater.
MSI Administration
Themsi
packages created with this module allow for a wide range of command line parameters. The installer is a "Windows Installer", meaning that the actual installer's logic is part of Windows itself. It supports the following command-line parameters:Install Options
</uninstall | /x>
Uninstalls the productDisplay Options
/quiet
Quiet mode, no user interaction/passive
Unattended mode - progress bar only/q[n|b|r|f]
Sets user interface level
/help
Help informationRestart Options
/norestart
Do not restart after the installation is complete/promptrestart
Prompts the user for restart if necessary/forcerestart
Always restart the computer after installation
Logging Options
/l[i|w|e|a|r|u|c|m|o|p|v|x|+|!|*] <LogFile>
i
Status messages
- w
Nonfatal warnings
- e
All error messages
- a
Start up of actions
- r
Action-specific records
- u
User requests
- c
Initial UI parameters
- m
Out-of-memory or fatal exit information
- o
Out-of-disk-space messages
- p
Terminal properties
- v
Verbose output
- x
Extra debugging information
- +
Append to existing log file
- !
Flush each line to the log
- *
Log all information, except for v and x options/log <LogFile>
Equivalent of /l
Update Options
/update <Update1.msp>[;Update2.msp]
Applies update(s)
Repair Options
/f[p|e|c|m|s|o|d|a|u|v]
Repairs a product
p
only if file is missing
- o
if file is missing or an older version is installed (default)
- e
if file is missing or an equal or older version is installed
- d
if file is missing or a different version is installed
- c
if file is missing or checksum does not match the calculated value
- a
forces all files to be reinstalled
- u
all required user-specific registry entries (default)
- m
all required computer-specific registry entries (default)
- s
all existing shortcuts (default)
- v
runs from source and recaches local package