@mongodb-js/electron-wix-msi
Advanced tools
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?
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
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();
appDirectory (string) - The source directory for the installer, usually the
output of
electron-packager.
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 as appUserModelId on the
shortcut. If none is passed, it'll be set to 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
spaces and special characters are not allowed. Will use the name if left
undefined.
shortcutFolderName (string, optional) - Name of the shortcut folder in the
Windows Start Menu. Will use the manufacturer field if left undefined.
shortcutName (string, optional) - Name of the shortcut in the
Windows Start Menu. Will use the app's name field if left undefined.
programFilesFolderName (string, optional) - Name of the folder your app will
live in. Will use the app's name if left undefined.
upgradeCode (string, optional) - A unique UUID used by your app to identify
itself. This module will generate one for you, but it is important to reuse it
to enable conflict-free upgrades.
language (number, optional) - The
Microsoft Windows Language Code identifier
used by the installer. Will use 1033 (English, United-States) if left
undefined.
certificateFile (string, optional) - The path to an Authenticode Code
Signing Certificate.
certificatePassword (string, optional) - The password to decrypt the
certificate given in certificateFile.
signWithParams (string, optional) - Paramaters to pass to signtool.exe.
Overrides 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
more information.
arch (string, optional) - Defines the architecure the MSI is build for. Values can
be either x86 or x64. Default's to x86 if left undefined.
The ui 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.
Defaults to true. If set to false, Windows will show a minimal "Windows is
configuring NAME_OF_APP" interface.template (string, optional) - Substitute your own XML that will be inserted
into the final .wxs file before compiling the installer to customize the UI
options.chooseDirectory (boolean, optional) - If set to true, the end user will be
able to choose the installation directory. Set to false by default. Without
effect if a custom template is used.images (Optional) - Overwrites default installer images with custom files. I
recommend JPG.
background - (optional, string) 493 x 312 Background bitmap used on the
welcome and completion dialogs. Will be used as WixUIDialogBmp.banner - (optional, string) 493 × 58 Top banner used on most dialogs that
don'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 and
error 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.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,
one per file.directoryTemplate (string) - Used for <Directory> elements. This module
does not use <DirectoryRef> elements.wixTemplate (string) - Used as the master template.uiTemplate (string) - Used as the master UI template.backgroundTemplate (string) - Used as the background template.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.
The msi 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:
</uninstall | /x> Uninstalls the product
/quiet Quiet mode, no user interaction/passive Unattended mode - progress bar only/q[n|b|r|f] Sets user interface level
/help Help information/norestart Do not restart after the installation is complete/promptrestart Prompts the user for restart if necessary/forcerestart Always restart the computer after installation/l[i|w|e|a|r|u|c|m|o|p|v|x|+|!|*] <LogFile>
i Status messagesw Nonfatal warningse All error messagesa Start up of actionsr Action-specific recordsu User requestsc Initial UI parametersm Out-of-memory or fatal exit informationo Out-of-disk-space messagesp Terminal propertiesv Verbose outputx 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 <Update1.msp>[;Update2.msp] Applies update(s)/f[p|e|c|m|s|o|d|a|u|v] Repairs a product
p only if file is missingo if file is missing or an older version is installed (default)e if file is missing or an equal or older version is installedd if file is missing or a different version is installedc if file is missing or checksum does not match the calculated valuea forces all files to be reinstalledu 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 packageMIT, please see LICENSE.md for details.
FAQs
Creates an MSI installer for your Electron app
We found that @mongodb-js/electron-wix-msi demonstrated a not healthy version release cadence and project activity because the last version was released a year ago. It has 30 open source maintainers collaborating on the project.
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