InstallShield doesn't "hide" any of the details. It's all right there in the Direct Editor if you choose to look at it. (Which you should.)
WiX has some advatanges and disadvantages as compared to InstallShield but at the end of the day it's the skill and the dedication to quality of the setup developer that's most important. Someone who complains about InstallShield either never really learned it or is a complete master of it and now understands why they need different tools. That person wouldn't self describe as a newbie. ---------------------------------------- From: "Peter Shirtcliffe" <pshirtcli...@sdl.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 4:57 AM To: "General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset." <wix-users@lists.sourceforge.net> Subject: Re: [WiX-users] A question from a complete Newbie I think it unlikely that the tutorial recommends a file per component. I think you misunderstood that part: it would be excessive. For 30-40 components, I'd just use a single file and not worry about fragments. Fragments are useful for sharing sections of code between installers or wixlibs and for breaking the installer down into sections that are patched individually. A pattern I commonly use is to put component definitions in one file and the boilerplate (ARP properties, sequences, etc) in another. If you use heat to harvest components, I'd definitely keep that code in a separate file so it can be easily updated during development of the first version. Merge modules are used for sharing portions of an installer with 3rd parties. InstallShield can create them too. We moved from InstallShield to WiX a few years ago and find Wix to be much nicer to work with. You do have to understand the Windows Installer though - IS hides a lot of details from you. -----Original Message----- From: Corner Geoff [mailto:geoff.cor...@uk.fujitsu.com] Sent: 27 September 2011 10:30 To: wix-users@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: [WiX-users] A question from a complete Newbie Hi, I am here in search of relief from the InstallShield "treacle machine". WiX looks like an answer to my heartache of trying to maintain an Installation project I inherited a few years ago. I have read the tutorial and the first few bits of the Manual - I have installed WiX 3.5 and use Visual Studio 2010 to develop. The installation project I inherited has 30+ components which fit into two installable Features - Option one installs everything, two installs a subset. The way to go with WiX seems to be to create an overall wxs file and have a sub file for each component, but the Tutorial recommends Fragments (<Fragment />) and the manual talks about Merge Module (<Module />) So which should I use? And another minor difference the Tutorial says you only need one extra line to add a Fragment - but you need two to add a Module Geoff Corner Unless otherwise stated, this email has been sent from Fujitsu Services Limited, from Fujitsu (FTS) Limited, or from Fujitsu Telecommunications Europe Limited, together "Fujitsu". This email is only for the use of its intended recipient. Its contents are subject to a duty of confidence and may be privileged. Fujitsu does not guarantee that this email has not been intercepted and amended or that it is virus-free. Fujitsu Services Limited, registered in England No 96056, registered office 22 Baker Street, London W1U 3BW. 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