Getting Started Learning WiX

Windows Installer XML

Getting Started

There are several options available to get started learning how to use WiX.

Basic Walkthrough

To get started, you can go to the Creating Installation Packages section which includes a step-by-step walkthrough to create a simple package using WiX.

How To Guides

This help file includes a set of How To Guides that explain how to accomplish common Windows Installer tasks using WiX.

Tutorials

If you prefer to learn from a tutorial, the following options are available:

If you prefer to learn from audio-visual presentations, the following options are available:

Community

If you prefer to learn by interacting with the community, there is a WiX users mailing list at http://wix.sourceforge.net/mailinglists.html#wix-users.

Integrated Development Environment

If you prefer to learn by using an integrated development environment, there is an overview of WiX editors at http://robmensching.com/blog/archive/2007/11/20/WiX-editors.aspx.

Reverse Engineering

If you prefer to learn by working backward from a Windows Installer package you have already created, you can run the WiX decompiler (Dark) to convert your package into WiX authoring and then recompile it using the WiX compiler (Candle) and WiX linker (Light).

Reading Source Code

If you prefer to learn by reading code, WiX is an open source project, and you can look at the source code by reviewing the How to be a Windows Installer XML Developer topic.

Fix a Bug, Write a Feature

If you prefer to learn by writing code, you can review the following WiX issue trackers:

For WiX development assistance, there is a WiX developer mailing list at http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/forum.php?forum_name=wix-devs.