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 output of electron-packager. -
outputDirectory
(string) - The output directory. Will contain the finishedmsi
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 shortcut. If none is passed, it'll be set tocom.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. -
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 incertificateFile
. -
signWithParams
(string, optional) - Paramaters to pass tosigntool.exe
. OverridescertificateFile
andcertificatePassword
. -
ui
(UIOptions, optional) - Enables configuration of the UI. See below for more information.
UI Configuration (Optional)
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 totrue
. If set tofalse
, 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 totrue
, the end user will be able to choose the installation directory. Set tofalse
by default. Without effect if a customtemplate
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 asWixUIDialogBmp
.banner
- (optional, string) 493 ร 58 Top banner used on most dialogs that don't usebackground
. Will be used asWixUIBannerBmp
.exclamationIcon
- (optional, string) 32 x 32 Exclamation icon on theWaitForCostingDlg
dialog. Will be used asWixUIExclamationIco
.infoIcon
- (optional, string) 32 x 32 Information icon on the cancel and error dialogs. Will be used asWixUIInfoIco
.newIcon
- (optional, string) 16 x 16 "New folder" icon for the "browse" dialog. Will be used asWixUINewIco
.upIcon
- (optional, string) 16 x 16 "Up" icon for the "browse" dialog. Will be used asWixUIUpIco
.
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, 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.
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
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:
Install Options
</uninstall | /x>
Uninstalls the product
Display Options
/quiet
Quiet mode, no user interaction/passive
Unattended mode - progress bar only/q[n|b|r|f]
Sets user interface level- n No UI
- b Basic UI
- r Reduced UI
- f Full UI (default)
/help
Help information
Restart 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 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 Options
/update <Update1.msp>[;Update2.msp]
Applies update(s)
Repair Options
/f[p|e|c|m|s|o|d|a|u|v]
Repairs a productp
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 package
License
MIT, please see LICENSE.md for details.