I want to make backup of my application config files. This files are in specified directory. All i want to do is make subdirectory of this directory, and move there this config files on uninstall.
I know that this is possible with WiX custom action, but i think, that there is the simpler way.
I can do this scenario with CopyFile WIX element, but i don't know how to fire it at uninstalling only.
A common way to do this is have the application make a copy of the config file when it first runs, and the copied file is updated and used by the application. The uninstall doesn't remove it (because it didn't install it) but it can be optionally removed with a RemoveFile element or a custom action (and removing with a CA is more straightforward than copying).
One of the reasons this technique is used is that individual config files might be required for each user. In these cases the template installed file is copied by the app to per user locations. Another reason is upgrades and patches. Careless patches and updates can overwrite the original file (because REINSTALLMODE=vamus is used). Also upgrades can be used to deliver updated config files without jumping through hoops figuring out how to preserve the existing config file and yet deliver the new one at install time - the older unchanged template config file can be replaced without impacting current app settings.
Here. Custom action which triggered only on ununstall.
<Custom Action='CREATE_BACKUP' Before='...'>REMOVE="ALL"</Custom>
Related
I am trying to help port a .Net service to a more modern .Net version (possibly Core) and use the MSIX installer. The application has several configuration files generated by the compiler (in source they are app.config but compiled they become *.exe.xml), they are installed into Program File right next to the binaries and a GUI helper app as well and the application itself can modify them to change service behavior (port, ip, tls cert, etc).
Writes under C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\package_name are not allowed.Writes under C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\package_name are not allowed.
The problem I am facing is that the MSIX installer makes it so that files in it's sandboxed version of Program Files cannot be written to (see above). That means that this application cannot be configured, so I am trying to figure out not only how to make the app configurable again, but also how windows wants to handle app configuration.
Right now it seems like there is two general approaches to do this:
write the configuration data to the service account's AppData/local folder
try to mimic a /etc/Myservice behavior in another folder. (meaning a local system-wide directory that houses configuration data for the service)
If you suggest #1 please answer the following additional questions:
How would I move Application configuration files to a user configuration file directory
how can an admin with a normal account modify the config file in the Service Account's AppData folder with the mentioned GUI helper application? (do they need to enable desktop access to the service account, login and run the GUI)?
If you suggest #2:
Where would you suggest this directory exist (specifically where will MSIX allow it)?
How do I tell the .Net application that the files are not right next to it? Can I just use AppData.CurrentDomain.SetData?
Well, a service running on the system account is the same for all users, so I would say that CommonApplicationData is a better folder for storing its settings, instead of appdata. This folder is easily accessible to both your service and to any admin that needs to deploy a custom config file.
In AppData you should store only actual user files (like files or settings generated by the actions taken inside your app by a specific user - thus different files for different users).
Now, the second part is where you need to configure you code to load the config file from a custom path instead of looking for it next to the EXE. I am no .NET expert but after a quick search I found this:
Relocating app.config file to a custom path
The modern approach to deploying app customizations
What is not clear to me is how your customers use the GUI helper tool to customize the config file. Is this just a tool that is used by someone from the IT department to generate the config file, and then they would copy that file and deploy it to the end-user machines using an MSI/MST file (or through some other custom deployment method)?
If your application is only deployed by IT folks, then you can try another simpler (and much elegant) solution for providing it with a custom config file, which actually doesn't require any code changes.
You can still leave the config file next to the EXE, in ProgramFiles and instruct the IT teams that deploy the app to use an MSIX Modification Package to deploy the custom config file generated by your GUI helper. (check the link included above for an example - with a video version at the end of the article).
Note: IT teams can use multiple free or paid tools to generate MSIX Modifications Packages.
Of course, your GUI helper tool still needs to generate that customized config file in a folder where it is allowed, as it can no longer write under ProgramFiles. So actually, you do need to modify a little bit your code in this scenario too.
I'm planning to build my winform into a .exe file. I'm just wondering what to do with the XML files that my application needs?
I did some research and found out that I can add the XML files in the Resource folder before creating a .exe file.
Or I need to create a setup file? When the user runs the setup file, the XML files will be installed into their pc.Now I wonder which one is the best way to go for,
Note: XML files might get modified by the user.
If you want to ship the XML files as seperate to the .EXE then you can set the Copy to Output Directory to Copy if newer. (click on file and then go to properties).
OR if you want it as part of the .EXE I think you can change the Build Action to Embedded Resource.
I personally would create a Setup as per your edit and include the XML files. I usually just add everthing from the bin/release folder that is needed when I create a setup file.
You could either deploy the necessary files along with the executable in the same folder or embed them as resources (if they are read-only). If you need to modify them do not embed them as resources into the executable.
The correct way depends on how you intend to use the files. If the files always are deployed together with your application, the application never writes to them and they are never upgraded without upgrading the application, you can go with them embedded as resources.
If you need to update them separately from the application, you need to have them as physical files.
You don't necessarely need a installation package, unless you need to apply some logic during setup, such as updating the content of the setup based on user input or to check preconditions. The application can just be copied into place regardless of if you have embedded the files or not.
I have a setup project. If the user modifies one of the installed files and then un-installs the application, I'd like the file to NOT get deleted by the uninstall (so that when the user re-installs later, the modified file is used rather than the default one that the installer would normally use). Is this at all possible?
Note: Files which have not been edited should be applicable for upgrades/removal.
To prevent uninstall you should mark the files' component as Permanent
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa368007(v=vs.85).aspx
Since it is not possible to prevent the setup project from removing modified files when uninstalling, the best approach I have found (as mentioned by Ciprian) is to create a custom action which backs up the modified files before uninstallation, and restores them in another custom action afterwards.
I am using a custom action during install to write a text file to my install directory. When I uninstall, that file is not removed nor is the corresponding install directory. However everything else is uninstalled properly.
I understand the reason that WIX cannot uninstall this file using the uninstaller, I'm just wondering what's the best way to call into a "clean up" action on uninstall which in which I can manually delete the directory/file?
You could include a RemoveFile element in whatever component your text file is most closely associated. When that component is uninstalled, the text file will be deleted as well.
<RemoveFile Id="CleanUpLogFile" On="uninstall" Name="log.txt"/>
You could install an empty text file and then have the custom action write to the file instead of creating it.
In general, I would suggest to stay away from custom actions as much as possible (they can get quite messy when dealing with install, uninstall, patching, repair, etc.) You may want to consider having your application itself configure the file on first run or have an additional configuration app that is executed on first run.
you can always run a console app for example that removes the file through code. You would just add that project only to the uninstall custom actions.
Out of curiosity what is the nature of the text file? In similar situations where the text file is an install log I'd recommend logging to a temp directory or a location that is not under Program Files (such as the Program/AppData folders - C:\ProgramData\Manufacturer\ on windows 7 for instance).
This approach bypasses this issue completely eliminating the need to create custom clean up scripts or actions.
We currently have 4 installers for our client software:
ClientSetupTest
ClientSetupProduction
ClientUpdateTest
ClientUpdateProduction
The only differences between them are that Setup contains the Crystal Reports redistributable files, and Update doesn't. Test and Production just specifies which environment they run in and the only difference there is one line in the Client.exe.config file.
Dumb, I know, which is why I replaced them all with one installer after getting rid of Crystal Reports. The new installer writes the selected environment out to setup.config, which is referenced by the file attribute (see here).
The "file" attribute is new to the config file with this new installer. The problem I'm running into is that if we modify the Client.exe.config file on an old installation, then run the new installer, the config file never gets updated with the "file" attribute.
Is there any way to force it to update a file? RemovePreviousVersions doesn't exactly work, since it's a different installer, unless I'm misunderstanding something. My current idea, which will probably work, is to add code in the OnBeforeInstall method to rename the old Client.exe.config to a backup file, so it'll always write the new one. Seems like there should be a simpler solution within the installer itself, though. Any ideas?
EDIT: Renaming the old config file to Client.exe.config.old before calling base.OnBeforeInstall() didn't work. It renamed the file, but never wrote the new one.
Windows Installer won't update a modified file.
Nonversioned Files are User Data—If the Modified date is later
than the Create date for the file on the computer, do not install
the file because user customizations would be deleted. If the Modified
and Create dates are the same, install the file. If the Create date
is later than the Modified date, the file is considered unmodified,
install the file.
You have some options:
include a custom action that modifies the file in place. This might be a script or .NET code.
do as you say - move the existing file out of the way. The installer won't stop on it. But you need to make sure it happens in the order you are imagining. You may need Orca to figure out the ordering.
include a custom option to set the create date to be "today". This should be really simple with a scripted custom action, using the Scripting.FileSystemObject. Then Windows installer will overwrite it.